Expect lots of love from Calypsonian Morenika “Shakiya” Charles-Arrindell in this year’s Senior Calypso Eliminations on April 2.
“My stage performance will definitely be filled with lots of passion, movement and my own version of calypso flair,” she tells Out ‘n About. “I will be singing about what we should do in the name of love for St. Maarten as young people, adults and politicians. I really love this island and believe that in the end it is up to all of us to do our part to help it progress.”
She is hoping to make it to the finals, where, Shakiya said, she will be “ready to throw some shots and also have some fun while I’m at it.”
She is preparing for the competition by going over her songs daily. “I work on clarity and I go over the stage performance a gazillion times in my head. I always work on making it more than just song so that people feel connected to my story in the way that I express it.”
Last year, Shakiya placed eighth overall in her first time competing in the Calypso Competition with her songs “Crown me now” and “Stand up S’Maatin.”
She is excited about hitting the stage this year and is happy to see more women join the line-up. “Winning would be great for me, but it isn’t everything. I’m happy to be blessed enough to have this gift and be given the opportunity to share it. I’m really happy to get to perform in one of St. Maarten’s oldest forms of story-telling: calypso. By participating in calypso, I’m actively helping to preserve important parts of S’Maatin’s culture and history through song.”
She would like to see calypso workshops held on the island to help calypsonians grow.
“I would also like to see more being done to preserve calypso, especially on the elementary school level. It would be great to see an interscholastic calypso competition among various schools, with each school being mentored by veteran calypsonians. It would be a great tool to ensure that calypso continues to have a long future in St. Maarten.”
She urges everyone to attend the calypso competitions. “Calypso or kaiso is we ting and besides, I’ve heard that the people calling for melee, and some calypsonians are promising to bring it. I know I am looking forward to all of the word wizardry on April 2.”
