THE DECISION by promoters of the San Fernando Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, to incorporate reggae in the February 20-24 event, has not gone down well with socaphiles.

Most of the respondents to a January 23 story in the Trinidad Express newspaper hit out against promoter Marvin Warner's invitation to old-school dancehall acts to appear on all five nights of the show, which will be held at Secrets Carpark.

"The last thing Trinidad needs is reggae for carnival. Carnival is for soca, this is we culture," wrote one reader. "Who will want to go to a reggae concert around carnival time?"

Another reader wrote: "I love reggae but I am a Trini first. Please support our culture; soca is carnival music. We have to support Trini culture once and for all, because Jamaicans would not support soca at, say, Reggae Sunsplash."

Singers, Sugar Minott and Little John, and deejays, Josey Wales and Junior Cat are billed for the show, which will benefit the Food, Clothe and Educate the Children Foundation.

The reggae acts are scheduled to appear on the street parades in the days, and at the concerts in the evenings.

Carnival in Jamaica has always featured soca acts from the Eastern Caribbean, notably Trinidad and Tobago (Machel Montano, Denyse Plummer) and Barbados (Alison Hinds, among others).

Montserrat soca singer, Arrow, and Barbadian band, Square One have also appeared at Reggae Sunsplash.