The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) is a professional body representing the interests of

calypsonian A calypsonian,Definition of CALYPSO
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

and working to promote

calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to We ...

nationally and internationally. TUCO was established in 1993 and incorporated by an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

in 1998. TUCO serves as the governing body for calypso in Trinidad and Tobago.

History

The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation was formed in 1993 by the merger of the Calypsonians' Association with the Trinbago Calypsonian Organisation. It was incorporated by Act No. 33 of 1998 of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1998 the government gave TUCO control of the national calypso contests, which had previously been managed by the National Carnival Committee, a state-controlled body. TUCO was given the responsibility of selecting and training judges for the competition and introduced a Calypso Queen, and later a Calypso King competition in addition to the

Calypso Monarch The Calypso Monarch (originally Calypso King) contest is one of the two major annual calypso competitions held in Trinidad as part of the annual carnival celebrations. History While Trinidad's carnival has its origins in the 18th century, a singi ...

competition. With the cancellation of

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

in 2021 as a result of the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, TUCO organised virtual

calypso tent Calypso tents are venues in which calypsonians perform during the Carnival season. They usually are cinema halls, community centers, or other indoor buildings which have seating and stage arrangements to host the entertainers, guests and patrons; ...

References

{{reflist Calypso music Trinidad and Tobago culture Cultural organisations based in Trinidad and Tobago 1993 establishments in Trinidad and Tobago