Local poet and calypsonian Aaron ‘De Liberator’ Blackman is now the president of the Guyana Calypso Writers and Singers Association following the body’s elections on January 5.
The association’s executive was officially revealed on Thursday by Blackman, who said it would seek to improve the overall standards of calypso in Guyana.
Blackman also relayed some of the planned improvements, including the development of a website, and shared that the association is working on trying to have consistent performances from Calypsonians throughout the year and not only at Mashramani. He added that the body will aim at getting Guyanese to perform both locally and regionally.
Popular calypsonian the Mighty Rebel had been serving as the organisation’s president for the past three years. A call for an election was raised by sponsor Banks DIH, which pointed out the need for the resuscitation of the association. It was reported that, if the body were to receive continued sponsorship from Banks DIH, its poorly functioning executive would need to be reformed.
According to Blackman, emphasis will be placed on involving youths in music by creating orchestras at every secondary school in Guyana. During his time spent in Barbados as a social worker, Blackman said he observed that many of the schools there implemented a strong music programme. “We have to start somewhere.” he said. He also pointed out the need for more women to become involved in the genre. In this year’s calypso competition, 5 women have made it into the semi-finals, while 15 men will be competing with them. Blackman opined that if more women became involved in calypso, a separate competition for women could be developed.
The association has been in existence before the time of President Linden Forbes Burnham, Blackman said. “Though the name may have changed over the years, it has always been around,” he said.
This year’s calypso competition is slated to begin shortly, with semi-finals on February 8 at the Bartica Community Centre and finals on February 14 at Thirst Park.
