Calypso mourns Brother Resistance

In a release on Wednesday, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) says funeral arrangements for Lutalo “Brother Resistance” Masimba will be posted soon.

The calypso world was thrown into mourning as news of his death was shared quickly and widely on Wednesday.

Masimba died on July 13. His son Kwame Jones did not wish to share any information on the cause of his father’s death or any other information until all family members were made aware. He said his father always kept his personal life personal.

However, Jones said his father’s life was simple.

“He worked hard, more or less, to make sure what he was doing was fulfilled and the people around him were able to move forward and move up, if necessary in the same space and time,” he said.

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts in a statement on Masimba’s passing said it was saddened by his sudden passing.

The release said Masimba pioneered rapso and was a founding member of the Network Riddum Band.

Masimba was a writer, poet, entrepreneur, academic and a cultural and social activist, it said.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and members of the cultural community. We are grateful for his immeasurable contribution to the calypso artform and to the development of rapso. In his leadership of TUCO, his unwavering commitment and dedication to our culture shone through. The cultural fraternity has lost a patriot, advocate and friend," said the minister, Randall Mitchell.

It added that Resistance's iconic song Ring the Bell transcended rapso audiences and he introduced a younger audience to Lord Pretender through the 1997 remix of Never Ever Worry.

"He represented our Trinbago culture well, and his sudden passing comes as quite a shock as we have been communicating more frequently over the last few months on artiste vaccinations and travel, and general ideas of recovery in the arts and entertainment sector," Mitchell added.

In the release Mitchell said even as TT mourns Masimba’s death, it also celebrates his innovation and creativity. He thanked his family for allowing Masimba to share his time and talent with the country and for his contributions to TT’s cultural heritage.

Many other organisations, including Pan Trinbago, the Emancipation Support Committee, the National Carnival Commission (NCC) and artistes such as Austin “SuperBlue” Lyons, 3canal, Iwer and Farmer Nappy also sent condolences.

On its Facebook page, the band 3canal said if it had not been for Brother Resistance, the group would not be who they are today.

“We sang backgrounds on your songs before we even recorded our own. You were always inspiring and encouraging and accessible and humble and rooted and real and wise and committed and strong,” the group said.

It was hard for SuperBlue to hear the news of Masimba’s passing. It left him lost for words, he said on his Facebook page. But he thanked him for all his work for Trinidad and Tobago’s music industry and said his work will always be remembered.

On his Instagram account, reigning joint Road March Iwer sent his condolences to Masimba’s family and said he was gone too soon but will never be forgotten.

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) also joined the local and international communities in remembering Masimba’s life. It said in addition to being TUCO’s president he was also a commissioner on the NCC board.

“In both roles, in which Masimba served for several consecutive terms, he employed his signature energy and insight at every turn in the pursuit of social activism and cultural advocacy, never once shying away from doing all that he could to empower various communities.”

It added that he was a Queen’s Royal College (QRC) alumnus who came from the East Dry River, Port of Spain. He was praised for being “an excellent poet, a gifted performer, respected lecturer and dyed-in-the-wool social activist.”

It added that over several decades he fought for, educated and empowered many inside and outside TT.

TUCO’s release said in 2012 he was awarded a masters degree in Carnival studies from the University of Trinidad and Tobago and, at the time of death, was reading for his PhD at the UWI St Augustine campus.

..