BOY, DON’T TOUCH ME from “Leave Me Alone” by Calypso Rose
Calypso Rose, nee Rose McCartha Linda Sandy Lewis, received the World Music Award in France for her album Far From Home. The honor was bestowed on the 76-year-old legend in the midst of a stop the violence movement in her home country Trinidad. Inspired by a remixed song from Rose’s album, “Leave She Alone” became the rallying cry for those who wanted to shine a light on the increasing violence against women in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to Founder and Executive Director for O.A.B.I.(Organization for Abused and Battered Individuals) Sherna Alexander, the nation is on the verge of a national crisis with the rising number of women being killed. The international community took notice when 20-year-old Republic Bank employee Shannon Banfield was found dead behind a store in the center of town. The mystery behind her disappearance and subsequent murder highlighted the nation’s problems of violence against women. As the bards of the community, soca artistes began using their platforms to bring the condition to a global audience. Bunji Garlin took to Instagram to call on the real men of T&T to step up and defend the women while Machel Montano released a song invoking citizens to “Take It Down.” Brooklyn soca artiste Lyrikal recently lost his cousin, Police Constable Nyasha Joseph, to violence. During my interview with him at P.C.D. (Post-Carnival Depression) party in New York City, he asked “what more do we have to do?”
The Leave She Alone campaign, initiated by Together WI and led by fashion designer Anya Ayoung-Chee, is taking steps to answer this question. The group has organized marches, placed full-page ads in newspapers around the Caribbean, and teamed up with local government agencies to combat gender-based violence. While the project is still in its infancy, it has received acclaim and focus from other anti-violence groups who hope to educate the public on what they can do to stop gender-based crimes.
We want to educate the young men and show them how to treat our young women Click To Tweet
Other organizations such as MADv (Men Against Domestic Violence) and SaySomethingTT are committed to stopping the epidemic. In honor of International Women’s Day, Fatima Young Leaders group started the L.A.R.F.F. (Love and Respect for Females) project. “With LARFF we really just want to educate the young men and show them how to treat our young women and make them really feel respected in Trinidad,” Elijah Bastien explained. The group has been on news programs and radio shows promoting their initiative, which caught the attention of Bunji Garlin and Devon Matthews, who took third place in the 2017 International Soca Monarch competition.
There are no easy solutions to any systemic problem, but awareness is a strong first step. With numerous organizations joining the discussion, the pressure to see offenders brought to justice will increase and women will be more likely to report abuse. “Many women and girls struggle alone and fight alone. They fight to maintain their sanity; they fight to stay alive for their children, and they persevere so their stories can be told. They look to a future where violence will be no more.” (Alexander, National Crisis).
Deanna Andrews
Written by Deanna Andrews of DysChick a Soca enthusiast, party blogger from New York. With Guyanese heritage and passion for soca music, her blog demystifies fetes and Carnivals by introducing neophytes to the artists, deejays, and mas bands making headlines in the industry.
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