A discussion this week on Saint Lucia Calypso (and Soca to a lesser extent) revealed that the genre was facing some challenges, despite an annual injection by the Government during the carnival season.
A number of perennial issues were raised on Tuesday at a forum organized by the Msgr. Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) and Carnival Music Management Committee CMMC.
The discussions were premised on a review and celebration of the 2024 calypso and carnival music season. However, it was clear in the end that the overall products needed to be better refined and packaged to increase the public’s appetite and grow Calypso and Soca.
The event, described as a “Kaiposium” was held at the Anglican School Annex in Castries and sought to bring together performers, composers, musicians, judges, tent managers and other stakeholders to review the past season and to chart the way forward.
Chaired by Kennedy “Boots” Samuels, the programme started with a presentation by the head of the Carnival Music Management Committee, Claude Paul.
According to Paul, he was very happy for the opportunity to talk about the calypso season and the work of the CMMC.
He went on to indicate that the CMMC was not the calypso association or a replacement.
“We have been appointed by Government to manage a subvention that is given to support the art-form,” Paul explained.
During his presentation the CMMC chairman alluded to the fact that for 2024 the organisation had oversight of eleven tent shows , the soca, groovy and calypso semifinals, and finals as well as input in schools calypso and the return of the inter commercial calypso show.
“Sixty percent of the subvention provided by the Government”, Paul indicated “is used to support the artistes, musicians and sound engineering”. That sum, he revealed, was EC$200,197.
While there were signs of improved corporate support, Paul said that there were a limited number of tent shows and lamented that there appeared to be no attempt by the calypso tents to raise revenue beyond the carnival season. This, after receiving 80% of the gate receipts from the tent shows managed by the CMMC.
The CMMC head then put forward a number of issues for discussion, including a review of the competition rules and criteria as well as the establishment of a body to represent Calypso. Calypsonians have been without a representative organisation now for more than a decade.
Another presentation on the night came from Sylvester Clauzel who reflected on the judging of the calypso competition, a much-discussed issue in the public domain. Clauzel provided a comprehensive analysis of the scoring of semi-finals and finals for 2024.
A robust discussion ensued later, following remarks from tent leaders. Cecil Charles of the TOT/Soca Village, Lennon “Blaze” Prospere and Michael Esnard of Soca the Ultimate tent, presented the highs and the lows of their respective organisations for 2024.
Among the common talking points were the exorbitant fees for various mass crowd protocols, the lack of airplay given to Saint Lucian Calypso and Soca and insufficient sponsorship. The bombardment of non-Saint Lucian music on the road during Saint Lucia’s carnival was also raised.
The evening ended with the unveiling of the publication Lucian Kaiso for 2024 by Embert Charles and the recognition of carnival music monarchs by the FRC.
Present to collect his award was the 2024 Junior Primary School Monarch Kenyan Osman of the Mongouge primary school. Other awardees (in absentia) were the Secondary school junior monarch Yandi James of the Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School, the Inter-commercial House winner, the Preacher, groovy monarch Sly and the Power Soca and Road March king Ricky T.
Photo: Claude Paul
