BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A former calypso king and veteran of the art form has suggested that Carnival is on a serious decline following the elaborate celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the traditional event.
Three-time Calypso Monarch Dion Stevens, popularly known as King Ayatollah, has stated that following last year’s celebrations the 2012 Carnival season is currently at a lull and that some sort of reform is needed to get the annual festivities to its former glory days.
King Ayatollah said that one of the destructive elements of Carnival is the St. Kitts Music Festival, which he opined causes the country more harm than gain with millions of dollars annually going to individuals overseas.
“Year after year we see them paying millions of dollars to overseas artistes and that is what is damaging the Carnival.”
He however expressed his delight at the number of troupes that have been launched for the upcoming events, but called for more to be done.
The veteran calypsonian suggested that whatever it takes for the Carnival to be revived should be implemented, even if it means privatising the event.
King Ayatollah has been singing in a number of tents since the opening of the calypso season and has stated that preparations for the Carnival season in general has been very slow, but suggested that his song, ‘Perilous Times’, is gradually becoming popular among calypso fans in the Federation.
Responding to how he came up with the idea for that song, King Ayatollah said, “Living in the ghetto and seeing the people suffer and hearing of their pains, as well as reading the troubles of the poor people in the newspapers, hearing them on radio and also seeing it on the television and internet, gave me the impetus to pen the song.”
The 45-year old veteran aims to return to the calypso final this year and his main objective is to attain a top three finish, which he sees as a very manageable goal.
“I do not want to peak too early because that can cause difficulty for a calypsonian. And if I speak at the correct time and the judges judge me fairly, I think I could make it into the top three.”
King Ayatollah also said that he has two other songs to go along with the selection previously mentioned, but he has not decided which two of the three he would use for the competition.
The veteran calypsonian, who has been singing for over three decades, lives in Newtown and usually has a large following at calypso competitions. Many have nicknamed him the ‘Bad Boy King’.
