What of convalescent home for calypsonians?

Abraham spoke of two things .

He said his father gave his life to developing the calypso art form but died alone and he appealed to the congregation to contribute to the collection taken during the service to ensure that calypsonians who were ill would be provided with assistance during their illness. He said the fund would be managed by the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) .

I know that TUCO has done a certain amount of welfare work with the calypso artistes .

Carlston Kerr (Calypso Kerr) must be congratulated for the quiet work he has done to maintain certain calypsonians and even chorus singers who have turned to TUCO for help .

But Abraham threw me back to the fundamental matter. For example, Michael Legerton, a former president of TUCO, spoke about the convalescent home at the National Action Cultural Committee’s 18th annual “Top 20” Stars of Gold calypso award ceremony at the Cascadia Hotel on January 7, 2006 .

Legerton mentioned that TUCO had a plan to build a convalescent home for aged artistes that same year .

According to him, it would have been facilitated with a subvention from the government .

Later when the late Chief Servant Makandal Daaga and I met Legerton at TUCO’s offices, he showed us the completed drawings for the home .

In the 2011 Budget presentation, minister of culture Winston Peters referred to preliminary work on the establishment of the TUCO convalescent home for calypsonians and implementation of activities and programmes that would expose stakeholders to relevant training in the arts, culture and the preservation of TT ’s heritage .

In the 2011 Public Sector Investment Programme it was stated explicitly, “An allocation of $5 million has been made towards the construction of the three-storey TUCO convalescent home for calypsonians .

The facility is intended to provide nursing and supportive care to patients, primarily members of the calypso fraternity who have been discharged from hospital and are without support at home .

The site for construction of the home is located within the La Reunion Estate.” I read where Clifton Ryan (Bomber) in 2010 praised Peters (Gypsy) and former TUCO president Eric Taylor (Pink Panther) for taking the initiative many years ago .

Likewise, I read that in 2010 TUCO president Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) said, “There should be a home for artistes and other performers.” He added that work on the home was “on pause” and further stated, “We turned the sod at the land at Caroni North Bank Road, La Reunion, Carapo, off Arima. We are in the state of identifying the funding for the project .

We have added a senior citizens’ activity centre.” So at least 12 years have passed from 2005 to the present and along comes Brigo’s son to ask that a collection be made for indigent calypsonians .

What is to be done about the convalescent home?

AIYEGORO OME Mt Lambert