Women-bashing calypso envoys

Man santapy (centipede) bad, bad
But the Woman santapy more than bad
Man santapy bad, bad
Bust the woman santapy more than bad
Excerpts  from Bad Woman
by Atillla the Hun (Raymond Quevedo)

Another Carnival season is upon us in bacchanalian Triniland live and alive. It is living up to its historical role of confusion, intrigue and aroused passions in all sectors integral to the mad-house celebrations.

Major Carnival bandleaders in major split over monetary and operational style of factions  — a dizzy hang-over from 2002. Critics still complaining of the plunge to beads-and-bra outfits and yearn for good old days of creative and exciting costuming by mas-masters a la George Bailey and Harold Saldenah. Cannot be Carnival without controversial inputs from the steelband fraternity. No televising of Panorama?  No pans at Dimache Gras? Well, ask Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold. Bickering among calypsonians over singers switching tents. Debate and condemnation over the plethora of double entendre alias obscene sexually-oriented ditties swamping the airwaves. Composer Impulse and his risque Confirmed or Catholic Woman infuriated the Roman Catholic Church and he apologised though not wholly repentant. Calypso and soca have become indivisible and interchangeable. So I’ve been contemplating to weave both sounds and songs into simply CALYPSOCA. I have not yet formulated plans to patent CALYPSOCA as a uniformed name combining the two styles. This move is in limbo as I must divert to put into perspective the issue of four-time Calypso king Mighty Duke dissing current raise-yuh-hand-and-wave offerings by soca bards moonlighting as calypsonians.

Veteran calypsonian Duke is livid over the yearly drivel soca exponents are dishing out, compelling orders to jump and wave yuh rags and flags and put yuh hands in the air. He has accused the non-melodious offenders of destroying the cultural art form while being promoted as heroes. This is a subject I have discussed with Duke over the years and who continues to be upset that the soca artistes bombard patrons at fetes with rhythms and beats without melodies. He has often likened the purveyors to robbers pinching vocal lines and stealing musical forms from established works. Duke is quoted in a recent publication as stating: “What is going on with soca is breaking my heart.” I agree with calypso-purist Duke totally on the repetitive inanity spewed by the soca bandits. There is no doubt that bad soca bards are operating in a banditry mode. They are sticking you up in fetes with threatening lyrical commands: “Raise yuh hands... put yuh hands in the air. Get down...Get Down.” Involuntarily spreading the operative lyrics of gunmen at work throughout the land. Only difference from a hold up by a gun-toting violent bandit on the highways and bye-ways is that you have already “pass the cash” in paying the entrance fee to party hearty. You pay the soca bandit in advance. So no money or your life episode. It is on this note I part philosophical and artistic ways with  Duke and his calypso/soca colleagues or cohorts whichever is the kinder term. Calypsonians from time immemorial adopted a fetish for women-bashing in song. It even filtered into the mental and  physical form in the life-style of several bards coasting legendary roles as sweetmen, saga boys and spouse beaters. Songs galore about jamettes. Women portrayed as deceivers, unfaithful, conniving and generally not to be trusted were and still  are intrinsic in the portfolio of macho singers. Yet calypso/soca bards shout in unison “we are treated badly as cultural ambassadors.”...I do not buy this self-endowed accolade that calypsonians and artists are my ambassadors promoting culture on behalf of the nation.

Foolish talk. Why? Any independent soul who choses to dig art including calypso singing instead of digging dirt on a construction site is looking for fame, dollars and publicity. It is known as exercising your democratic right to fail, flourish or survive. Worse when he then switches his accent and intonation and then delves into spouting dirt and/or obscenities he can only be termed an ambassador of lewdness. Getting a frenzied crowd to wine and wave sweaty rags and flags are not qualifications for ambassadorship. Yet they seek special privileges as a right for encouraging people to wine. Real ambassadors (not money chasers) do not traverse the world marketing the bashing and sexual vanquishing of women. This is the anthem-like offerings that jump-and -wave or stand-up-and-gyrate kaisonians sing. Duke will remember this hit song: “Ah watching yuh whole night!  Gul, ah watching yuh whole night! If I catch yuh tonight is thunder...yuh bound to surrender.” What if the nocturnal predator catches her in daylight? Lightning? A beautiful thing as sex is twisted and depicted as punishment. Where is the love? What about sweet endearments? Song and dance in calypso show a ton-load of tunes downloaded about the merits and demerits of horning (cheating) targetting  women folk as culprits. Calypso/soca recently had almost a clear field worldwide in woman bashing as a musical voice in the portfolio of even the most innocent singers. Unless wife-beating alias body music was accepted as cultural Trini or West Indian pastime.

