Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Heritage Dr Ernest Hilaire, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Calvin Lee, Head of the Department of Creative Industries Imran Emmanuel, and calypsonian TC Brown.
Stakeholders from Saint Lucia’s calypso, soca and Dennery music communities have agreed that a legally recognised group should represent artists and industry professionals across all three genres.
The decision was made at a meeting at Castries City Hall on September 5. The meeting included calypso and soca veterans, past and present administrators, and many artists.
There was strong support at the meeting for creating a group that can speak up for the interests of everyone involved in Saint Lucia’s music industry.
The initiative was endorsed by Minister for Creative Industries Ernest Hilaire, ECCO (Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights) Chairman Martin James, and copyright attorney Thaddeus Antoine.
Caron Tobiere, one of the founders of the last calypso association and chairperson of the new steering committee, CEO of the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights Martin James, Chairman of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority Thaddeus Antoine, and Linda Chocolate, who chaired the meeting.
The review committee will also help organise Saint Lucia’s first Calypso Exhibition, which is set to start on September 28, 2026, at Castries City Hall.
At the end of the meeting, everyone agreed on several important points.
These included the need for a legally chosen group to represent the community and a decision to keep the name SLCA2009 for now, with plans to choose a new name that better reflects calypso, soca and Dennery segment music.
A five-member committee was chosen to review and update the group’s constitution. After reviewing the document, attendees can give their feedback to the committee.
The committee plans to share a revised draft of the constitution at the next members’ meeting on September 10.
At that meeting, members will also set procedures and timelines for the final vote to choose officers for the new representative group.
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