Plans afoot for a calypso transformation

Lutalo Masimba
Lutalo Masimba

CALYPSO History Month (CHM), usually celebrated in October each year by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO), will also see five major plans unfolding to mark TUCO’s Jubilee Anniversary.

President of TUCO Lutalo Masimba (Bro Resistance) told Newsday those five plans comprise a school quiz, the UWI Roytec/TUCO scholarship programme, the launch of its own credit union, proper documentation of TUCO and the gala that comes off next month, at which deserving calypsonians will be honoured.

Masimba said books on calypso will be sent to schools to take part in the school quiz, which starts at the end of the present term and goes into next term.

Tuco’s collaboration with UWI-Roytec came about after they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in June on a certificate course in the business of entertainment.

Masimba said: “The response was overwhelming and we are now looking to find places for all successful applicants.”

Graduates of this course will go on to fulfil roles such as managers and booking agents.

A programme on financial literacy and independence will be launched with the TUCO Credit Union Corporation. Masimba said the latter is for the sale of goods and services.

TUCO is embarking on a drive to have the history of calypsonians’ organisations, leading up to the formation of TUCO, researched by Dr Rudolph Ottley, and a video made that will include interviews with calypsonians who were instrumental in the unifying of the calypso movement.

At the gala, Masimba said: “We will celebrate ourselves, and we are also going to show appreciation to some of the persons who would have contributed to the organisation to get it to what it is today.”

The month was launched in September, after which TUCO has held a bingo competition; calypso lectures at Signal Hill Secondary School and Scarborough Library; was part of a food festival at the Boardwalk, Chaguaramas earlier this month; last Wednesday’s TUCO North Zone 1,2,3, in yuh Pweffen at City Hall Auditorium, PoS; a children’s workshop for primary and secondary students on October 11 and 12 at the National Library; and Ninja’s 16th Annual Soca Parang Fiesta came off in Petit Bourg last weekend.

Every Wednesday for the month, TUCO and the management of Fiesta Plaza, MovieTowne, Port of Spain, have collaborated to stage events, while the revived calypso musical Sing De Chorus, staged over the last two weekends at Central Bank Auditorium, Port of Spain, will continue at Naparima Bowl in San Fernando on October 19 and 21, then moves to Shaw Park, Tobago on October 27 and 28.

On October 27, and November 3 as well, there will be a Writer’s Centre Kaiso Lime on Alcazar Street, St Clair from 10 am. On October 25, UTT’s Saving the Calypso Series will be held at the Central Bank Auditorium.

The action continues in November with Extemporama at City Hall, Port of Spain and Sando Alive City celebrations at City Hall, San Fernando, both on November 3, followed by a boat ride on November 4.

A sports and family day at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on November 11 and the TUCO Gala at Queen’s Hall auditorium, St Ann’s on November 28 will close off activities.

Errol Peru, on his own social media outlet Cruz Media, has also been posting on pictures Facebook of every imaginable person associated with calypso, both locally and internationally over the years in celebration of the month, and that gesture has been acknowledged by quite a large number of people in the calypso fraternity and in culture on the whole.

Calypsonians, calypso writers, musicians, arrangers, back-up singers, promoters, music bandleaders, MCs, record-shop owners, electronic/print media past and present, and even Bishop Clyde Harvey, the legendary Aunty Kay whose Sunday afternoon programme on Radio Trinidad was the platform for many young artistes to showcase their talent, Byron Lee, a Jamaican who took TT’s kaiso and soca to the world and Junior Bisnath who runs the Kaisokah School of Arts that has churned out many a moko jumbie, have all been highlighted since CHM 2018 started.

On Carnival 2019, Masimba said: “The release of funds by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) in a timely manner is basically one of the biggest challenges we face going into Carnival every year, but that aside, we have plans to look at an improved approach to marketing tent activity. We don’t know how successful it will be, but we have to do something about the product on stage, the demographic of attendees, personal and car security, and finding ways to present a new approach to customers. It is not going to be easy, but we owe it to everyone.”

As to how many tents will be open next year Masimba said while it was difficult to say, TUCO will be bringing out its full complement, that is, Kaiso House, Kaiso Showcase, Klassic Ruso, Kaiso Karavan and Magnificent Glow.

Comments

"Plans afoot for a calypso transformation"

More in this section