Roget turns to calypso to deliver his message

GORDON Rohlehr, the late professor at UWI and calypso expert, once said it is possible to understand any given era in the Caribbean by studying calypso.

That is an undertaking trade unionist Ancel Roget has embraced. He has turned to the medium of calypso to tell the story of an era of “suffering” under the present People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.

The president general of the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) has condensed significant events over the past decade into a musical offering called The Truth – a takeoff of the late Black Stalin’s Bun Dem.

From the rise in gas prices, escalating crime, bail for murderers, millions in government rental of buildings owned by Cabinet ministers, as opposed to public servants having to be satisfied with a four per cent wage increase, the poor state of healthcare, unbearable taxation, increase in public utilities bills, fake oil scandal, the shut down of Petrotrin to the death of four divers at the state-owned facility, Roget has summoned Stalin from the grave to reignite the fire and “bun the PNM.”

Believing changing times require innovation to reach people who are turned off by lengthy, rhetorical speeches, Roget is delivering a message in song he hopes will resonate with his hearers.

He challenged anyone to refute the veracity of the lyrics.

“Rowley’s PNM is an enemy of the OWTU and the labour movement, and if you pretend you don’t know that, then you are part of the deceitful group.”

The OWTU has expressed support for the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) and also the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), two political parties opposed to the PNM.

Saying after nine years in government the PNM is still blaming the UNC for some ills, Roget noted the silence and cautioned citizens to open their eyes. “We must not be bound by race. It is race that is keeping us from opening our eyes and facing the truth.” He made his calypso debut with the song he has composed and which was produced by Junior “Ibo” Joseph, at a news conference at the OWTU’s Paramount Building Headquarters on April 3. OWTU members added a chorus of voices with the hook line.

He is not seeking any space in any government-sponsored competition or any crown. Roget promised the song will become the OWTU’s anthem and he will perform it publicly at the June 19 Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad.

He told members to become familiar with the lyrics.

“This is indeed a historic moment for the OWTU,” Roget said, saying while no other head of the union has embarked on such a course, it has been a strong supporter and advocate for calypso.

“The OWTU has always contributed to calypso and culture. Every year we provide a platform for between 15 and 17 calypsonians to perform at our Labour Day cultural show.

“We have made our building at Palms Club a premier location for calypso and calypso tents, including Kaiso Showkase.

“Calypso is not dead. We will be using this medium to project our message,” he said, encouraging the politically and socially skilled calypsonians to continue with their mission to provide a voice for the voiceless and lamentation of the poor and suffering. “Calypso cannot die. It has to stay on course to oversee its true mission, which is raising issues in defence of those who cannot raise it for themselves.”

He said quite a few calypsoes dealt with corruption, nepotism, poor governance and other social and political ills in 2024, but were left out of major competitions. “The issues we are dealing with are not seasonal. They are everyday issues and I want to urge calypsonians to write and perform calypsoes that deal with issues that are not seasonal.”

Roget said he chose the post-Carnival season to launch, “so as to draw attention, going back to where calypso raised the issues on behalf of the voiceless, the poor, the oppressed, the lamentation of all those persons in society who today just cannot see their way because of poor governance. “In the OWTU, we are not afraid to call a spade a spade. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, whether it is spoken or put in song.

“This is our anthem now. We are going straight into Labour Day and into the general election, when they would come to try to fool the people.

“We will not be fooled. The OWTU has a history of standing up against colonial rule. We stood up against (former prime ministers) Eric Williams, George Chambers, ANR Robinson, Patrick Manning, Basdeo Panday (all deceased) and Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “So who the hell is Keith Rowley that we cannot stand up against him?”