http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161128753CALYPSO King of the World, Dr Slinger "Mighty Sparrow" Francisco, is advocating better training for judges of calypso competitions.
He says it is time to judge the judges themselves.
Sparrow was addressing members of the San Fernando City Council during a courtesy visit to Mayor Kenneth Ferguson at the San Fernando City Corporation yesterday. He was presented with a plaque by Ferguson on behalf of the people of the City of San Fernando.
According to Sparrow, the issue of judging is something the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Association (TUCO) should be looking at closely.
"Say exactly what you would like to see and where you would like to see calypso go," Sparrow said.
"This last minute arrangement and going to the back and coming back with a result may not be unfair, because I don't know, but if the judges can be tested-if they can be judged...
Sparrow expressed concern about the disparity in the awarding of points to calypsonians in various competitions.
"If you can show (how you arrived at a particular result), then you can be trusted to judge. Or if you have the electronic system where as a man is finished singing, you press the button and lets see how much points you give him for lyrics, rendition, stage presentation, originality, etc.
"There is no way that you can have a calypsonian receiving 95 (points) out of 100 (points) and in the same competition, same time, same song, somebody gives him 45 (points)."
Sparrow commended those exponents who work assiduously to preserve and promote the calypso artform.
"You feel so good to know that people are thinking about bringing back the traditional calypso that can tell the stories. The calypsonian is the self-appointed mouthpiece of the underprivileged.
"From way back in the good old days or the bad old days, if you want to call it that, we didn't have so many magazines and newspapers and radio and TV and all sorts of different things.
"So who used to have to bring the tales, the stories, the news of the day? The calypsonians were the self-appointed ones. And he used to take it upon himself even if he got himself into a risky situation where he had to pay some kind of penalty...".
