This 2005 calypso season, Mr. X interpreted our contemporary history for us. He put the present into perspective through a convincing piece of creative genius entitled Di Revo Can’t Done. The present, he reminded us, is the living past. What was sowed yesterday is harvested today. The flowers of the March 13, 1979 revolution, according to this interpretation, have come to bloom in the present dispensation. Those who honed their leadership, managerial, organizational and public relations skills during the revolution and held leadership positions in some of its institutions such as the army, the National Youth Organization, the Students Council and the broadcast media today occupy very responsible positions in the government, the police force, the bar association, the Chamber of Commerce, the financial sector and tourism. The weight of the revolution, according to Mr. X, leans heavily upon our present realities and so the revolution cannot be wished away nor can its legacy be ignored. The revolution keeps marching on. 

This is the original function of calypso -  to catalogue our experience, to interpret them for us, to be the voice of the voiceless, to be a barometer of public opinion. Calypsonians like Mr. X, Wizard and others of their caliber have consistently fulfilled their roles as oral historians, interpreters and public voice in their compositions, the topics they chose to sing about and their devotion to the art of calypso. This 2005 season,  no less than three of the calypsonians who have chosen to remain true to the original function, purpose and meaning of calypso and its cultural, social and political responsibilities came out in its defence.  

This may have been necessitated by the fact that over the years calypso has increasingly faced marginalization by its more popular but less cerebral sub-species - Soca. Teacher Eddie came out with a praise song in honour of the calypso (or kaiso as it is also known) and told us that for the love of kaiso devotees like him are prepared to make the necessary sacrifice to keep the artform alive. Bubbler lamented perceived injustices against calypso and the calypsonian and told us why the treatment of calypso makes calypsonians like him cry. But it was Scholar that came out fighting in defence of the integrity and functionality of calypso as social and political commentary and of the role of the calypsonian as the historian of the contemporary who must use topical issues and current happenings in the society as his subject matter and must necessarily be biased in favour of good governance, justice, human rights, freedom and the struggle against corruption, poverty and oppression. The noble effort earned him the crown. 

True to its function as oral history and the interpretation of events and experiences affecting the community, calypso this year made hurricane Ivan its most popular subject matter and inspiration. Like the leap of the Caribs in 1651, the Fedon Rebellion of 1796, Sky-red of 1951, hurricane Janet of 1955,  The March 13 revolution of 1979 and the national tragedy of October 19, 1983, hurricane Ivan of 7 September 2004 marks a watershed in the Grenadian experience, a transformative event  of major social, economic political and historical significance, a point of reference.  In one of his renditions for this year Croqueta, for example, marked out the boundary between reality before and after Ivan, the most cataclysmic of natural disasters to have befallen Grenada in living memory. 

The shock and awe of the unprecedented event threw the nation into confusion, affecting the rich and the poor and the leaders and the led alike. Persuader’s lamentation of the inaction of the leadership and security forces, immediately following the disaster, mirrored popular sentiments. Its claims made it one of the most controversial calypsos of the season. We did not have a government and for four days looters prowled the land, compromising public security, Persuader lamented, heaping high praise, at the same time, on Trinidad Prime Minister Patrick Manning who Persuader described as having been forced to assume the role of our own Prime Minister.  

Whilst Persuader chose to single out a single person for praise Bubbler chose to single out a country.  Courting as much controversy as Persuader, Bubbler recognized the selfless contribution of Caricom member states, the international community and international organizations but singled out Guyana for special praise not only because Guyana contributed lumber but because Guyana continued to assist Grenada even though it was facing comparable disaster at home, with its capital under flood waters of biblical proportion.  

Other calypsonians chose to use hurricane Ivan as a metaphor to comment on the state of governance in the country, corruption in high and low places and the ironies of life. For Natty Nuclear Dread, Ivan was maker and breaker, giver and taker. Through the subtle employment of hyperbole and opposites, he described to us how some people used the opportunities presented by the disaster for self-aggrandizement even as others suffered losses, and how some in high positions lost their posts (‘Ivan gone with that’) whilst others enjoyed promotion (‘Ivan give them that’).  

