NEW YEAR, SAME LYRICS: Will calypsonians reiterate their predecessors’ remarks?
For those who know me well, they often classify me as an ‘old soul’ – partially because I adore ‘kaiso’ (i.e. classic calypso). I can’t help it, as I grew up hearing it in my household, and as someone who loves and studied literature, the natural poetry of kaiso calls to me.
I particularly enjoy listening to kaiso when I am cleaning, as the task at hand is so routine, I can focus even more on the lyrical content, which I can’t do while driving, or working for example. Over the last few days, while I was clearing up for the New Year, I decided to create a playlist of ‘social commentary’ kaisos, so that I could compare the trajectory of T&T from 1984 (my birth year – as I will be celebrating my big 4-0 on the 17th of January).
We are perhaps the only nation I can think of that has meticulously attempted to capture current events in song each year. One can almost learn the most important national, regional, and global historical occurrences by listening to a kaiso catalogue from the 1950’s to today. However, this is not always an uplifting exercise.
Among ditties like Dats De Bandit (Bandit War) by Organiser (1989), Poverty is Hell by Mighty Shadow (1994), Little Black Boy by Gypsy (1997), Voices from the Ghetto by Singing Sandra (1999), Missing Generation by Ella Andell (2000), Reflection by Sugar Aloes (2002), Dis Land of Mysteries by Ollie (2006), A Calypsonian by Brian London (2010), Change by Helon Francis (2018), Wall of Renovation by Papa Mel (Romel Lezama – a resident at YTC mind you) (2023), one that stood out was What About by Baron (1984).
No, I was not being biased given the date, but perhaps as I hadn’t listened to it in a while, and given the current affairs of the nation, region, and world, I repeated it several times.
Baron remarks that “no one seems to care… the world lives in fear… [and] there is despair everywhere…” Sounds familiar? That was the sentiment 40 years ago, and it is certainly exacerbated today! The song’s chorus asks “What about love? What about equal rights and justice? What about love and happiness?”.
We can all ask those same question today. While the 2023 murder count was 28 less than 2022, the T&T Guardian reported that Roman Catholic Archbishop Jason Gordon described the 576 killings as “crazy.” Maybe the murderers are disappointed they didn’t break their record, so although it’s only the 2nd day of the year, we have: two men shot in Belmont and Tobago respectively on the 1st, and today a woman was shot dead along with a man being wounded this morning; while a few hours ago two women were shot dead in Carenage.
On the CNC3’s People’s Say segment, persons wished for: “The country to be more productive [with] Less Crime [and for the] community to be safe.”; “[To] Live to see a next year!”; “[For] This country to be a better place to live!”; and [For] young people to get together and live in unity…”. These lines could easily be interspersed if Baron wanted to update his song.
Yes, the new minimum wage has come into effect, and Property Tax has been reinstated, but we have the Integrity Commission’s Chairman (Ranjendra Ramlogan) reminding us that “citizens’ indifference and passive acceptance of corruption is robbing children of their birthright.” Never mind the fact that persons who have been given the public trust are engaged in corrupt practices. I digress. My point is that once there is unfettered malfeasance in public affairs, any increased revenues from spending or taxes will be wasted.
Baron ends by bemoaning that: “It’s a whole big runaround…A lot of talk is what goes on…The world is left to mourn… Starvation is taking toll… Weapons are out of control… The atmosphere is cold…” Well despite tonight’s temperature in D’Abadie being a warm 28*, the social atmosphere is certainly quite frigid indeed across the nation.
We are forced to concede that the levels of crime and destitution being experienced are in a large part due to white collar crime, corruption, mismanagement of state resources, lack of implementation of public policy and yes, a huge degree of indifference from the middle and upper classes – or those Plato referred to as the ‘elites’ who are supposed to hold the proverbial mirror up to society.
I must commiserate with Chairman Ramlogan when he added that: “Yet, the overarching question we must always confront is whether we, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, are prepared to demand a society where there is integrity in public life…” At the same time, not all citizens have the privilege to speak out for such demands. Are those of us who can, willing to? Maybe we don’t want to be whistleblowers who have to resign after the AGM.
He went on to say that: “The Commission recognises the need to strengthen the legislative regime to combat the pervasive presence of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago. Recommendations have been made for such legislative changes. The post-colonial legacy of corruption unleashes a pandemic on our nation that, in the future, would render the ravages of COVID-19 a pale comparison.”
The nation requires effective and proactive civil society mobilisation around these issues. Only then, perhaps, will calypsonians be forced to find other topics to write about – or risk being assessed as borrowing from their predecessors. If not, it will be the same lyrics at Calypso Fiesta for the New Year. Long live Kaiso!
RH