Moko jumbie masman wants museum in Black Stalin's honour

A call is being made for the establishment of the long talked about Carnival Museum, in honour of calypsonian Leroy “Black Stalin” Calliste.

Junior Bisnath, of the Kaisoca School of Arts, Sports and Culture, said on Saturday, “TT is supposed to be the mecca of Carnival, in the world.

“After Carnival Monday and Tuesday, however, there is no where you could go to see the costumes of the King and Queen of Carnival or any representation of what is supposed to be the greatest show on earth.

“To the ministers in charge, the Prime Minister, I want to send a message for the establishment of a museum for the arts. Many people, not only myself, have been crying out for a place where we can publicly display our culture.

“If we love Stalin so much, leh we start it nah and name it after him.”

Now that the country has reopened for tourism, he said, a museum can be a place where tourists, after docking at Port of Spain off cruise ships, can be taken to see what TT has to offer in terms of culture and traditional mas.

Bisnath spoke outside of his home on Henry Street, San Fernando, where he was setting up a banner in the form of musical notes, as a tribute to Black Stalin.

The banner contains the names of 15 of Stalin's 145 recorded songs and a line from his unforgettable Bun Dem.

Mounted on the top of the banner is “Dr Stalin”, reflective of his honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies.

The banner will be on display at events honouring the calypso great this week and at his funeral on Thursday for the public to sign.

For over 30 years, Bisnath has paid tribute to local icons, carving their faces on wood with inscriptions of their most memorable historic highlights. Black Stalin was one of the first carvings he did some 35 years ago.

“I have also done it for Pat Castagne, Ken “Professor” Philmore, Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba), Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), Sparrow (Slinger Francisco).”

He has done tributes to world leaders among them the late South African President Nelson Mandela and former US President Barack Obama.

Carvings have also been presented to international performing artistes, including Hugh Masekela.

“I got to present musical awards to people like Dionne Warwick, Freddie Jackson, Lauren Hill, the Marley family, Sizzla, Burning Spears, Gregory Isaac when they performed in Trinidad.

“For the Tobago Jazz Festival, I did not get to meet Whitney Houston, but I was invited to go on stage to watch her perform and present her musical award to her manager.”

For the past 10 years, Bisnath started a new tradition, creating banners on the deaths of calypsonians and other local heroes.

“I would normally do a big banner for the public to sign their name to record their presence and to feel and be a part of the history,” he said.

“I did it for the late prime minister Patrick Manning, where at the public viewing of his body at SAPA, I had about 40 moko jumbies form a guard of honour...We don’t get paid to do this, I just feel as an artiste, it is my duty to recognise the legacy of these icons.”

Speaking about his journey with Stalin, who died on December 28 at the age of 81, Bisnath recalled a chance meeting with his wife Patsy as she passed by his house one day.

“I always wanted to meet him, and a friend who was by me called out to Patsy as she passed. We showed her the carving I did of Black Stalin, I was then invited to the launch of one of his albums on Todd Street where I met him for the first time and since then we have been very good friends.

“We travelled together to Germany when TT qualified for the World Cup and we limed together with Roy Cape, Boogsie (Sharpe), Kees (Dieffenthaller), Blaxx (Dexter Stewart). He was one of the most loved calypsonian and I would miss him.”