Aaron wins 5th Chutney Soca title, bows out of the competition

WITH total support from schoolmates of St. George’s College, Aaron Duncan’s experience showed in his performance of Chutney Fire during the 2018 Schools National Carnival Intellectual Chutney Soca Monarch Competition held yesterday at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, PoS.

Duncan really lit up the venue with chutney fire. Speaking with reporters afterwards he said: “I feel great, I feel blessed winning this for the fifth time and I am very happy. I thank God for everything and as this is my last year in the competition, I am glad to leave it on a winning note.”

Only 14 years old, Duncan will now be only entering in senior competitions from next year.

Placing second in the Secondary Schools Category was early favourite Nirmala Ramdass Singh of San Fernando West Secondary. She sang Wave Your Flag – a song about our multicultural society, the steel pan, tassa, calypso, soca and chutney, the various culinary delights, and the tourist sites. She was very articulate with her delivery of the nation-building song.

Catherine Chandler, of the University of the Southern Caribbean, took third spot with her composition Success.

Fourth place went to Bethany Lightbourne, of Bishop Anstey High School East, with a song called Tina Tina while another early favourite Mackhadyon Charles, of Miracle Ministries, placed fifth with Take Back We Country.

In the Primary School category, Jayda Celestine of St. Michael’s Anglican emerged winner with Johnny Don’t Make No Joke – a song telling Johnny that education is the key to opportunity. She had the crowd singing along with her very entertaining performance.

Coming in second was crowd favourite student Zakiya Grant who sang Unity is Love. She told the crowd in song: “Every creed and race find an equal place in this beautiful island. It’s a love,” while placing third was Dabria Baptiste, the St. Gabriel’s R.C. School pupil who sang Bag Woes which spoke of heaving school bags, that are causing back problems for school children.

Earlier, it was clear that the organisers in their wisdom put the show in Port of Spain when the majority of finalists came from the south. That resulted in the delay of the arrival of students from those south schools and as well a delay in the start of the event itself, and the absence of the majority of students by the time the results were given out.

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia told competitors when they leave the venue, they should do so knowing that they have done their best.

Garcia ended his address by appealing to all students present to go out to school on Ash Wednesday.