Calypso History Month comes alive in south

The sweet, unmistakable rhythm of calypso spilled onto Cipero Street, San Fernando on October 3, as the South-Central Community Calypso Tents joined forces with the Trinbago Calypso Museum Committee to launch the southern leg of Calypso History Month.

The celebration began with a curry duck lime by day, followed by a calypso lime by night at Toast and Roast Bar on Upper Cipero Street. Beyond the laughter, music and mouth-watering aromas, the event carried a deeper purpose: it was a fundraiser for the proposed Calypso Museum, a long-dreamed sanctuary for the nation’s musical and cultural heritage.

The Calypso Museum is the shared vision of four cultural organisations – Bisnath School of Art, Birds Calypso Tent, Central Rainbow Stars and Missionaire’s Calypso Tent – who came together one year ago to begin the mission of safeguarding the artform’s history for generations to come.

Despite their passion, the group’s dream remains without a permanent home. Chairman Carey “Kinte” Stephens said the dream has been deferred, but not diminished.

He explained that while the committee currently operates from a temporary space on Cane Street, San Fernando, the need for a proper location is urgent.

“People from all over the world have promised to donate cultural artifacts,” Stephens said, “but we have nowhere to house them. These are vintage items – pieces of history – and they require a safe space to preserve them. We’re appealing to the private sector and government to help us create that home, to preserve what belongs to us.”

Among those pledging contributions is one of TT’s greatest collectors of calypso history, George Maharaj, who now resides in Canada. Maharaj has offered a treasure trove of over 5,000 historic items. Another supporter, Ray Funk, a retired Alaskan judge whose decades-long research into calypso earned him the Chaconia Medal (Silver) in 2024, has also promised donations to the future museum.

Building a cultural home

Mc Morris Edwards, president of the Calypso Museum Committee and secretary of TUCO’s South/Central Region, said that the group’s goal extends beyond simply finding a building.

“We’re looking at two possibilities,” Edwards explained. “Either a piece of land to build from the ground up, or an existing building we can renovate and transform into a cultural centre – a place that houses the museum, but also has space for concerts, lectures and tours. Somewhere that children, tourists and locals can visit and feel our cultural heartbeat.”

Edwards noted that while the now-neglected Carnegie Library in San Fernando has been discussed as a possible site, the team is open to any location that is safe, accessible and reflective of national pride.'

Since its launch on WACK Radio San Fernando in October 2024, the committee has engaged with the former Ministry of Culture, and now under new leadership, they are awaiting a meeting with current minister Michelle Benjamin to present their proposal and budget for support.

Artistry carved in wood and memory

For artist and cultural activist Bisnath, founder of the Bisnath School of Art and known for his work in stilt-walking and wood carving, the preservation of the arts is deeply personal.

Bisnath began carving TT’s cultural stories into wood back in 1988, when San Fernando became a city. One of his earliest carvings immortalised the lyrics of Growling Tiger’s 1939 calypso Labour Situation, which won the first-ever Calypso Monarch title.

“Not everyone is into cricket or football,” Bisnath reflected. “Some children are drawn to the arts – to pan, mas and calypso. A museum can inspire them, showing them the greatness of who we are.”

He lamented that, even in 2025, TT still lacks a national cultural museum where citizens and visitors can view the costumes of past Carnival Kings and Queens, or the memorabilia of calypso legends.

In the spirit of that cultural continuity, Bisnath also envisions Toast and Roast Bar becoming a kind of “Mas Camp Pub” – a lively entertainment spot where patrons can unwind with a drink while enjoying live local performances.

That vision, to keep the calypso vibe alive, came at the October 3 event, as calypsonians, pannists and parang group Los Caribe Parrenderos filled the air with infectious rhythm and melody. The celebration also recognised members of the media for their continued promotion of calypso and culture, including Errol Fabien of Gayelle TV (which livestreamed the show), Ivan Toolsie of GML, and Yvonne Webb of Newsday.

The evening was dedicated to honouring calypso great, The Mighty Sparrow, whom Edwards hailed as “the greatest calypsonian in the world.”

“We wanted to honour him while he’s alive,” Edwards said. “Too often we wait until our icons are gone to celebrate them.”

As the night drew to a close, patrons signed a banner displaying calypso’s historical milestones – a symbolic gesture that will one day hang proudly in the museum when the long-awaited dream becomes a reality.

For now, the rhythms continue to echo along Cipero Street – a soulful reminder that the story of calypso, like the spirit of TT itself, refuses to fade.