| In one of the most competitive competitions in recent years Lester ‘De Professor’ Charles once again reigned supreme, delivering a sterling lesson in kaiso to retain his calypso monarchy.A section of the large audience at Thirst Park for the Mashramani Calypso FinalSuch was his mastery on Friday night at the Banks DIH Thirst Park Venue that even the challenges of former monarchs like Young Bill Rogers and Ras Marcus among others, had to settle for B-plus grades.Before one of the largest audiences to witness a local calypso competition, De Professor, who hails from the mining Town of Linden, joined an elite group of persons to win back to back titles.His rendition “De Truth” which was performed to a catchy rhythm was a definite crowd favourite from the time the first verse was completed, and by the time De Professor was done, most of the doubts as to whether he would retain his crown were dispelled.When the results were announced by the judges who were led by popular television/news personality Enrico Woolford, there was hardly a murmur of disagreement.Former multiple monarch Young Bill Rogers came up short in second place with his “I Ain’t Singing Bout That”, while the ever-threatening West Berbician Mighty Believer was third with “Tell Dem Leh Dem Know”.Touching on many social issues, some of which were derived from newspaper reports and the ever popular satirical column “Dem boy seh”, De Professor in true calypso style, made a mockery of the ruling Administration.Mighty RootsIn fact most of his competitors were anti-governmental with their renditions, some even touching on the “banning” of local calypsos from the state-owned airwaves, as well as the high influx of Chinese and their businesses, and it was very obvious why only two pieces were played on the national radio station.The competition started out with 10 challengers to crown, including this year’s Junior Calypso Queen Shontelle Gittens and from the inception, it was evident that the standard of calypso in Guyana was on the rise.The first performer, Mighty Roots, set the ball rolling with the crowd pleasing “Bus Ride”, a stimulating piece on the plight of the elderly on Guyana’s most popular mode of transportation.Linden midwife, Daria Barrow, put a dig on Work’s Minister Robeson Benn with “De Hammer Man”, in which she focused on his controversial demolition of property policy as well as his actions that led to the banning of local calypsos on the National Communication Network.While her rendition was a bit low key in terms of audience response, it raised the anxiety of the crowd for the entry of the Mighty Believer who did not disappoint.He was followed by Queen Makeba with “Vote Chinese Fuh Cup”. Even though this performance was not off the hook, it did capture the attention of the audience, given the subject it dealt with.Mighty Believer“Why Dem Ban De Calypso” was the name of the next song, done by De Sniper. It had all the trimmings of the popular Dem boys seh column: De Bees owning half de country, Glen Lall being denied a radio licence, which was given out to the friends of former President Bharrat Jagdeo.Lady De in an eye catching cat suit was another Calypsonian who pounded Works Minister Benn, with her “Dem Ban Dat”. Her calypso expounded that while the Administration is scared of what is being sung by calypsonians, there are other serious things that they should be fearful of. Her catch phrase was “Dem scared like how rat scared of cat”.All the while, Master of Ceremony Malcolm Ferriera kept the crowd lively with the help of an avid kaiso fan,Cheap NFL Jerseys, with their back and forth crowd pleasing banter. Even a few brief sprinklings of rain could not move the crowd.A welcome break in the programme allowed for the audience to sit back and sum up all the previous performances and wait for the final assault on the crown.Those who had already made their pick from what was heard before, were forced to think again as the competition gathered more speed at the resumption.Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that Young Bill Rogers was the first to perform after the break for the crowd had sat anxiously awaiting the recommencement of the action.Using all of his experience, Young Bill Rogers gave justice to the theme for the night- the banning of the calypsos-as he involved the crowd in the best possible way.There and then almost everyone knew that he would pose a serious threat to De Professor’s crown.He was followed by the darling of the night, the Junior Calypso Monarch Shontelle Gittens with a very good performance, supported by elaborate props, as she belted out “Chinese Taking Over”.The return of Ras Marcus this year was welcomed and he did not let his supporters down. “Don’t Cry Amaila” was expertly done, merging great lyrics with proper delivery.However, it was not good enough to sway the judges in his favour.The tenth contestant, the evergreen “Bright Colours” did little to enhance his dwindling reputation as a serious contender, although his piece “Dey Want Me To Change” would have impact on the calypso fraternity but unfortunately not the audience.By the time he was done, it was clear that the audience was hyped up for the reigning monarch and his expected fireworks.They were certainly not disappointed. Using an intro that put him in a courtroom under oath, De Professor swore to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. For the audience, he did just that.And maybe the judges thought so too.Friday night’s competition was a clear indication that the calypso art form was alive and kicking in Guyana. And to think that the music is not being given the support by the national media is being seen as a major blow by many.“To think that calypso is being killed on radio is a tragedy. This year the standard was high. If they were to kill this all together would be a tragedy,” one supporter told this newspaper after the show. |
