In Trinidad and Tobago, the musical funeral of Mighty Sparrow, legendary voice of the Caribbean

A long caravan through the streets of Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Hundreds of people in disguise, wearing masks, hats and feathers came to say goodbye, Friday, October 16, to Mighty Sparrow, legendary calypso artist who died at the end of September in New York at the age of 91. Trucks with loudspeakers broadcast at full volume the greatest hits of Mighty Sparrow, the "mighty sparrow", also nicknamed "The Birdie", "little bird".

Author, composer and performer of calypso, a musical genre born in the English-speaking archipelago, Slinger Francisco, his real name, had become an emblematic voice of the entire Caribbean. In the West Indies and Guyana, several generations have danced and sung to his compositions. His indelible mark on Trinidad and Tobago, where calypso was born, earned him the Order of the Republic, the country's highest distinction. “I came to pay homage to the world king of calypso, the one and only, who will never be replaced,” Raymond, a 65-year-old retiree, told AFP.

The funeral took place with music and jubilation. “There’s a lot of good energy,” said Kyla Jones, a 20-year-old accountant. The singer's daughter, Michelle Francisco, was also present. She said her father wasn't the type to help with homework or light the barbecue: "We had to share him with the world," she said. The Minister of Culture, Michelle Benjamin, also present at the celebration, asked: “how do we say goodbye to a man whose music has become permanent? And when I say permanent, it is because it is part of who we are as a people”.

A route closely linked to the carnival

The career of Mighty Sparrow, born in Grenada in 1935, but arriving as a baby in Trinidad and Tobago, includes more than 70 albums and 500 songs, mixing political satire, social commentary, humor and suggestive innuendoes. His powerful voice, his humor and his lyrics gradually allowed him to establish himself on the calypso musical scene, a genre which uses instruments such as the maracas, the guitar and the tamboo bamboo, invented at the end of the 19th century after the ban on traditional skin drums by the British colonial authorities.

Mighty Sparrow sings about love and human relationships as well as social difficulties, politics or the realities of daily life in the Caribbean. The singer's journey is closely associated with the famous Trinidad and Tobago carnival. During his career, he won the title of "Calypso King" several times, as well as eight "Road March", rewarding songs that hit the streets during the festivities. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has announced that the main stand where the carnival parades are held will be named "The Mighty Sparrow".

His best-known pieces, such as Only a Fool, Sa Sa Yé or Jean and Dinah, were notably covered by Guyanese orchestras, participating in their diffusion to the French-speaking public.