Another year of calypso competition, another year of widespread disgruntlement over the outcome of the local calypso finals at both the junior and senior levels. One thing is clear to many; the results as announced did not reflect accurately what transpired on the night. All is not well in the house of calypso; it is obvious that some persons of influence are intent on getting what they want for whom they want irrespective of who gets adversely impacted in the process, but ‘enough is enough’, and it is time something is done to fix what is broken.
Some of the vexing issues affecting calypso include the management of the calypso sub-committee, the judging of calypso – selection of judges and the system used in judging as well as the issue of compensation for calypsonians.
We tend to say facetiously that insanity means doing a thing the same way every time while expecting different results. I am convinced, therefore, if we are not to be deemed insane, that certain specific changes need to be made in the way calypso is administered if we hope to see different and more just outcomes in the future. This may not meet with the approval of those calypsonians who are presently favoured and are benefiting from the flawed system; in fact I anticipate that such persons will resist any attempt to change the present setup, but change must be effected if justice is to be achieved. On this basis I set forth the following recommendations.
1. The present one-person committee MUST be replaced by a multiple-person committee. I feel confident in saying that the present chairperson of the calypso sub-committee does not demonstrate that he respects calypsonians; he does not seem to appreciate that he operates on behalf of calypsonians and should represent their interests. Calypsonians deserve to have persons who are prepared to listen to their views and are willing to engage them at a level that reflects proper regard for their views. They deserve a committee that demonstrates an understanding that it, the committee, is acting on behalf of and in the interest of calypsonians; this does not happen presently.
Can you imagine that one day before the calypso final show calypsonians still did not know what their compensation package looked like? Would you believe that at that late hour the chairperson and calypsonians were seen to be haggling over what the level of compensation should be for the unplaced finalists? I personally do not think these decisions should be left up to the chairperson of the calypso sub-committee alone, and certainly ought not be determined in a huddle outside of the band house on the evening before the final show. These things must be known way ahead of time, and should be institutionalized. How is it that in some years a third runner up is selected and announced but in other years it is not? Who determines that? And then in a year, the year of the 40th Anniversary of our Summer Festival, a year in which the local power company ANGLEC chooses to come on board as Platinum Sponsor, a year in which the number of finalists was increased to twelve from the usual eight no third runner-up spot is provided for? Where is the consistency? Calypsonians deserve better much better; would you believe it if I told you calypsonians were able to renegotiate an offer of EC$2000.00 for unplaced finalists? All of this on the eve of the final show and in a year when more money was put into the competition; this is unacceptable. Several years ago I suggested to the one-person committee that there needed to be a wider array of prizes for calypsonians, that efforts should be made to solicit sponsorship for additional smaller prizes for calypsonians as a means of ensuring that calypsonians have other prizes to aspire to as most of the compensation normally goes to the winners of the top three places. I mentioned categories such as Best Social Commentary, Best Political Commentary, Best Double Entendre, Most Humorous Calypso, Most Improved Calypsonian to name a few; up to this day he has done nothing in that regard. In my humble opinion the present chairperson of the calypso subcommittee should do the honourable thing and resign his post, and allow for the introduction of new blood, a crew who is prepared to listen and try new things to help the art form to progress and grow.
2. Calypsonians need to band themselves together for the benefit of all calypsonians, to seek after justice for all calypsonians. It is high time more than just the favoured few reap the benefits of the system.
3. The system used in selecting judges as well as the system used in judging competition needs to be overhauled or changed entirely. It is my view that the calypsonians ought to be involved in some way in helping to select those persons who preside as judges even it is to assist in determining the composition of the pool of judges. With regard to the actual system used in judging, the integrity of the system presently in use is questionable, and needs to be replaced by a more acceptable system, one that is not so easily manipulated. We have to come up with a system that reduces the likelihood of any tampering with scores between the recording of the scores and the announcement of the said scores. Obviously the system presently in use, which discards the high and low scores for participants, is fraught with possible irregularities, and does not allow for all judges’ scores to be part of the final decision-making process. Let us get rid of this system, agree on the implementation of something different, a system that ensures a fairer outcome for calypsonians.
I urge persons who believe in fairness and equity to stand up and be counted; let your views be heard; volunteer to help us out of the morass in which we have become entangled. Enough is enough; we cannot stand by and watch calypso go down the drain.
8 August 2014
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