Lady is Tramp is one of the women let down standouts on the international scene. This pull down has been swamped probably a thousand fold with confessions of love and tribute to womanhood in countless ballads. Same cannot be designated to calypso/soca. American induced Gangsta Rap and Hip Hop singers in combination with Jamaican reggae stars have knocked calypsoca off the perch as top of the obscene and woman-bashing parade. Even the women soca singers do not assert their womanhood. That is simple to understand. Mainly male calypsonians/composers write the songs for the female vocalists. Queen Denyse Plummer  exhibited a slight show of bravado with Women is Boss written of  course by a man.  Lady Iere put in a defensive and apologetic jab in proclaiming that not all women bad-Remember a Woman brought[RTF bookmark start: BM_1_][RTF bookmark end: BM_1_] you to this World. A mild hitback to songs of the ilk of Woman santapee more than Bad. Point is that women are generally ignored by this supposedly noble cultural art form except in a derogatory, denigrate manner  or pursued or portrayed as sexual playthings. Netball Queen Jean Pierre and international beauty Queen winners Penny Commissiong, Wendy Fitzwilliams and Giselle La Ronde had their fleeting calypso days of glory. I’ve noticed on the American musical scene that several young female pop singers are composing their own songs. It seems that they are breaking out of the male dependency syndrome and and strutting their stuff successfully. This could well be sending signals for a rapid transformation locally as Triniland is virulently affected by every American fashion, frenzy or ‘flu. Calypsodom has failed miserably in capturing the changing face of Trinidad and Tobago in a meaningful manner. Most abject failure is the transformation of women folk from coy passive housewife and baby factory to head of the household, operating businesses, administrators and professional leaders. Women are asserting themselves in all fields and maybe male calypso/soca writers feel threatened and ignore a positive realism staring and startling them nationwide.

The march forward by women is not an accident or a vaps. It has been visible as an emerging force over the years in the education system from primary to university level. While study-conscious girls were plugging away to make waves, zestful of boys were soaking up linguistic skills in unintelligible Rasman mutterings and senseless imported rap. So Duke the true, true calypsonian and up-and-coming bards will continue to sing thought-provoking and amusing ditties in social and political commentaries along with humorous selections. But let’s face it. Sex and the single and married woman continue to dominate the lyrics scene with men coming out on top (pun intended). The soca boys and soca girls are really socking it to them wining down to the ground all over town. For every Rose I Love You Bad type confessional that Sparrow sang there must be about a dozen from the King in the vein of Obeah Wedding (Melda making yuhself a pappy show).  Congo Man (Eat a White Meat) and Benwood Dick.

There is a glimmer of hope still for good or bad calypso/soca to earn ambassadorial status. It comes via a nation-building Calypso category. It serves calypsonians right to be asked to repent for their role in nation-splitting. Remember the lambasting of Oma Panday and Sister Pam Nicholas by politically-biased PNM-till-death calypsonians?  Women again under attack. Soca singers have an important role to also restore the glory of carnival. Maybe government could limit or cut back at the torrid pace at which soca tunes are rendered. Jump up and wave could turn around to chip, dance and parade. Slowing down of the soca speed will be beneficial two-fold: *Costuming will be enhanced as athletic sneakers worn by masqueraders can be replaced with sandals or other adequate footwear *Older folks especially  those with heart troubles will chance playing mas’ again with reduced medical risks The killing pace of soca is felt even by those most faithful to the maddening crowd. Trini-to-the-bone David Rudder is shivering it out this year out in cold cold Canada. Pace too hectic at home. Irony is that his to sweet sweet Trinidad tune with Carl Jacob is mashing up the fetes without him...No place he would rather be. Trini in the cold.