TUCO goes on regional drive

THE Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) will launch a regional cultural integration drive by the end of March.

TUCO president Michael “Protector” Leggerton made this disclosure yesterday and lamented the poor corporate sponsorship for calypso tents this season. Speaking with Newsday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Leggerton revealed that he has been holding talks with Antiguan Culture Minister Guy Yearwood about starting “an exchange process” between TUCO and the Antiguan Calypso Association after Carnival. The TUCO president explained that this process offers economic and cultural benefits for both organisations and their respective countries. Leggerton said TUCO hopes to undertake similar exercises with Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and other islands in the region. “We are intiating that integrated effort throughout the region in order to harness the talents that we got,” he stated.

Leggerton said there were also plans to send local judges to act as observers at Antigua’s Carnival. The TUCO president also spoke about holding lectures and seminars to teach calypsonians about the business aspect of the artform. He lamented that corporate sponsorship for Carnival 2003 was poor and all the major tents had been hard hit. TUCO executive member Franz  Lambkin (Delamo) said the organisation was working to change that situation and TUCO “is not going to be a dormant entity from March to December”.   He said the organisation has plans for the youth and other aspects of the artform such as soca parang. Lambkin disclosed that an idea being studied by TUCO is the staging of a youth vintage calypso competition.