Carmona: Shadow was robbed of ORTT

FORMER President Anthony Carmona says late calypsonian Winston “Shadow” Bailey was wronged when he received the Humming Bird (Medal) Silver instead of an Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT) and this needed to be rectified.

He was speaking yesterday at the funeral service for Shadow held at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain.

Shadow received his national award in 2003 for his contributions to music in TT. At the time the country’s highest national award was still the Trinity Cross; the ORTT was introduced in 2008.

Carmona said Shadow was wronged by judges and those who never appreciated the artist in him or the inspirational content in his music. “Wronged by those who gave you a Humming Bird (Silver) when you were worthy of an ORTT. A composer who has registered 378 songs with the Copyright Organisation of TT. And I do hope when the national awards is meeting and the honourable Prime Minister (will) correct this anomaly.”

Carmona said with national awards the president is at the end of the food chain. Carmona described Shadow as a calypsonian philosopher and scholar and calypsonian extraordinaire. He said his critical eye was well reflected in song and he caused people to internalise, genuflect and openly read the signs of the times.

“He never short-changed the nation with half-baked messages. He spoke his mind with sound lyrical content and substance.”

He said the ultimate aim of Shadow was to make all conduits of transformative and become channels of peace and that love have no boundaries. Carmona said he admired Shadow’s ability to say so little while saying so much. He commented on his song “Dingolay” which he described as one of the finest examples of effective use literary devices to paint a picture of TT’s daily lives.

“Shadow was not a one-dimensional calypsonian but one steeped in the traditions of music.”

He said Shadow would touch themes not relevant to TT but to global audiences. He said the magic of truth was lost upon TT as a nation often because the truth remains unacceptable.

“Shadow believed he could revolutionise our lives. But you know something ladies and gentlemen? We are afraid of those who would say so emphatically that we have become a land of cowards and...slowly becoming a land of hypocrites and convenience. Shadow was not about the fluff in our national dialogue because he was neither a coward nor a hypocrite.”

He said every “kankalang” Shadow song had a message to wake people from their slumber.

He recalled after Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley died in 1981 everything was pre-empted in Jamaica and his music was played 24/7.

“If we do not big up our own who will?”

Carmona said Shadow’s song “One Love” should be put into the nation’s schools. He lamented there was too much bitterness in this land and said for people to be honest to Shadow’s legacy he would like to see the day when “love come home to stay.” Carmona received a standing ovation following his speech.