On the evening of Friday 29th January 2010, the sweet sounds of Kaiso emanated from the RHAND Credit Union car park on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain. What was the event? It was our 15th Annual Calypso Competition and our very 1st Youth Calypso Competition.
Mr. Martin Minguell, the Secretary to the Board of Directors welcomed the patrons and then handed over to Mr. Stephen “Tommy” Joseph, the MC for the evening’s competition. Tommy kept the crowd entertained with his jokes which elicited steady and boisterous laughter.
Eleven members including reigning Monarch Mr. Roderick Gordon vied for the crown in the Adult category. It would be remiss not to mention that he opted to perform in spite of the death of his father, Mr. Roland Gordon, on the morning of the show. His resilience did his father proud as he retained his RHAND title. We at RHAND extend our condolences to Mr. Gordon and his family at this time of bereavement.
The caliber of calypsos this year was as per usual outstanding. Some contestants delivered messages of self-empowerment (Sexy Suzie – “Back on my Feet”) while others highlighted the plight of certain members of society (Sheldon Nugget – “Special People”). Other contestants were quite topical (Delanie Baynes – “Battered Women” and Terry Marcelle – “Summing up of the Summit”). However, no show would be complete without a bit of humor and the crowd was well entertained by Jo-L and Black C’Zar who sang “Not Me Again” and “C’Zar vs C’Zar” respectively.
The members of the Social Events subcommittee wish to thank our calypsonians, sponsors, and members who contributed to the success of this competition and we look forward to seeing you again next year, 2011.
