So it’s Carnival Sunday once again. The country is alive with that special energy. Today, I extend a special “welcome home” to those of the Trinbagonian diaspora who are “home” for the festivities. For many who reside abroad, this pilgrimage is an important way of connecting with our “roots.” In the travel and tourism industry, we call these people VFR traffic, that is, those who come to visit friends and relatives.

Derren Joseph logoMy uncle Steve is one of these overseas-based Trinis who visits for Carnival when he can. Last week, Uncle Steve was sharing with me his memories of Carnival growing up. His mother discouraged him from participating in Carnival, because of its association with violence and negativity. In secondary school, Short Pants helped me understand just how important history is. So now, I enjoy talking to the elders about Trinidad in times gone by. We could never know where we are going until we appreciate where we came from. This Carnival I enjoyed my calypso. Despite rumours to the contrary, calypso is alive and well. Kudos to Pink Panther, Brother Resistance, Karega Mandela and the rest of the TUCO executive.

It has been a good season. Audiences in the tents and bigger concerts were good. I especially liked the idea of making tent tickets available online and having shows at Fiesta Plaza in MovieTowne. This Carnival I enjoyed my soca. Kudos to Machel Montano on sanctifying the Heavenly Drums in his message this year. Won’t Stop is still my favourite for Road March. My favourite fete memories this year involve bands like Kes and Roy Cape singing ole time calypso from Sparrow and Kitch. Soca and calypso are like two brothers born from the same father. This Carnival I enjoyed my pan. Kudos to Pan Trinbago on a great Website: www.pantrinbago.co.tt.

I live in Petit Valley, and was blessed with sweet pan music floating through the night air, as nearby HCL Valley Harps would practise on evenings. This Carnival I enjoyed the free concerts. Kudos to sponsors like Power 102FM and bmobile who put on free concerts in Woodford Square. This Carnival I am enjoying my Queen’s Park Savannah. Kudos to Howard Chin Lee and the team at the National Carnival Commission (NCC) on overseeing what we Trinis consider the greatest show on earth. The upgraded “greens” and mini Carnival Village were some of the little touches that were almost universally-appreciated.

This Carnival I will enjoy my mas. Last Sunday, I was sitting in a waiting room at Cascadia Hotel with many others, excitedly waiting for our numbers to be called, to go into the next room to collect our costumes. A Tribe video was playing at the front of the room. Dean Ackin was commenting on the band. For a moment, my mind went back to the new Peter Minshall documentary that was recently screened. At that moment, I thought: suppose Minshall and Tribe were to combine and bring out a single band. Wow! That would be something! Unity of what my friend Bose would term, “mas from the heart,” and contemporary commercial mas? We have so much to be thankful for.

Permit me to borrow a verse from King David Rudder:
Our Father who has given us this art
So that we can all feel as if we are a part
Of your heaven….amen
Forgive us this day our daily weaknessess
As we seek to cast our mortal burdens on this painful city…amen
And on this day when we come out to play and sway
And do a little breakaway
Some will say what they have to say
But only you know the pain we’re feeling…..amen
As it was in the beginning of J’Ouvert
So it shall be on Carnival Tuesday ending (good vibes)…amen
Be safe for Carnival, regardless of what you do.

As always, I end by saying that despite our challenges, we are so blessed to live in this beautiful country. We need to remember and acknowledge just how much uplifting work is being done all around us.

I read that before he passed on, the Mighty Duke spent his last days in the studio of his Cocorite home, where he penned a calypso called the Dying Art. It apparently tells of the dying calypso culture being replaced by soca music. My old pardner, Marty Raymond, also believes that the culture of Trinidad and Tobago is in transition, and as such, calypso and old mas culture is seeing its sunset.

Marty went on to say we are blessed, in that during our lifetime we experienced part of the “old time” Trinidad and Tobago, which so many seem to yearn for again. Marty really got me thinking. Would calypso soon be forgotten? I thought that it would be helpful for me to speak to Aiyegoro Ome about the National Youth Action Committee (NYAC). I met him before, and I remembered just how passionate he was about cultural development and our young people. So last Tuesday after work, I took a walk to 40 Duke Street in Port-of-Spain to chat with Ome, as well as to have a look at some of the talented young people auditioning for its calypso shows.

Ome sees artistic expression as the soul of a nation, and the key to its social and moral development. In that context, calypso is a key part of our artistic expression and also a way of helping young people battle external influences, which he believes are more powerful than ever. He reminded me that most, if not all, of the top soca artistes of today started off with calypso. In fact, many of these artistes got their first exposure in competitions and shows organised by the NYAC. He called names like Machel Montano, Destra Garcia, Denise Belfon and Shurwayne Winchester. Ome explains that they moved to soca for a number of reasons, including the financial rewards of soca as well as the apparent decline in popularity of the tents. But Ome firmly believes that calypso remains the secret ingredient in the soca art form.

In fact, not only does he believe that calypso is alive and well, he also believes it will soon return to its previous levels of popularity. He cites as encouraging the way in which artistes like Montano and Winchester have collaborated with calypsonians like the Mighty Sparrow and Calypso Rose in recent years. Personally, I am not sure that traditional calypso would return to the prominence it once enjoyed, but I can clearly see that the art form is not being forgotten. My friend Bose talks of the need to attract the right people. We need more like Cyril Diaz, Joey Lewis, Duchy Brothers and Roy Cape. We want to fall in love with calypso again. We want to smile at the lyrics, the way we did when Birdie and Melo had their great “battles.” We need to make it a little more difficult for the artistes to think of deserting calypso.

The NYAC has five competitions for young artistes: the Calypso Pioneers Competition for youngsters aged five to nine; the Calypso Jewels Competition for youngsters aged nine to 12; the Calypso Juniors Competition for 12 to 15-year-olds; the Pathfinders Competition for 15 to 20-year-olds; and the Stars of Tomorrow competition for those up to 30 years old. I was able to view some youngsters auditioning, and I remember seeing this tiny little girl, who looked three or four years old, singing with the confidence and presence of someone many times her tender age. I was amazed. I also saw a line of young potentials going all the way down the stairway and almost pouring out onto Duke Street. Ome explained that everyone will receive constructive feedback on their performance. I saw some tickets in the NYAC office for the Pioneers and Jewels competitions, which will be held on February 5 at Jean Pierre Complex from 10am.

I was glad to see the competition was being partly sponsored by First Citizens. I feel so good when I see companies being good corporate citizens! I was a bit disappointed that February 5 is a Thursday, though, because I would have liked to attend with my two sons. Tickets and information on shows at Generation Next, Kalypso Revue, Icons Calypso Tent, and the various Tuco tents are available by ringing 821-5855. As always, I end by saying that despite our challenges, we are so blessed to live in this beautiful country. We need to remember and acknowledge just how much uplifting work is being done all around us. Let us continue to have the audacity of hope in our country, as we move towards Vision 2020.