Lead Editor-Newsgathering
ryan.bachoo@cnc3.co.tt
“It is how stories were told because once upon a time the levels of literacy we have today were not commonplace, so calypso was the main way in which information was passed on from one sector to the other.” Heather Mac Intosh’s opening statement in her interview with the Sunday Guardian epitomised the importance of this art form for T&T. In fact, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation’s (TUCO) tagline is “By calypso, our stories are told.”
It was once called the poor man’s newspaper. But Mac Intosh was quick to add, “I think because of the proliferation of social media and those other things, calypso doesn’t have the same status in society as it used to have once upon a time.”
October is Calypso History Month, which gives us the opportunity to reflect on how far the art form has come while also analysing its penetration in society today.
The Belafonte dilemma
Calypso can be traced to the traditions of West Africans in terms of music, structure, and function.
According to TUCO, it traces its roots to African traditions of improvised songs of self-praise and scorn for others, brought here by enslaved peoples. But from Lord Beginner to Harry Belafonte, calypso’s history can often be a topic of division.
Emrold Anthony Phillip, who goes by the sobriquet Brother Valentino, has researched, written, and sung on the history of calypso music. His song ‘Where Kaiso Went’ is a virtual encyclopaedia of the history of the art form.
In it, he sings of calypso’s rise from its first recording in 1912 in New York City to Belafonte’s style to the influence calypso music had on famous singers such as Bob Dylan, Lionel Richie, Rosemary Clooney, and Louis Farrakhan. But Belafonte, who was a famous American singer and one who is credited with taking calypso music internationally, has a complicated legacy in local circles.
Dr Hollis Liverpool, who is more popularly known as The Mighty Chalkdust, sang famously at Dimanche Gras in 1993, “When you hear Belafonte and Buster Poindexter, that is not kaiso, that is brandy mixed with water.” He would win the monarch that year with his song ‘Misconception’.
In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, David Rudder said of the Belafonte division, “Harry Belafonte had nothing to do with calypso music. That was a decision from the recording company. He was doing some songs by Lord Melody and others in his own style. People always say Harry Belafonte stole calypso, but if Harry Belafonte was not there, the story of calypso would not be what it is today. I think he did a great job in terms of the audience he had to deal with. He did it in his own way.”
For Rudder, Belafonte’s chapter in the story of calypso music cannot be denied. It was the first genre of music to sell a million copies. Brother Valentino’s classic ‘Where Kaiso Went’ questions the state of the art form and its fall from grace.
When asked about the current state of calypso music, Rudder and Valentino had similar answers.
“It’s losing its essence, it’s losing its taste,” Valentino replied. Meanwhile, Rudder said, “It’s in a weak spot right now.”
When pressed on what is causing the decline in the art form, Brother Valentino pointed to the modern instruments that are used, which he says “doesn’t enhance the music.” He further pointed to the computerisation, or “programming,” as he called it, which is causing calypso music to lose its essence.
However, Brother Valentino has always seen the Dimanche Gras show as the Achilles heel of the art form. He has criticised the competition in both song and spoken word. “Up to this day, Dimanche Gras is calypso’s biggest enemy and biggest problem because the calypsonians no longer focus on the art; they focus on the pay packet.
The interest in the art itself is lost,” Brother Valentino said.
It’s a statement that has found favour with Mac Intosh. She offered her opinion to the Sunday Guardian, saying, “I think many calypsonians focus on the competition rather than on the music, and there, for me, is where the challenge lies. If you are going after the crown, then there are particular things you do or don’t do in order to attain the crown, and I think that belies what the calypso is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be commentary, either social or political. It’s supposed to be storytelling. That, to a large extent, is not happening because people are focused on winning the crown. What we are trying to do is get the formula to win the monarch.”
Meanwhile, Rudder added, “If people don’t find new ways to express themselves, then it will dissipate. If you listen to the young calypsonians now in the soca arena, they are getting involved in the calypso music too, and that’s a good thing.”
Calypso in the school curriculum
With such concern about the state of calypso music being expressed by the bards, the common question of why calypso music has not been incorporated into the school curriculum comes up again. Brother Valentino said, “That is something they should have on the itinerary for the longest while because calypso is not entertainment; it is a form of education.” He went further in saying, “They will have to put calypso on the curriculum if they want calypso to really come alive again and to be that force and voice it once was. Somebody has to pick up the mantle.”
Mac Intosh said she was “disappointed” that calypso music has not been included in the school system.
She added, “There is more than enough room in the curriculum to allow for calypso to be introduced. If we look at the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam, which is the big exam that students do at the end of primary school, there is a comprehension element where poetry has to be judged, and I’m saying we can use a kaiso instead of some poem that you take from some far off land that has no cultural relevance to the children.”
The 2011 National Calypso Queen said the school curriculum should incorporate not just calypso music but all other types of local music. “There needs to be someone who would take charge of ensuring that our stories are reflected in society through the education of our children,” Mac Intosh added.
Rudder said there were some progressive teachers within the school system who already teach calypso music without the need to be told to do so. He said it should not be forced, but it should certainly be welcomed.
Guardian Media’s Calypso History Month series titled ‘Our spirit, our melody’ is feature during the CNC3 7 pm news on Thursdays in October.
