Mia Mottley began her tribute to Mighty Sparrow by quoting “The Slave,” a song from 1963. At the calypso artist’s funeral on October 16, 2026, she called for the song to be included in the Caribbean Examinations Council’s curriculum. This idea raises a simple question: what place do Caribbean voices have in schools?
Mia Mottley began her tribute to Mighty Sparrow by quoting lines from “The Slave.” On October 16, 2026, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, the Prime Minister of Barbados then called for this 1963 song to be included in the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) curriculum. She wanted every child in the region to understand both the pain and the mission behind it. She turned to Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, so they could work together to convince their counterparts. Persad-Bissessar replied that she would work with her Caribbean colleagues. The CXC, for its part, has not yet made a decision.
Why Mia Mottley Wants to Study Mighty Sparrow
For the Prime Minister, Mighty Sparrow’s songs document the lives of Caribbean societies. Beyond mere entertainment, calypso has served as a means to expose injustices, challenge those in power, and give voice to the aspirations of the people. Mia Mottley also praised the art of picong, those sharp-tongued verbal sparring matches that are part of Caribbean culture. She cited “Dan Is the Man in the Van,” a satire on colonial education. In it, Mighty Sparrow mocked the nursery rhymes and stories taught in school, which were far removed from children’s daily lives. The parallel is striking. An artist who once questioned what schools were teaching might now be entering one himself.
"The Slave" by Mighty Sparrow: A Story of Slavery Told Through Song
Recorded in 1963, “The Slave” gives voice to a man who was captured in Africa and taken to the Caribbean. There, he works without pay, fears the whip and the dogs, and dreams of escaping. The song even tells, in its own way, the story of how calypso is said to have originated—from songs sung by the captives to their master in order to make themselves heard.
However, this is a work of art, not the testimony of someone who experienced slavery. In the classroom, it would be best studied alongside historical documents. Context matters, too. Trinidad and Tobago had just gained independence in 1962. During this period, when the country was defining its own identity, the song raised the question of the place of Caribbean people in their own narrative.
Is calypso already part of the school curriculum?
Established in 1972 by the participating governments of CARICOM, the CXC has sixteen participating countries, all of which are English-speaking. It also works with Curaçao, Saba, Saint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Suriname. Its secondary school exams, the CSEC, have been in place since 1979. Martinique and Guadeloupe are not members.
Mighty Sparrow is, in fact, no stranger to the CXC. His name appears among the calypso artists listed in the CSEC music syllabus. The challenge, therefore, is not to introduce students to the artist, but to give a specific song an explicit place in the teaching of history and memory. It remains to be determined in which subject “The Slave” could be taught, to which students, and using what teaching materials. These questions have not yet received an official answer.
Can a song convey a shared memory?
The songs circulate at parties, within families, and on the streets. They linger in people’s memories long after a class has ended. Studying them in school could connect this familiarity to a reflection on history, words, and freedom. Mighty Sparrow belonged to several islands at once. Born in Grenada in 1935, he grew up in Trinidad, where the government organized a national farewell ceremony for him and his family. On the same day, Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that the grandstand at Queen’s Park Savannah would be named after Mighty Sparrow.
Richès Karayib has already chronicled the life of Mighty Sparrow, who passed away on September 27, 2026, at the age of 91. Mia Mottley’s proposal now opens another chapter. Now that the tributes are over, what role will Caribbean schools choose to give to the artists who have chronicled their societies?
Frequently Asked Questions
At Mighty Sparrow’s funeral on October 16, 2026, Mia Mottley called for “The Slave” to become a central part of the Caribbean Examinations Council’s curriculum. She wants every Caribbean student to understand its message. The CXC has not made a decision on this matter to date.
“The Slave” is a calypso song recorded in 1963 by Mighty Sparrow. It tells the story of a man captured in Africa and taken to the Caribbean, who is forced to work and dreams of freedom. It is a work of art, not a direct historical account.
The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is a regional organization established in 1972 by the participating governments of CARICOM. It develops curricula and administers exams—including the CSEC since 1979—for sixteen participating countries. Martinique and Guadeloupe are not members.
