As the Calypso King of the World celebrated his 89th birthday on Tuesday, there were renewed calls for the implementation of the National Cultural Recognition Policy to honor designated icons while they are still alive.
Sparrow’s absence was noted by his birthday twin, CNC3 sports anchor Gyasi Merrique, who expressed a wish for more frequent appearances.
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“It would have been nice if he was able to reside here so that the appearances would have been more frequent,” Merrique said.
Writer and cultural critic Nigel Campbell emphasized the need for the policy’s implementation.
“Sparrow and (Calypso) Rose should immediately be called icons and effectively the State should take care of whatever their needs are until they pass away,” Campbell said.
Sparrow received an honorary doctorate of letters from The University of the West Indies in 1987. A statue of him stands at the St Ann’s Roundabout, and in 2015, the late Prof Gordon Rohlehr published a book titled “My Whole Life is Calypso,” celebrating Sparrow’s career. Sparrow has won the Road March and the Calypso Monarch titles eight times and was named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Queen. Despite these accolades, ill health may be preventing him from returning to Trinidad and Tobago permanently.
In 2020, then-culture minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly introduced the National Cultural Recognition Policy as a white paper in Parliament. The policy proposed naming cultural ambassadors who would receive a diplomatic passport and a cash benefit of $250,000.
Dr. Slinger Francisco, known as The Mighty Sparrow or The Birdie, was born in Grand Roy, Grenada, but is a beloved figure in Trinidad and Tobago. Now residing in the United States.
