Couva calypso monarch confident of retaining title

Defending Couva senior calypso monarch Rawle “Ratel” Peters faces the first hurdle to retain his crown when auditions for the 2025 calypso monarch (senior and junior) competitions get underway at the Balmain Community Centre, Balmain, Couva, on January 26, from 9 am.

A veteran in the competition organised by the Couva Carnival Committee, Peters is confident of repeating his 2024 victory with his social commentary Is Greed. His winning song last year was titled Exploitation Must Stop.

“I think I have an even better song this year. I’m sticking with social commentary as the topic juxtaposes white-collar crime against blue-collar crime. We keep talking about crime as a menace to society, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but all over the world," Peters said in the release.

“We seem to be going after the blue-collar criminals but, more often than not, white-collar criminals operate as legit business but get rich out of crime and more often than not get away with their greed. I intend to go to town on this topic. The pretenders to my throne have to come very good to stand in my way. Anyway, I wish them all the best,” Peters said.

Junior calypso monarch Marcus McDonald, who won last year with Read My Lips, is expected to enter the competition again this year.

Ezekiel Clarke, co-ordinator of the calypso competitions, said registration has been going extremely well with many calypsonians doing so online.

“I think we will have an excellent competition this year, judging by the topics chosen by the calypsonians. I want to remind all who turn up for the auditions to bring CDs or flash drives with only the music of the song, nothing else. Good luck to all participants,” Clarke said.

The CCC headed by Ramchand Rajbal Maraj will meet with top officers of the Couva Police Station on Friday to discuss security arrangements for 2025 Carnival season.

Rajbal said in the release, “We have always had good relations with the police on safety and security for Carnival. Since we will be staging our events under a state of emergency this year, there may be new regulations and guidelines under which we will have to operate. Our prime objective is the safety of everyone who participate in Couva carnival in one way or the other.”