Donkery Derby 2018: Who Will Be This Season's Justify

By Toni Nicholas

The 90s into the early 2000s were my unforgettable and paramount years, as a certified “feter” and applied student of mas and culture in the land of steelband and calypso, Trinidad and Tobago. I have quite a few narratives to tell of my annual sojourns to the pre-Lenten festival. One vivid recollection takes me to 1993, during what the media had dubbed “donkeymania". The popular songs that year were Singing Sandra & United Sisters’ “Whoa Donkey” and Ronnie McIntosh’s “The Donkey Dance”. Another guy from the USVI, Mighty Pat, also jumped into the jackass race with his own song about the beast of burden which, as I recall, is often revered in the Bible.

During that aforementioned carnival, if you wanted your fete to “ram” (we say "lit" these days), the mentioned performer had to be booked. One of the biggest fetes on Wrightson Road that year saw 12,000 patrons showing up to a 5,000 capacity venue where the donkey singers headlined. Suffice it to say pandemonium broke out and, as one radio commentator said the following day, “a few jackasses spoilt it for many.” Of course, I took no offence; I was among the many who had simply come out to have fun—not to break down a fence to get in.

The subject of donkeys and horses, it would seem, has long fascinated calypsonians, with the underdogs often being referred to as the dark horses in the competition. One such calypso, I recall, which predated my Trinidad expeditions, was Hollis Liverpool’s (aka The Mighty Chalkdust) “Let the Jackass Sing” in 1974. The song was reportedly a response to then prime minister Dr. Eric Williams who, allegedly referencing his detractors, had said: “Let the jackasses bray.”

Dr. Hollis Liverpool, in a 2005 lecture, recalled the genesis of his song. The lecture was titled “Dr. Eric Williams’ Vision for the Development of Carnival” and described the leader as one who saw the calypsonian as “a political scientist in his own right.”

According to the calypsonian, the title of his song was inspired by a conversation with one of Williams’ cooks who related the PM’s response to some of the women of the house about the calypsonian’s biting political commentary:

"Leave him alone women

Eric Williams tell them

Is caiso men like he

Contribute to me

When dem caisonians sing

Is de tourists dey bring

And it is cash come in

for de treasury

And de party

And some for me

He goin to tie a noose

Around his own throat

Give him plenty rope

Is I go win

All yuh let the jackass sing . . . (from Chalkdust's "Let the Jackass Sing").

Dr. Liverpool’s lecture went on to contradict the public’s perception of the adversarial relationship between calypsonian and politician, when he described Williams’ pivotal role in the development of carnival back in 1957. Williams, according to Liverpool, had instituted the Carnival Development Committee (CDC) “concertedly to develop carnival”. I am not sure that when recently, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet quoted Sir John Compton (who I rather suspect may have been quoting his Caribbean compatriot Williams’ infamous “jackass” statement), he really understood the context in which he was inadvertently placing himself.

In 2007 an “uncultured” (by some accounts) Chastanet had persuaded Cabinet to increase the budget of what some consider “Saint Lucia’s main cultural showcase” to a whopping EC$1 million, starting the process of restructuring carnival. This is what then Senator Allen Chastanet, who was Minister of Tourism at the time, said: “As one of the leading cultural events in the country, every effort should be made to advance carnival's development. My ministry has a three-year financial plan to allow for greater expansion and development of the island’s main cultural showpiece.”

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet (left) and MP for Anse La Raye Dominic Fedee (centre) showed up to support the concert by Herb Black (right).

It was hardly a source of pride, he said, “when we see Saint Lucian talent having to perform on a mediocre stage, with bad lighting and bad sound, giving the impression that we are all Third World. I think the talent here and the commitment is too strong to have had this happen.”

In 2017, now Prime Minister Allen Chastanet again championed the improvement of all aspects of carnival, including calypso, by allocating to the event a budget of EC$3 million, which he intended to increase eventually to EC$6 million. The Events Company of Saint Lucia was also established, its stated mission being to bring the national event on a par with Jazz and other international events.

