The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (Tuco) created history recently, when it tied with the T&T Chamber of Commerce to win the award for Service Association of the Year 2014.
The award, presented by the T&T Coalition of Service Industries (TTCSI), is designed to recognise role models in the industry for their outstanding performance and contribution to the growth and development of the services industries in T&T. It aims to increase national productivity and enhance competitiveness in the local services sector, and recognises local organisations for their achievements in quality and performance.
Basically, TTCSI is an alliance of professional services associations and organisations. It functions as a focal point to lobby; channel and address trade in services issues and services development issues, which are critical for the sector to thrive in the competitive global environment. It has been established to help the services sector manage the challenges faced in exporting their services.
President of Tuco, Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance), said the first-time award win for the organisation was an important milestone in its development thrust to become business-oriented.
“Over the past few years Tuco has been charting a new image for itself as we seek to establish a corporate face,” he said. “We have been actively engaged in producing calypso shows as well as other forms of entertainment in order to generate our own finances, and get away from the practice of always having to go cap-in-hand to government for money. We are fully aware that in order to fulfill our mandate to our members to become self-sufficient we needed to become more proactive, and that is what we have been attempting to do.”
Last year, Tuco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Entrepreneurship Development Co Ltd (Nedco) that offered calypsonians an opportunity to benefit from various services to boost their careers and help in their preparations for the Carnival season.
On the occasion, Masimba pointed out that Tuco had struggled within recent times to rebuild, remodel and re-establish its profile and to present itself to the corporate world. He said the MOU was important and critical for calypsonians and artistes, as some of the services were for training, mentoring and loans.
“We must not take this MOU for granted,” he said then. “It is important to solidify a relationship between us, and every entertainer must see themselves as a business unit adding to the GDP of Trinidad and Tobago.”
Also, on the occasion, Minister of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, Errol McLeod, said calypso was an indigenous resource with extreme potential that must be cultivated, and the signing of the MOU will provide Tuco and its member base with greater insights into better managing their talents and creativity.
“Just as the oil and gas which we continue to export for socio-economic gain is a natural resource, so too does the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development recognise calypso,” said McLeod.
Masimba added that this year’s widespread recognition afforded to celebrating 100 years of the first vocal recording of calypso music represented the coming into being of the organisation’s research and education unit that is expected to make significant contributions to the business development initiative.
With Carnival 2015 on the horizon, Masimba was asked if the initiative included the introduction of new attractions in the festival, with particular reference to the many calypso tents the organisation manages yearly.
“We are aware of the perception out there that the calypso tent, as we know it, is heading for extinction,” he answered. “Tuco, however, does not share that view. There are some things that need to be addressed as a priority, one being the marketing of the tents. There needs to be a more aggressive approach as Carnival now offers more and varied choices for the patron. We decided this year to use the tagline: ‘when last yuh went to a kaiso tent,’ but have not yet determined how effective it was. It must be pointed out, though, that advertising in the media is very expensive and takes a huge chunk out of your budget.”
Therefore, he said, Tuco had made approaches to some media houses to consider forming partnerships in order to give better exposure of the tents and the material on offer by the singers to the public.
“We remain hopeful that some alliances would be formed that would be of benefit to the calypsonians, as well as members of the public whose patronage is crucial to the survival of the calypso tents,” he stated.
Tuco’s calendar of activities for next year’s Carnival is expected to be released shortly.
