birdsong rings de bell for Brother Resistance!
birdsong joins the cultural fraternity at home and abroad in saluting the contribution of Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba) to the development and propagation of our indigenous art forms. Zistance wore many hats – as Rapso artist, poet, composer, panman, cultural activist, publicist, event promoter and, most recently as President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO).
The partnership with Brother Resistance dates back to his days as a young student pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at UWI, St. Augustine. He immediately became a playing member of birdsong steel orchestra and found common cause with our organization at every stage of our organizational journey. Lutalo Masimba was always ready and willing to share our burdens, celebrate our successes and to defend our values and principles. He was there to ring the bell for justice when our future was threatened, to support our community and business development projects, to stand firm for the freedom of cultural expression and to share his experience and professional knowledge of the origins of calypso and the local cultural experience with the young students of the birdsong Music Academy and at our Master Classes for visiting pan players of our International Program.
Resistance will be fondly remembered in the birdsong family for his regular appearances with the Network Rapso Riddum Band at our Blockoramas, Pan Concerts and, in particular, the Pan for the People Series of Community Concerts which in the mid-1970s took birdsong’s music and the new and emerging Rapso genre to remote communities throughout the length and breadth of the country.
Through the years, ‘Resistance’ continued to support birdsong events, contributing in whatever way he was called upon to assist. Brother Resistance was the Master of Ceremonies of choice at many of the Panyard Concerts which birdsong hosted. We salute Lutalo Masimba, ‘Brother Resistance’ for his life of community service, for his creative energy and indomitable spirit of service in establishing RAPSO, (the power of the word in de riddim of the word) as an accepted popular indigenous art-form, developing on the contribution of the Father of the RAPSO Movement, Lancelot Kebu Layne.
The birdsong family extends our heartfelt condolences to the family of Lutalo Masimba, Brother Resistance, to the Network Rapso Riddum Band, to the membership of TUCO and shares the grief of the national community at home and abroad on the passing of this cultural icon and flagbearer of our artistic traditions. May his soul rest in eternal peace and rise in glory - Is Wot!
Dennis Phillip Thursday, July 15, 2021
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