Calypsonian Heather MacIntosh has been sharpening her skills for the past two years as the world battled the covid19 virus pandemic.Performing her own compositions from the age of five, she told Newsday in an interview last Wednesday that calypso events during the Carnival season have always been the most anticipated time for her over the years.
She religiously spent time preparing and competing every year. So when restrictions were introduced to contain the spread of the virus – which included the cancellation of Carnival in 2021 and limitations on the celebration in 2022 – MacIntosh admitted to feeling gloomy and disappointed.
"I can't imagine not having kaiso and calypso to the extent where even in the first year of covid19 I still had to compose, because there is something to be said about who we are, because calypso isn't limited to a Carnival season, whether it be a whole season or a taste thereof. I don't think that we are limited to a Carnival season, because there will always be things to document, and there will always be messages to defend.
She said that's why she has remained in the platform, even though others may have drifted.
MacIntosh, who is a lecturer in Portuguese at UWI, said even with a full-time job, she hopes the gradual reopening of the cultural sector will see the return of more calypso events. "It has not been easy for people, in general, to move into the online environment, and I think even worse for artists. It has not been a straightforward case of, 'This is now how we're going to do business.'
[caption id="attachment_942291" align="alignnone" width="683"] Heather MacIntosh performs 'Claude' one of the songs she placed third with in the 2020 Calypso Monarch competition at Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain. - File photo[/caption]
"Now that things have opened back up, it has helped a lot for the artists to now be able to go out and move around and stuff in a way in which we haven't been able to for the last 24 months.
"I have been lucky that the art form is not my bread and butter. It's something that I really enjoy doing, it's something that I missed terribly, but as compared to other persons who live off of this to pay their bills off of this, I have not been as affected. But it doesn't mean that it didn't still have an effect on me."To pass the time, MacIntosh said she wrote Lef it Dey and Give that Thanks, songs that tell a story of her experiences and feelings during the pandemic.While it’s still uncertain when Carnival will return to its normal form, MacIntosh said she will continue her preparations to grace the Queen’s Park Savannah stage once again. “Whenever that happens, the spectators will get the best of me. I will continue to be the person that I am. I will continue to be the person who tells the truth I will try to document and record the things that are taking place around us. I will continue to be the person who sends a message on behalf of those who can’t do it for themselves.”
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