Superior’s family blanked use of NAPA for funeral

HE LEFT HIS MARK: Calypsonian Allan Fortune, better known as Brother Mudada, signs a photo of his late colleague Andrew “Lord Superior” Marcano at the funeral held at his Petit Valley home yesterday.
HE LEFT HIS MARK: Calypsonian Allan Fortune, better known as Brother Mudada, signs a photo of his late colleague Andrew “Lord Superior” Marcano at the funeral held at his Petit Valley home yesterday.

FAMILY members of Lord Superior (Andrew Marcano) said arranging the calypsonian’s funeral was a painstaking task, as they were not allowed to use the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain and had to change plans at the last minute.

Family and friends had to rush to plan a funeral at Superior's home in Petit Valley yesterday. His body was then taken to his hometown of Rio Claro. Superior, 79, died in New York on November 25.

The two-hour service was full of musical tributes, including performances from Lady Adana, Brother Mudada, Relator, Krisson Joseph, Neil "Abebele" Baptiste, Brother Valentino, Winston "Gypsy" Peters and Pearl Eintou Springer. Superior's music was not left out, as his song Cultural Assassination was played.

Moriba Marcano – one of Superior's five children – gave the eulogy. Peters also spoke on behalf of the National Carnival Commission, of which he is chair.

Dr Janet Stanley-Marcano, Superior's ex-wife, said it was disappointing that they were not able to hold the funeral at NAPA.

"Andrew continued to be fought down till his death. We are sitting here today (yesterday) and probably it is divine intervention that we are here. Maybe this is what he really wanted.

"When Andrew passed...I was going quietly to see about burying him, without saying anything to any of the powers that be, because they have been continuously disrespectful to him throughout the years."

Those in attendance nodded in agreement.

Stanley-Marcano said that initially, "I got the commitment from the Minister (of Culture, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly) that either Queen's Hall or NAPA will be available free of charge, which was available to us."

However, she said the minister then said Queen's Hall was not available because a show was booked previously.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on Tuesday the minister spoke with me and agreed that we will have NAPA."

Stanley-Marcano was told to e-mail the necessary people to make arrangements, but was then told no funerals can be held at NAPA.

"The young lady (at the ministry) asked whether his body will be there (NAPA) and I said, 'Yes,' and she said, 'Well, that is equivalent to a funeral and they don't want funerals at NAPA.' I said to the young lady, 'Miss, you have knocked me off my feet, because we have done everything already.'"

The family was offered the Queen's Park Savannah, but declined and decided to have the funeral at the house in Petit Valley. Stanley-Marcano thanked everyone for attending the funeral.

When Newsday contacted Gadsby-Dolly, she said funerals are only held at NAPA for former presidents and prime ministers.

"It is a performing space and, as you would be aware, the only funerals – the lying-in-states that we had at NAPA would have been the former prime minister of the country (Patrick Manning) and the former president of the country (Arthur NR Robinson)," Gadsby-Dolly said. The body of former President George Maxwell Richards lay in state at NAPA in January.

Gadsby-Dolly said in Port of Spain there are a number of other venues and having a funeral at NAPA is not "strictly encouraged."

The funeral of panman Ken "Professor" Philmore was held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in San Fernando recently, but Gadsby-Dolly said in south there are limited places to hold funerals.

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