In search of our democracy

Dara E Healy

Last election had so much fun, I am one who sorry it done

Last election had so much fun, Cypher is one who sorry it done

I love to see how men turning beast

Some of them hand trembling like leaf

On the roadside they'll testify

With their manifesto only pack with lie

– Last Election, Mighty Cypher, 1967

ELECTIONS are a core component of democratic systems of government. Essentially, the idea is that we the people can determine how we want our country to be run and the people in Parliament, regional corporations and sundry places of authority are mandated to govern on our behalf. For decades, calypsonians and other artists have questioned the validity of elections and the extent to which the voice of the people is being either heard or manipulated. In our tumultuous world, democracy is increasingly under scrutiny. Is this system of governance serving our needs, or do we need to find another way to meaningfully participate?

In the pre-emancipation period, the brutal plantation owner Begorrat "encouraged" calypsonian Gros Jean to sing songs that celebrated Begorrat’s prowess and viciousness. “
Begorrat, et Diab’la c’est un/Begorrat, et Diab’la c’est deux/Begorrat fort, cruel et Mauvais/Begorrat roi-la dans sons pays – Begorrat and the devil are one/Begorrat and the devil are a pair/Begorrat, strong, cruel and wicked/Begorrat, king in his country.” Other songs detailed atrocities such as Begorrat burning someone alive for stealing.

These actions by Begorrat are an early example of the manipulation of public opinion by the powerful and wealthy. It is similar to how, in this century, media conglomerates that own streaming services, radio stations, film studios and many other forms of media control public narratives around culture, politics and social issues. In TT, we experience it as cultural imperialism, the dominance of a foreign culture impacting everything from our food tastes to the way we speak, the music we listen to, how we dress or engage with our culture.

Effectively, what we are witnessing is the shrinking of our civic space – that physical, mental, ideological, social and political reality – that allows us to think critically about ideas like leadership, equality and, yes, democracy.

However, as we know, artists and calypsonians in particular have been at the forefront of agitating against this encroachment. As Selywn Ryan pointed out, in TT “officialdom has been the butt of the calypsonians' ridicule from colonial times to this. Not that the calypsonian did not run risks. That is why his attacks on colonial authority and the social elite often had to be indirect, couched in the famous 'double entendre'.”

One of my favourite calypsoes depicting the often ridiculous nature of officialdom is by the Mighty Spoiler, Magistrate Try Himself. The calypso mocks the real situation of a judge trying himself for speeding. “The magistrate ask him who he talking ’bout/Is you who ah mean! The policeman shout/The magistrate pick up a looking glass/And ask heself, Is it true you were driving fast?/…Himself told himself, You are charged for speeding/Himself told himself, the policeman lying/Himself told himself, Alright I’ll be kind/Ah giving you five years to pay the fine.”

In Cypher’s bruising calypso, he makes fun of the fantastic promises made by candidates seeking to win an election. From commitments to take oil from foreign influences and share the profits equally amongst citizens, to underground railways and building houses in the air that can be accessed by helicopter, his calypso feels too relevant to our current challenges. Sometimes, such promises lead to total control, removing all opposition or even the appearance of differing views.

This too is detrimental for the realisation of a functioning democracy or indeed any form of government that claims to represent the people. The absence of strong opposition also damages the civic space, and in the case of TT, further distorts our already fragile socio-political reality.

So, what is the solution? Hollis Liverpool documents one of the lavways that was sung in the 1940s when Carnival was threatened: “The Governor say no mas/The Governor too dam farse.” Perhaps this is what we need to do, return to the groundings of our culture and the commitment of practitioners of traditional masquerade. They were always clear about the significance of culture to their lives and sense of self. Perhaps we need to start again. Whether democracy or something else, it must celebrate and uplift we, the people.

Dara E Healy is a performing artist and founder of the Idakeda Group, a cultural organisation dedicated to empowering communities through the arts