Some call it the music of the Caribbean. Indeed, it has become synonymous with the Caribbean. The roots of calypso can be traced back to the West African ‘kaiso’ with its rhythmic beats, call and response pattern and satire. However, calypso is uniquely Caribbean and developed as a means of communication, through song, by the African slaves who were forbidden from communicating with each other. It created a sense of community among the slave population who also used it to scorn or mock their colonial masters.
Calypso subsequently evolved into a means of disseminating information and, as such, has attracted the name: “the poor man’s newspaper”. Through calypso we hear of social problems, political concerns, issues of national interest and proposed solutions. Calypsonians have been revered as being the ones to give voice to the everyday concerns of ordinary people, which may otherwise go unheard and unnoticed. As such, their lyrics must be masterfully crafted – catchy and spicy enough to attract attention, and sufficiently implicit to protect the calypsonians from suit.
Every year, our calypsonians put out a great deal of effort to produce their songs for the summer festival. Regardless of our personal or religious views of the summer festival, we must appreciate the messages that are delivered through the calypso art form. There is no other time of year when we have the privilege of hearing such rich and colourful, yet profound lyrics about local issues bombarding the airwaves, compelling us to listen and to think more seriously about the topic of the particular rendition.
Calpyso has called us to national action. I am sure many can remember Dr Splinter’s Honour our Heroes which called on us as a people to honour, in a tangible way, those who contributed much to our advancement. In a different way, the reigning Junior Calypso Monarch, in her 2014 rendition, calls on us to settle down to the business of national development by reminding us that “building a nation, demands cooperation from everybody”.
Calypso has sought to make our political leaders more accountable by letting them know that their actions are under scrutiny. Who can forget Queen B’s classic, This is the circus, send in the clowns, which voiced concerns and disappointment about the standard of leadership from elected officials. Adjudicator’s De Rookie followed a similar vein.
Calypso can be humourous. I Spy, one of the people’s favourites, can be counted on to lighten the mood with renditions like Daphne and Shango Man. Calypso instills national pride. Consider one of the most loved tunes to celebrate Anguilla, the Mighty Springer’s famous song which promotes carnival: Carnival is a time, when a lot of people come down to lime. While it is several years old, whenever it is played or sung, people both young and old identify with it and can’t help but sing along.
There are many other positive aspects of calypso. There are many more outstanding calypsos that I can recall, and many more that I don’t currently recall or probably have not even heard. My worry, though, is whether there is some person or entity who/which is keeping an archive of all this talent – both the written lyrics and the music. It would be a shame if we were to lose or not have kept proper records of such a rich aspect of our oral tradition. I am certain that if we listen to calypso over the years, we will see that it tells a story of our history and development. Calypso is therefore another means of recording Anguilla’s history and should not be overlooked.
Also of concern is the fact that after the summer festival is over, we probably will not hear much local calypso being played on the radio until a few weeks before the next summer festival. This is disappointing, not only to the calypsonians who put so much effort in their songs, only to get seasonal airplay – but it also robs us, the general public, of the benefit of the ongoing enlightenment and focus on national issues that we, as citizens, need to pay more attention to on an ongoing basis. While there are other methods that can be used to achieve citizen engagement on a wide scale, it is arguable that none is as effective in reaching the masses as calypso. It is for this reason that we want calypso to play on!
