The head of the committee that green-lit entries in this year’s Mashramani calypso competition says there were no objections to the songs by Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony or other officials over the last few months and it was surprising that the decision was taken to yank them from the airwaves of state-run broadcaster National Com-munication Network (NCN).
Patricia Chase-Greene yesterday told Stabroek News that the decision to ban the songs of the 10 finalists from the state broadcaster’s airwaves is petty and defeats the efforts of the Culture Ministry to revive the art form.
Anthony yesterday shied away from commenting directly on the situation, saying it is the responsibility of the network. But up to yesterday—four days after the songs were pulled—NCN’s management had still not issued a statement to the public on the issue as promised by its acting Chief Executive Officer Michael Gordon, who on two occasions declined to comment when contacted by this newspaper.
The ban was triggered by Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn walking into the studios of the network and instructing the announcer to stop playing “God Nah Sleep”, the song of this year’s monarch, Lester ‘De Professor’ Charles.
Head of Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon said last Friday that while he was unaware of the decision by NCN to ban the calypsos, the judges in the calypso competition were given criteria and these were breached.
Sources yesterday told Stabroek News that the Office of the President (OP) has since requested a report on the ongoing saga and that top management has been asked to submit reports. This newspaper has also been informed that the signs that were placed in the network’s studios last week instructing announcers not to play the songs until further notice “By order of management” have been mysteriously taken down and now some in the management are saying that there was never a ban.
The network’s decision has been strongly criticised by many, and President of the Calypso Association Geoffrey Phillips, known as the ‘Mighty Rebel,’ yesterday said calypsonians have been disrespected for too long and they must take a stand.
Approached by this newspaper on the issue yesterday, Anthony said questions should be directed to NCN. “Well, we already finish our competition, that is more for NCN to address,” he said, later adding, “I think it is more appropriate to ask the people who deal directly with that.”
Asked if he was not concerned or at least had an opinion on the situation as the Minister of Culture, Anthony noted that the government has staged the competition for years. “…And in years when nobody would sponsor it, the government had sponsored it and calypsonians would make social commentaries and a lot of it would be critical [of] the government but that’s part of what would happen in these competitions. So, you know, we have run it. It is for the radio to decide what they want to play. We would like them to play calypso. We have been encouraging them to do that,” he said, while noting that lack of airplay on NCN has also been an issue that local musicians complain about.
Further pressed to address the issue of the banning of the calypso finalists and the fact that his ministry would have granted the network a letter of consent to play the music of the calypsonians, the minister maintained that it is for NCN to address the situation.
Quizzed about the process which sees the selection of singers to enter the competition, Anthony said that there is a sub-committee of the Central Mash Committee that deals with the calypsos and for a while it has been headed by Chase-Greene.
“So they would listen to [the songs] but a lot of times too, the lyrics that are submitted before the competition, at times, on the night, there are variations and changes to the lyrics,” the minister explained.
Asked if this was the case this year, he said, “I am not sure I would have to check… but that is a general thing that people would submit a set of lyrics and come to the audition and then they change, so we are aware of that but in this particular case, I would have to check on it.”
It was pointed out that his ministry has been working on reviving the calypso art form and that he must be concerned about the decision by NCN, which could be seen as a setback. “You know, out of every challenge there are opportunities and I think we should view it that way,” he, however, said, while adding that ministry would continue to work on keeping the genre alive.
‘It passed’
When contacted yesterday by Stabroek News, Chase-Greene said that the committee for the calypsos allowed the songs of the finalists to enter the competition as they found nothing libelous, slanderous or promoting racial tension within them.
She added that Charles’ song passed the audition and he and the other finalists were sent through to the semi-finals and later to the finals.
“It went through stages and nobody objected. The committee looked at it and found nothing wrong with it,” she explained, while noting that Anthony and other officials at the ministry would have listened to the songs during the rehearsals and no had an objection.
She noted that they looked for all the things that should not be in the song and found nothing, while pointing out that calypso is all about social commentary and this is what happens throughout the Caribbean.
She said that the committee was very “content that the songs were good for [the] airwaves” and she was hopeful that non-state radio would play them. The ban, she noted, has only made Charles’ song more popular. She said while it would have been played on the radio a few times and forgotten by many soon after, now many people would go in search of the song.
Chase-Green also noted the irony that while one minister is fighting to develop the art form, other officials in the government are defeating the purpose even though a lot of money would have already been spent on the competition. “I would like to know who caused this,” she said. “This is just so petty.”
Meanwhile, Phillips yesterday strongly condemned the ban and announced that he has called a meeting of the Calypso Association for next Sunday at the Critchlow Labour College, where the issue would be addressed and a way forward discussed.
Phillips did not receive coverage for many of his songs during his career, which included six calypso monarch crowns, and he retired from competition after he was not included in a DVD to promote Mashramani although he was at the time the reigning monarch.
He noted that the songs would have passed the audition stage since last December. “I don’t see why after the competition that they should do this,” he said, while adding that the calypsonians were just singing about everyday happenings. “Everything they sang about were things carried by the media, and I don’t see why they should be so drastic to ban then,” he further said.
Phillips recalled that one year when he produced a song about the late president Forbes Burnham’s ban on flour, the then president told him that such songs would “ease the tension of the people.”
He also composed as song, entitled “Desi, You Wrong”, which addressed the late former president Desmond Hoyte, who told him that “these types of songs open the eyes of politicians.”
He added that his songs have always been banned by NCN and he recalled that when he won with the song “All Awe Know de Man”, NCN asked him to perform at its annual Media Mash Jump Up but while he was on stage during the live event the network switched to commercials and did not return until he came off the stage.
Phillips said while it was just him years ago, now everyone is being targeted and calypsonians must come together and find a strategy to deal with the development. “I don’t know why they allow it to be recorded and then stop playing it. Why is Robeson Benn doing this?” he questioned in reference to Charles’ song.
He suggested that authorities are trying to “stamp out controversial songs. …I guess next year competition it would be soft unless some brave singer decide to sing the truth,” he said. “I am very annoyed and disappointed that [the] minister should have done that. Nobody sang anything personal,” he added, noting that even though he has retired he is very frustrated at what is happening today to the art form, which remains close to his heart.
