OCPA Judges Disrespect Mighty Sparrow
By William Doyle-Marshall
Slinger Francisco (The
Mighty Sparrow) is a leader in the world of music. He is known as the Calypso
King of the World but for the record, he took a serious stand against the French
Creole businessmen back in the early days of modern calypso and refused to
compete in the Calypso King contest in Port of Spain. In so doing he recorded in song a powerful statement that informed the world, he was not participating in
the competition. His advice to the organizers of the contest was to run their
show with the (Carnival) queen and her radio (one of the main prizes of the
day). “Who want to go, could go up dey but me eh goin’ no way’. Later in the
1980s he was in the forefront when the Trinidad and Tobago Government and
others were not paying calypsonians royalties for using their work. Francisco and others authorized Eddie Grant, famed music
producer and publisher to be their representative to challenge them in court. Some of us would recall that
year television stations could not broadcast certain shows as they did not have
the right to use calypsoes of that year.
Fast forward to 2014
here in Toronto, Eulith Tara Woods (Macomere Fifi) pays tribute to Francisco’s
work in Saturday night’s Canadian Calypso Monarch Competition which earned her the
distinction of capturing the Calypso Monarch title for the sixth time. This is
remarkable! Can anybody explain to calypso lovers how can a panel of sensible
judges describe “Before You Gone” – the song – a humourous act? The
Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes seems to have a special dictionary
of thesaurus that offers a different meaning to the word humourous. I am forced
to conclude this eminent panel of judges reside in a frivolous world that deprives
them from determining what is humour and what is not. To relieve me from my
humble state of ignorance, please courier me a copy of that book so I can
peruse it at my own convenience. After that exercise I will certainly share its
contents with the rest of annoyed calypso lovers. In the absence of this new
meaning for the word humourous, I am recommending that Ms. Woods humbly refuse
to accept this prize. Her presentation and the composers of her calypso have
been disrespected by this honourable panel of judges. Well now, it is certainly
time for them to be removed from this important job – whether for the love or otherwise.
What a night! This was
the 34th staging of the Canadian Calypso Monarch contest in this
city since the formation in 1981 of the Canadian Calypso Association by a group
of anxious calypsonians and calypso lovers. One major question hanging in the
minds of many is: why is the Organization of Calypso Performing Artistes headed
by Colin Benjamin unable to pack the theatre with a capacity crowd? As patrons
witness strange and unacceptable judging/rulings at these competitions, people
have been threatening not to return to the event which had grown into the ‘must
attend’ calypso event of the city. But we are beginning to wonder whether there
is need for a change in leadership or perhaps change of organization with new
and creative energy that will propel calypso forward.
There are so many
templates for success yet the OCPA leadership continues to function in a
Toronto shoe box and ignore the 500,000 people of Caribbean heritage who reside
in Vaughan, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa and
elsewhere in the Greater Toronto and Golden Horseshoe areas. 'Nothing venture,
nothing gain'. Perhaps Benjamin and his cronies never heard this saying. Afropan can
attract thousands to their street event annually I wonder whether these calypso
big shots ever stopped by a mas camp blocko like last Sunday at the Revellers
affair in Scarborough. Almost everybody was there. The rain did not stop those
who were dying to have their party desire quenched. The spirits are always high
when a partying crowd assembles. These numb skulls are ignoring that it is time
to step down and utilize the fresh knowledge and skills of the young people who
are certainly showing them up as being incapable of carrying the baton any
further. Sorry but it is soon going to fall into Lake Ontario.
Macomere Fifi, center at Calypso Monarch final with T&T
Consul General Dr. Vidhya Tota-Maharaj and
felllow calypsonian Joel (Connector) Davis.
Guney Cedeno (Guney)
gets a higher spot on the totem pole for his candid exposure of what is
considered inequality in the way OCPA is handling calypsonians’ affairs. “Kaiso
Come Back Again” was Guney’s launching pad “Tonight in this competition right
here in Toronto,” he warned there are a few things going on and he wanted the
public to know. “Finalists in this competition getting $200 appearance fee but
the stage manager, they (OCPA) giving $1,000. We calypsonians spend all we
money on clothes and recording but the stage manager don’t even have to sing;
$1,200 goes to the emcee; $6,000 goes to the band; the pennies remain in the
kitty they give it to calypsonians,” he crooned. Something is really wrong. The
1981 Calypso Monarch prize was $1,200. That went to $2,000 the next year. Thirty two years later and the prize is only
$5,000. Guney and other calypsonians are justified in complaining about
injustice from their organization. In his refrain ‘calypso come back again’,
Guney disclosed “Carlyle say not a song for Fifi again; all the lyrics he
wrote, she never pay him; and anytime he call is voice mail he getting.” Naturally
those biting comments amused the gathering of calypso lovers. If it was a
regular tent night they would have shouted out “kaiso” and pressed for an encore
but that is not allowed in competitions. Now Guney has lit the torch. I hope
the others are bold enough to light some more torches and take them to the right
place for much needed action.
July 28, 2014
