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We have to look into the calypsonians’ complaints more seriously

Dear Editor,

Emotions and controversy always run high at the end of various competitions and competitors would react by letting off steam; that is natural they are human, as long as they don’t attack anyone or engage in violence.

The Minister of Social Cohesion should call an investigation immediately to determine why the calypsonians behaved the way they did, and what their grievances are. There should be a review before any ban or punishment is pronounced. The convener erred big time when he acted like the judge, jury and executioner; he cannot do this before having a talk with those people. The media should be there along with some higher authority.

The Convener is no stranger to behavioural patterns in competitions, and not so long ago I recall reading a letter in one of the newspapers questioning the capacity of those being placed on the new functioning bodies of the competition, so we have to examine this and correct it if the fears are valid. If some of those calypsonians are guilty as charged then the punishment they were given is too harsh; they should be given a chance to apologize for their behaviour. If it happens again then a ban should be imposed if necessary.

Why has there been this massive cleanup campaign so quickly? The Convenor, as the new head, should extend some kind of leniency. We all know what happens in competitions; there is some amount of control and discrepancy going on, it is not all innocence. So if it transpires that those calypsonians’ rights are being violated, justice would have to be served and the Convener would have to publicly apologize to them and be asked to step down, because there could never be a healthy relationship between them after that.

I heard calypsonians objecting to the junior singer being sent over to compete long before this incident on television, so it gives me the impression that no one is listening or addressing their concerns. We therefore have to look into their complaints more seriously. There are some songs which leave me wondering what is happening to calypso. The music is terrible and so are the lyrics, with some of the rhyming schemes completely ridiculous, but these songs make it to the final as is happening now.

I do agree the song sung by the 2018 Monarch sounds like a song for the gutter. I believe I know a little about calypso, and the song was not properly constructed. What is the Minister doing about it?

Yours faithfully, R Kyte