Reigning over last year’s improved calypso season was the Mighty Pep, who retired from active politics for the SLP in 2015, ahead of the last general elections. Like Dr. Hollis Liverpool, Pep is a scholar. However, unlike Dr. Liverpool, who has made a tremendous contribution to calypso beyond just the calypso season, Pep often does a disappearing act as soon as the season has ended.

It is that time of year again, so Pep is back. And I was quite surprised to learn this week that the gentleman had called a particular talk show to make a contribution. Alas, when I visited social media, perchance to learn something new from the learned calypsonian, I came away feeling I had been duped. You see, dear reader, Pep had not called, as I had been led to believe. The caller was my friend Yardie. A talented artiste in his own right, he hosts the earlier cited though unidentified show on Real FM/MBC. Yardie had actually called Pep to dangle some carrots before his nose. Said the host: “We have you live here on MBC with regard to the statement made by the prime minister about the art form. What do you think of it?”

This was the learned doctor’s response: “Well, I must say it’s a very sad day for the art form in Saint Lucia, you know. Saint Lucians are used to the picong during this time of the year when they give the views in the country vis-a-vis what the government is doing and there is all sort of picong going around; that is the norm and the culture of the calypso and it’s a very sad day that the head of the country could refer to members of the public as jackasses.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if Pep had actually heard for himself the prime minister’s statement. In case you have not yet heard it, dear reader, here is the political jab that the leader of the UWP threw last Thursday evening from his William Peter Boulevard platform: “Despite the calypso songs, despite what Richard Frederick may want to say, despite what the Labour Party wants to say, he [Teo Ah King] is going to make the project happen in Vieux Fort; he is going to make Vieux Fort the Pearl of the Caribbean. Yo pe!” Additionally: “For five years they promised the people of Saint Lucia an airport; for five years they could not deliver it. Yo pe! And I want to let you know that, as tough as the work has been, you can see me tonight more energized and more committed than ever before. I have taken the advice of Sir John: I don’t listen, I let the jackasses bray. All morning they can bray, but I am not taking on the donkey; I am continuing to work.”

As a calypsonian Pep, of all people, should know about metaphors, figures of speech and the like. As a scholar he should have a better understanding that the PM’s inference was directed at his detractors and that he was not taking them on. But then again, maybe this week Pep chose to wear the hat of the politician.

By the weekend the red propaganda machine was in full swing on Fakebook news. Some had quickly taken up the noose, placed it around their own necks, and were ready to be led down the road to Damascus. But those who knew they were neither sheep nor spades remained calm and unperturbed. On Monday the Minister for Culture, Fortuna Belrose, offered her take: “In terms of the government’s feedback for the songs, I know that has always been an issue with respect to people singing calypso about government ministers . . . it’s the season, you know. Let’s have fun. All we ask is the fun be clean; all we want is for the fun to be respectful and for people to understand that we are living in a society where people are free to express themselves— but within the confines of the law.”

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet also spoke to me on Wednesday about what he described as a “non-issue”. He said: “I have never and will never refer to calypsonians as jackasses. The reference I was making was towards the opposition. I embrace the role of the calypsonian. I see it as an art form and I think that the evidence of my support is in the amount of funds that we are allocating to calypso and carnival, and continue to allocate. I’m not someone who takes calypso lyrics personally. Calypsonians have always been inspired by the goings on in politics. That’s what the art form is all about. It is an art form I truly appreciate.”

This year, the Government of Saint Lucia, through a Calypso Management Committee (CMC), is once again giving financial support to the calypso tents and their members. Each tent is benefitting from funding for two shows to the tune of EC$30,000 each. As of last year, the prize money for the various competitions, including the calypso competition, was also increased. That event, as I have said, was won by Pep, supposedly lured to return to calypso after a short stint in politics. He walked away with an increased top prize of EC$35,000.

And so the Calypso Derby continues this week with the quarter-finals leading up to the semifinals and the eventual finals. It’s anyone’s guess who will turn out to be the season’s Justify!