IN 2024 Mical Teja had the country singing "no place like home" (DNA) which resonated with nationals across the world and earned him a few local coveted titles.
Carnival 2025 however, has met calypso tent Kaiso Showkase without a home.
Tent manager Ras Kommanda (Steve Pascal) said rent and landlords – from the government to private owners – are killing the culture.
The south-based calypso tent which is managed by TUCO South Central Zone has called Palms Club, San Fernando, "home" for over a decade.
This year, it has had to part ways with its landlord. Seeking alternative venues has proven to be an unforeseen challenge as costs and buildings with suitable sound quality have prevented it from getting an appropriate location.
Kaiso Showkase has now been reduced to a roving tent for Carnival, as it tries to keep afloat, Kommanda told Newsday in an interview.
A grand opening is scheduled to take place at Naparima Bowl on January 25 at 8 pm. Between eight to ten other shows have been booked in different regions.
These will include clashes with Diva’s Calypso Cabaret on February 15 at Belmont Community Centre, and with D'Kaiso Dynasty, the name of the rebranded Kaiso House.
Creative Arts Centre, San Fernando, which is not most suitable in terms of its auditory range, has been chosen to host a show on January 26, from 4 pm, in collaboration with TTARP (TT Association of Responsible Persons). On February 14, the tent will again appear at this venue to perform for the judges.
“We are just going to the Bowl for the opening night. We cannot afford that rent. It is somewhere between $7,000 to $9,000 per night for the amphitheatre. Inside the auditorium is about $12,000. Calypsonians should be given a more acceptable rate.
[caption id="attachment_1133765" align="alignnone" width="742"] Rivaldo London -[/caption]
“The amphitheatre is more suitable as calypso is a freedom thing. It is not a cloak and dagger, sit down thing, in a straitjacket thing like at SAPA where there are so many restrictions. Patrons want to smoke, drink, run up and knock the stage for a good calypso and call for encores. We need a venue where the nuts man can pelt a pack of nuts to a guest and collect his money after. We can’t do that inside the people’s auditorium at the Naparima Bowl.”
Again, because bar licences cost a tidy sum, Kommanda said a soft bar will be in operation, allowing patrons to bring their coolers.
In a year when the objective is to make and save money, this will cut out a sure revenue stream, he expressed.
Explaining how the tent has found itself in this unfortunate situation, Kommanda accused the exorbitant rental cost from both the government and private sector as doing an injustice to culture.
“Too many people are trying to take out their grievances with Government, on culture, the arts, on the creatives.
“They are asking us to pay much more than we can afford,” said the outspoken calypsonian and executive member of TUCO.
[caption id="attachment_1133762" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tameika Dariu
