Lucian Carnival Music At The Crossroads?

A discussion this week on Saint Lucia Calypso (and Soca to a lesser extent) revealed that the genre was facing some challenges, despite an annual injection by the Government during the carnival season. A number of perennial issues were raised on Tuesday at a forum organized by the Msgr. Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) and Carnival Music Management Committee CMMC.  The discussions were premised on a review and celebration of the 2024 calypso and carnival music season. However, it was clear in the end that the overall products needed to be better refined and packaged to increase the public’s appetite and grow Calypso and Soca. The event, described as a “Kaiposium” was held at the Anglican School Annex in Castries and sought to bring together performers, composers, musicians, judges, tent managers and other stakeholders to review the past season and to chart the way forward. Chaired by Kennedy “Boots” Samuels, the programme started with a presentation by the head of the Carnival Music Management Committee, Claude Paul. According to Paul, he was very happy for the opportunity to talk about the calypso season and the work of the CMMC.   He went on to indicate that the CMMC was not...