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Ontario - What is almost certainly the world’s greatest private collection of vinyl Calypso records and videos, as well photographs, posters, flyers and other historical memorabilia may soon have a new owner and a new home.

It will not be in Trinidad, birthplace of the art form, as successive Trinidad and Tobago Governments, though approached to help in creating a Calypso Museum or Centre, have shown no interest.

So, Trinidad-born, Toronto-based George D. Maharaj is now in negotiation with the Government of Barbados, which is interested in acquiring his unique collection for their National Library.

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Very interesting indeed! One would think that if this archive is as expansive as touted that the TnT government will leave no stone unturned to acquire it, especially since they are working on building a museum to showcase the artform.

So the owner of the collection is a Trinidadian who would allow
something like that to happen and profit from it? Shame on him.
It sounds like the collection etc., is nice enough to be the foundation
of a private business venture. Adjacent to a museum there could be
a restaurant and music venue. And all artists passing through the area
would have to stop by to pay their respects.

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Can't say that i blame the gentleman..especially if the TnT government is showing no interest. Apparently he is a business man first and as such will sell to the highest bidder.

land on Pluto would be easier to acquire fuh dat venture

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Push it Back and Start Tuh Wine...When Yuh Feel D Fender Push Back On It

But so far there is only one bidder. If he were to team up with a
local enterpreneur in Trinidad they could launch a business venture
that would interest other backers.

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President Obama...Get Used To It!!!

I am all for the CALYPSO COLLECTION to be BASED in BARBADOS. Afterall, ICE RECORDS, owned by EDDIE GRANT and BASED in BARBADOS, has the LARGEST COLLECTION of TRINIDAD'S CALYPSO/SOCA music.

Puhlleeezzzee the government is a bunch of lackadasical, ignorant fools. Look at the steelpan. How longggggggggggg now that was discovered in Trinidad, and what we have to show for it? Trinis know how to keep each other down, but when an outsider come they quick to give them everything they ask for. I don't blame this man atall.

The title post of the thread suggests differently.

When you see SOCA in the TITLE, ley me KNOW.

When BACCHANALISM takes PRECEDENT over PROFESSIONALISM and SERIOUSNESS, whey yuh EXPECT?

I beg to differ; in fact, I agree wholeheartedly with DDTK and Val3. Trinis, especially those at governmental level (who have all projected upper middle class values and orientation) have shown nothing but indifference and at times outright contempt at preserving indigenous cultural traditions such as steelpan and kaiso. Frankly, I would have done the same thing Mr Maraj is trying to do. If Trinis eh want it f**k away, someone else will preserve it (and I hope we have to pay a pound and a crown to access it too).
I actually met him many years ago and had a long conversation with him. His is a labour of love and, as I can tell you from my own experiences, is a very expensive hobby.

You see, I have been collecting old calypsos and Carnival music for years now and it never ceases to astound me just how much of the original recordings, some going back to 1912, are found in the vaults of the Smithsonian or Rounders Recording of Massachaussets and so on, but not in Trinidad. I remember some years ago going down in the archives of the Min of Culture on Jerningham Junction and seen hundreds of calypsos, recordings of Baptist and stickfighting songs and so on, on crumbling reels of tape with no means of preserving them because of lack of funding. In some cases were it not for the field recordings of Melville and Frances Herskovitz during the 30s and 40s, these priceless songs would be lost forever. Yet, Trinis pay little more than lip service to the upkeep of our own music (don't even talk about many radio stations who refuse to play any such music outside of Carnival and in some cases will ONLY play current soca songs).

Trinis, much more than Tobagonians, are afflicted with a curious and deep-seated self-contempt and self doubt and a middle-class outlook that is firmly rooted in foreign tastes, ideas and models which is reflected in almost every aspect of Trinidadian society and industry. This is also why the carival costumes have become the skimpy unimaginative Las Vegas showgirl sh!t it is; Mas designers pander to "the tourist" and what they think is the foreigners' perception of our reality. Neither was it any surprise that Whitmire and Pryce in the US patented the hydroforming method of making steelpans even though as far back as the 70s Dr Eric Williams was approached for funding to support this very same technique but who rejected it! Also, we have a kind of attitude toward indigenous music, dance, drama and so on that I call "industrial asceticism". EVERYTHING, be it schooling, work and society, is geared towards work in the fields of our predominant wage and revenue-earning sectors (oil and gas, replacing sugar and coffee). And so, unlike the same metropolitan societies we mindlessly ape, anything regarding dance, music, song and drama is seen as irrelevant distractions and in any case is of no value anyway since it does not compare to Chopin, Bach and Lionel Richie. Look at the recently formed National Steel Orchestra; during their launch not one song they played was from a local artiste; no Kitchener, DeFosto, no Andre Tanker song. So what does that tell you about the minds of those who fund such things? And you going to get them to put out money to preserve George Maraj ting? Riiiight

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i am suprise the government of Trinidad did not take up the offer. i would like to hear why the government did take up de offer. might be more to it that what the gentleman is saying.

i dont see the problem. the man could sell his collection to whoever is willing to pay for it. you know what, who ever owns it must leave it here when they go back to meet God. dont give so much attention to material things, cause when you go back for your next assignment from God, you got to leave them right here my dear and someone will get it for nothing, you know what things disappear when there is a flood, tornado or fire. so there.....things happen.

soca rule

how is this news? trinis have the knowledge and pride no matter what piece a record and papers end up