Dariem 'blimps' to Jnr Calypso crown

By Melissa Wong, newsday.co.tt
February 21, 2006

Dareem Charles

SINGING what many in the audience deemed to be the most original lyrics and possessing a vivid stage presentation at the Sunshine Snacks Junior Calypso Monarch Finals, 15-year-old Dariem Charles strolled comfortably to the title with his song "Dem Blimping Thing."

It was a great day for his mother Patsy des Vignes Charles, who celebrated her 44th birthday yesterday.

Twelve students participated in the competition at the Queen's Park Savannah with many of the songs leaning toward the topics of crime, and parents neglecting their children.

Charles, a Form Four student at Sangre Grande Educational Institute, said he felt confident after his performance and knew he would win this time around. "I have competed four times already, but this was the one time I knew my performance was really good. I was 99 percent sure I would win," Charles said.

His elated mother said the result was vindication for all the hard work he put into this competition and she could not have asked for a better birthday gift.

Dressed in a blue suit with red scarf, Charles took control of the stage immediately, bringing to the stage a model of the "broken down" blimp as well as the "blind" Eye in the Sky police camera.

In his song, Charles expressed how fed-up he was with the escalating crime situation, especially since there were so many different gadgets to cater for catching the criminals. Charles had the audience in stitches with his lyrics: "I fed up with the blimping thing" and "too much blimping thing happening."

Charles also demonstrated to the audience how the Eye in the Sky worked by moving his body up and down in a vertical direction and made a loud buzzing song signalling the blimp as it passes in the sky.

This sent the audience and his schoolmates into a frenzy, as they gave him a thunderous applause for his performance. Charles won a cash prize of $5,000 from Sunshine Snacks, Units worth $5,000 from Trinidad Unified Calypsonians' Org-anisation (TUCO), a computer and a trip to perform at both the Notting Hill Carnival in London and Cropover in Barbados.

Placing second and winning the Peter Pitts Challenge Trophy for Best Lyrics was 14-year-old Erphaan Alves of St George's College, with his song "Parenting Is The Key." In third place was 15-year-old Dinessa Nelson of ASJA Girls' College with her song, "I'm Sorry."

Junior Calypso Monarch in Pictures

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