Repeating Islands

Public Relations Officer of the Dominica Calypso Association Ian Jackson is sure that there will be great improvement in the quality and content of calypsos closer to the calypso finals on February 13, 2010. He said that “when the semi final takes place, calypso will catapult itself to a new level.” According to Jackson, the 2009 election campaign also interfered with the lyrical content of the 2010 calypsos. “Some persons had to go back and re-write their lyrics because most persons wrote not thinking that elections would have taken place. Even some of the songs that you are hearing now you can still see some instances and innuendos of that,” he revealed. He said that this year’s competition should be exciting although there is no rivalry among the calypsonians. 

Jackson said that the Calypso Finals is a major event in Dominica, where thousands of people turnout, compared to the attendance for a soca monarch competition. He said the winner would receive a total of EC$20,000 along with other prizes, and that finalists who did not place usually walk away with EC$4,000.

Dominica’s top calypsonians competed yesterday, January 30, at Newtown Savannah for a spot in the LIME-sponsored Finals that will be held on February 13. The calypsonians who competed against the reigning monarch, Lord Karressah, were Checker, Dutchess (four-time junior Monarch), Soul Pous, Triumph, Yakima, Della, Prosper, Mighty Logars, Beno, Sye, The Bobb, Sugar S, Lady Tasha P, Observer (two-time Senior Monarch), Explosion, Lady Star, Daddy Chess, Boople, Ghetto Prince, and Scrunter (three-time Senior Monarch). Newcomers Soul Pous, Tasher-P and Explosion were participating in the finals for the very first time.

The nine calypsonians that emerged victorious at the calypso competition were Soul Pous, Checker, Sye, Daddy Chess, Observer, Lady Star, Tasher-P, Explosion, and The Bob. These will face off against reigning calypso King Karessah on the evening of February 13, 2010. The calypso finals are considered among the highlights of Dominica carnival festival season, which got underway last Saturday. It will be broadcast live on theDominican.net radio.

For articles, see http://dominicanewsonline.com/?p=2488, http://www.sknvibes.com/News/NewsDetails.cfm/12968, and http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/dominica/dominica.php?news_id=21136&start=0&category_id=31

For the Dominica Festival schedule, news, and more information, see http://www.dominicacarnival.com/

Photo of mas from http://www.flyglobalmusic.com/fly/archives/caribbean_city_guidesevents/dominica_lesser_antilles_great.html; photo of Lord Karessah from http://www.sensaydominica2.com/