Croquetta, on the other hand, chose to make Ivan a metaphorical messenger on a mission to expose the nation’s weak infrastructure, the corruption and incompetence of those in authority and the ills of society, including failures in parenting, youth delinquency, religious hypocrisy and weaknesses within the education system.   

Others chose to record for us the trauma of this cataclysmic natural disaster on the nation. In a very poignant and heartbreaking verse Smokey alluded to the trauma suffered by our children, underling their vulnerability and innocence. In his Ivan calypso, he described the terror of our traumatized children whenever the wind blow too hard or whenever it rain too heavily. It is a story rooted in reality; every Grenadian parent could attest to its truth. 

The nation as a whole has not yet overcome its trauma and recovery may take a very long time. Here, though, is where the calypsonian as healer emerges. Both Teacher Eddie and Super P, articulating the resilient spirit of the Grenadian people, came out to assure the nation and the world that `we shall rise again’, reflecting the popular optimism of the Grenadian collective. This optimism, this defiance in the face of defeat and destruction, has characterized the Grenadian response to tragedy over the years. For example, following the tragedies of 1983 Wizard encouraged us to ‘rise and shine again’. It is part of our survival strategy, this optimism.  

Through calypso we are healed, through calypso’s wit and its use of the double entendre we not only lament our plight, we heal ourselves by learning to laugh at our situation, dire though it may be. Sinner made us laugh by portraying Ivan as a voyeur, a naughty maco who engaged in bawdy mischief during his foray. Through the use of the double entendre we learn from Sinner that Ivan managed to wet the cat of an old woman who had managed to keep it dry since hurricane Janet. ‘What a bad hurricane!’ Sinner lamented. ‘It has no shame.’ It was one of the wittiest calypsos of the season.   

Forget your troubles and make love, another witty Ivan calypso advised, whilst lamenting the losses suffered by Grenadian families and the plight of the nation. In this particular calypso, a wife laments the losses suffered, itemizing each loss – roof gone, water gone, house gone - but the husband advises against burdening the mind, unnecessarily, with worries and stressing the soul. ‘Too much on me mind’, he says to her, ‘forget that and give me a wind.’  The light-hearted philosophy of this calypso attempts to heal us with its humour, reminding us that there is life after Ivan, after all. But it also reflected reality. Many sought comfort, escape and reassurance in each others arms during the dark nights of post Ivan Grenada.  Whilst some of the Ivan calypsos lamented the deaths of many elderly citizens following the passage of Ivan, others alluded to the many pregnancies. 

Just as we have sung and loved under the severest of conditions so we have danced in the face of adversity. Dance is therapy. In one of his songs Bob Marley advised sufferers: ‘forget your troubles and dance.’ With a stroke of genius, Baby Killa taught us to dance the experience of Ivan out of our system. ‘Everybody come do the Ivan’, the soca artist invited the nation. In verses that encourages one to forget one’s troubles and laugh and with a melody that encourages one to forget one’s troubles and dance, Baby Killa, assuming the role of dance instructor/therapist, directs the dance, itemizing those things and incidents most associated with hurricane Ivan in the minds of the nation -  ‘window break’ (‘everybody come do window break’), ‘roof gone’ (‘everybody come do roof gone’), ‘tarpaulin’ (‘everybody come do tarpaulin’), ‘generator’ (‘everybody come do generator’), ‘looting’ (‘everybody start the looting’), ‘police coming’ (‘every body run’). Its wit and danceable rhythm made this soca one of the best of the season for many Grenadians. 

Finally, some calypsonians and soca artists addressed Ivan directly, calling him to account and treating him to some chastisement.  After calling him out, sternly, three times, Steve Theodore commanded him never to return – ‘Ivan doh come back again’ – and informed him why –‘Ivan you mash up, you mash up the Spice Island’. 

May calypso and Soca continue to function as memory and therapy for the people of Grenada, the wider Caribbean and the world forever.