A book chronicling the relationship between politics and calypso over six decades in Montserrat is being launched on island this weekend.
Residents and visitors are invited to the launch event from 5pm, on Saturday, 16 November, at the Montserrat Cultural Centre in Little Bay, during the Alliouagana Festival of the Word.
‘Politicalypso’ is a collaboration between two Montserratians – Edwin Martin, a journalist and author, and Francelise White, a civil servant, historian and former festival queen.
White, who worked for six years in the government’s Legislature Department has conducted extensive research on Montserrat’s political history.
She approached Martin with the idea for the book in early 2024.
“It was a great collaboration between Francelise and myself,” Martin said. “With her experience as a Montserrat political expert and mine as a calypso historian, it was a perfect fit.”
Whether through social commentary or even simple jingles, calypso has served as the soundtrack for politics in Montserrat, equally praising and pounding politicians when necessary.
The book analyses 25 notable political songs in Montserrat’s history and also has a section on songs that have been banned on the radio.
“This book is a labour of love and I believe it will resonate with readers far and wide,” White said.
Politicalypso can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format here.
About the authors
White hails from Windy Hill in the east of Montserrat. She attended St George’s Primary School, then Montserrat Secondary School, graduating in 1998 with five O levels.
She later earned a certificate in public administration from the University of the West Indies Open Campus.
On December 28, 2003, White won the coveted Miss Montserrat Festival title. She also captured the Ms Millennium Talented Teen competition in 1999.
She relocated to Nevis in 2005, then returned to Montserrat in 2013.
White joined the government’s Legislature Department in 2018 as a commissions analyst, during which she gained a passion for researching Montserrat’s political history.
Her greatest sources of inspiration are her children, Laneisha, Azaliah and N’jorn.
Martin was born in Montserrat and migrated to Florida at a young age.
He graduated from Miami Senior High School at 16, then studied photo journalism before switching to print journalism, earning an Associates in Arts degree from Miami-Dade College.
He also attended the University of Miami, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida International University in 1994.
Edwin worked at the Miami Herald from 1986 to 2016 in several roles, including copy editor, feature writer and online producer.
He published his first book, ‘Stranded Batsman: The Jim Allen Story’, in 2017, then followed that with ‘A Century of Montserrat Cricket’.
In 2019 he launched the website Montserrat Spotlight, which features stories and opinion columns about Montserrat’s history, culture and people.
