What TUCO must ask itself on Fya Empress

It’s really very important to get a picture of the whole and ask the right questions.

In this country, foreigners outside of the Caribbean are making life-changing decisions for us, and on a continued basis citizens in this neo-colonial environment are witnesses to the wholesale importation of foreign agents and cultural goods undermining the fabric of our indigenous society yet nobody gives a damn about that.

However, in one neck of the woods, a Vincentian (a Caricom neighbour, with close geographical and cultural ties to the majority of Trinidadians, who is accepting of local rules), who contributes to the indigenous soul of the society is thrown out of a competition purportedly seeking cultural excellence through competition.

I wonder aloud whether Jean Michael Gilbert, French national, could be separated and banished altogether from the French “Grammy” success of Linda McCartha Sandy-Lewis (Calypso Rose), or for that matter American Andy Narell from any local competition whose standard and promotion of the indigenous musical art form has been unquestionably phenomenal? By restricting participation in this way to only citizens, consequently lowering the cadre of participants from a small and probably dwindling pool of repeat performers, and denying the country’s development by way of fresh injection of a breath of experiences and population growth, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) is doing itself a social and financial disservice in suppressing other opportunities to develop our indigenous art form. Financial, because each Caricom territory has a financial following and social interest in contributing to this art form.

Finally, the only question which TUCO should ask itself is whether Vincentian- born calypsonian Lornette “Fya Empress” Nedd-Reid, in contributing to the local development of the art form which it appears she has been allowed to do transparently for some time, competed justly, openly, fairly and successfully for a position in the 2017 Calypso Monarch final, and having regard to the regional sale and marketing of Trinidad Carnival and its products, whether it is in TUCO’s interest to include Nedd-Reid’s performance in that competition.

Kathleen Pinder via email