Pelham gives thanks with music

TYRELL GITTENS

Music producer Pelham Goddard played the song Dedication, by calypsonian David Rudder, on keyboards, as his way of accepting a honourary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies (UWI) yesterday.

Contributing to the development of local music for decades, Goddard has worked with calypso veterans Calypso Rose, Superblue and Rudder, to name a few.

Presenting Goddard with the honour, during the graduation ceremony for the Faculty of Humanities and Education (FHE), at the St Augustine campus, was UWI public orator Dr Christine Carrington.

“He is renowned for innovative and masterful steelpan arrangements, introduced the synthesiser into calypso music and was part of the collaboration with Lord Shorty that gave birth to soca music.”

Carrington added, “In addition to being adept at pans, drums, piano and keyboards, he learned the bass guitar and was a regular on the combo scene.” In lieu of a traditional speech, Goddard treated attendees to the rendition of Dedication.

With one pioneer being honoured, graduates on the day were called upon by valedictorian Amanda Mendes to be future pioneers through the development of mentalities that help the region.

Mendes asked graduates to reflect on their purpose as she said, “How do we visualise ourselves and our future in a ‘work in progress’ region?” She urged graduates to positively identify with the idea of what the region could be despite current circumstances of corruption, disunity, violence and what she views as mental enslavement.

“At the end of our lives when our film reels roll, I hope we all see self-defined, self-empowered images. May we commit to anti-corruption, non-violence and to the ending of historical cycles of mental enslavement.”

Noting that the actions of graduates will define the future for those who come after, she said, “May we commit to the bettering of ourselves mentally and intellectually so as to influence the generations of children who will inherit what we now choose to create and define for our countries.”

On the Be UWI slogan she said, “Being UWI means acknowledging the shared power that is waiting to be nurtured. The nurturing of our region is largely in the hands of intellectual humanitarians and we should all feel proud to be graduates of FHE.”

UWI chancellor Robert Bermudez made similar calls to the graduates to help pioneer the solutions to region’s environmental woos as he said, “Climate action is not a call for a step backwards into the past but a call for a means forward using technology to save the human race.”

“We have witnessed the devastation caused by hurricane Dorian in the Caribbean. The effects of these storms on the psyche of our brothers and sisters cannot be understated.”

Highlighting that intensifying climate change will continue to repeat such scenes he rallied the graduates to be environmental stalwarts and build the region’s capacity to deal with all aspects of the issue.