The Rise of the Calypso Tent was the theme of the Heritage Library Division’s Carnival Lunchtime Lecture Series hosted on February 3, 10 and 12 and its exhibition, mounted in the Rotunda, National Library. 

The facilitators of the lectures included calypsonian Shirlane Hendrickson, who presented on the theme, The Inner Workings of the Tent; George Sambrano, (Educational and Research Officer, TUCO) whose lecture featured, Popular Music and the Calypso Tent; and Ray Funk and Alexandar ‘D’ Great, sharing the stage on the topic, London is the Place for Calypso: From the Windrush to the Paddington the Bear Movie.

Funk is retired Alaskan judge, researcher and author book recently published book, We Kind Ah People and Alexander ‘D’ Great is an educator and music composer.

This final lecture focused on the near extinction of the Calypso in the Sixties, when Jamaican music like Ska and Reggae dominated the scene. It also addressed the launch of Beginner’s and Lord Kitchener’s Calypso careers.

During the lecture, a number of calypsos, including classics by Beginner and Kitchener were performed.

The exhibition, which features the history on the calypso tent and calypsonians will run until February 27.