Dr. Slinger Francisco (The Mighty Sparrow)

“Celebrant, chantwell, warrior, prophet, satirist, and purveyor of joy, delight and elation: raconteur of the folk tales of our daily grass-rooted life.” The OCC Awardee to whom such adultations belong is the Caribbean’s most celebrated and renowned entertainer, social commentator and ambassador extraordinaire, Dr. Slinger Francisco, whom the world knows as “The Mighty Sparrow”.

His cross-national Caribbean identity is born out of Grenada, his birthplace, and Trinidad and Tobago, his homeland since the early age of two.

The Mighty Sparrow, in his 48 years as a singer of the uniquely Caribbean art form of Calypso, has delighted and entertained on various world stages winning numerous Calypso Monarch titles, and the King of Kings competitions both times he competed in 1985 and 1988.

His songs speak to the multifaceted dimensions of the Caribbean experience, its political culture, its history, its peoples way of life and struggles, satirising and even admonishing in its social commentary. His music has achieved worldwide recognition, touching on issues of international significance.

Sparrow’s colossal collection of recordings has earned him numerous awards and commendations from various Caribbean Governments, including the Chaconia Gold Medal for long and meritorious service, Trinidad and Tobago’s second highest honour, honours from several North American cities where he performed, and the conferral of the Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of the West Indies.

This legendary and iconic Caribbean artiste soothes the Caribbean’s soul through his music and forged a Caribbean cultural identity worldwide through the excellence and profundity of his performances.

The career achievements of this loved son of the Caribbean soil are captured succinctly in this extract from the citation presented at the conferral of his OCC award. “Sparrow has been rebel, warrior, the aggressive life force beneath the very foundations of Caribbean society, pushing down walls, transgressing boundaries of race, colour, class and caste, defining freedom”.