“ Bring back de days – de days of loving ways… ” So sang one of the participants in the Calypso Competition held at the San Rafael Parish Hall on February 19. He was referring, of course, to a time when values and morality were cherished commodities in Trinidad and Tobago .

Happily, though, the parish of San Rafael has, for the last three consecutive years, been intent on reviving those days, as the communities of Brazil , Talparo, Mundo Nuevo, Las Lomas and San Rafael came together once again to showcase their talent.

And what an enormous amount of talent there was! This was evident in the richness of the lyrics, the melodious voices, the musical arrangements and drama within the presentations.

The evening included an Ole Mas competition, Calypso competition and Parade of Bands. The judges had a very difficult time – everyone deserved to be a winner!

Among the individual performers, Cecelia Carmino, won first place with her portrayal of “2020 Vision”, a comic and satirical comment on the political situation.

Two very entertaining Midnight Robbers took the stage. Christopher Naipaul took second place in the individual section. Addressing the audience as “full-time worshippers and part-time sinners”, he captivated the crowd with the hilarious details of his “escapades”; of his “infamous wife, Queen Jezebel”, whom he “married in a picka-patch in Moruga” and his meeting with the “Most Nastilency, Lucifer”. He ended with a clear message on the importance of Abstinence in the prevention of AIDS and unwanted pregnancies.

“All Kinda News” reminded us of the many newspapers available to us, featuring information we could need, along with some we often don't need. This band took first place in the ole mas competition.

Second place went to “Bible Stories”. They lived up to the name as they presented us with about eight different stories taken from the Old and New Testaments, including the “Crossing of the Red Sea ”, portrayed as the letter, “C” painted red, and the Gospels, where we saw “Matthew”, putting a “Mark” on the hairlines of “Luke” and “John”.

Kervin Preudhomme

Fr Moses performing his calypso "No Way"

Taking third place in the Ole Mas bands, “The Rubber Story”, showed us the many uses of rubber.

The calypso competition was the largest of all, with 12 contestants altogether, several of whom had full back-up singers or choruses, along with interesting and dramatic props.

Kervin Preudhomme emerged the winner, with a rendition of his own composition, Try . He admonished all Trinbagonians to “give their lives to Christ; to come together as one and to groom their children so their lives won't revolve around a gun”.

Kervin placed second in last year's parish competition, but was the first place winner in last year's secular competition in Brazil . Word just in was that he also capped the first place title in this year's competition.

Second place went to Onika Quamina (of the Sangre Grande RC Abstinence Club), for her calypso I Am For Abstinence , written by K Miller

Hollis Ragoonanan, chairman of the Parish Council, took third place with his own very witty and lyrical composition, When Moses Gone . “Moses”, of course, is none other than the “mastermind” behind the initiatives of the San Rafael parish, Fr Michael Moses, parish priest.

Fr Moses is known also for his creative efforts in promoting spiritual awareness among his confirmation candidates and within the entire parish community. His parish vision is “Faith Becoming Culture”.

Fr Moses, who took the first prize at the two previous calypso competitions, refrained from taking part in this year's competition but opted instead to perform as a guest artiste.

His first piece was a reflection on the blimp, through which, with the help of holy water sprinkled over the blimp, he was able to see “The Past, the Present and the Future”.

His other piece, No Way! composed by Josephus Phillips, which could have easily rivalled the current Road March, dealt, as the name implies, with postponing sexual gratification until marriage.

Fr Moses dressed in full schoolboy uniform, and with no grey hairs on his head or chin (complements a full coat of mascara) was ably assisted by one of the female lay ministers of San Rafael, dressed also fittingly in full schoolgirl uniform as she tried to entice the “schoolboy” who consistently resisted her advances. The audience roared with laughter. The presentation earned him the “People's Choice”.

Several other calypsonians performed – all very talented and entertaining.

A kiddies band, “Little Fairies”, and the teenagers band, “Spiritual Warfare - War in The Heavens”, brought the celebrations to a close.

The spectators joined in the final jump-up at the end of the evening. Good, clean fun was truly the order of the day.