What stood out for me at Carnival

THE EDITOR: Carnival has come and gone. But there are a few things that caught my attention.

Some pan lovers believe that the North Stand should not have been replaced because the thrill and the excitement was curtailed, and the attraction limited.

Calypso pundits were saying that due to the change in the style of some singers the art form was dying. But I found the semi-final of the national competition at Skinner Park in San Fernando to be a success with old stalwarts and new singers giving a good account of themselves, and a new one even going on to winning the crown in the final.

The new monarch is Renaldo London, 21years old and the nephew of Brian London, the extempo king. And the Junior Calypso Monarch is Rivaldo London, Renaldo’s brother. So the art form is in good hands with this family.

In the junior show the students had very good selections and sweetly toned voices. They gave great performances while showing determined effort in their storytelling, with good diction and harmony.

On Carnival Monday, Massy All Stars Steel Orchestra continued to show them how to play mas while the worthwhile innovation of traditional character mas continued in the morning.

The Panorama and the Children’s Carnival with their beautiful costumes saved this country from a celebration that seems to be falling apart. I am sure our neighbours will soon move ahead of us.

If we are to maintain our Carnival as the greatest show on Earth we must have two days of beautiful costumes depicting eras of historical events.

Congratulations to Kees Dieffenthaller for Savannah Grass – the bona fide Road March.

But the Carnival truly belonged to Nadia Batson with her two beautiful songs, So Long and Hookin Meh, that captivated audiences all through the season and will do so for a long time after Carnival.

HORACE DESORMEAUX, Maraval