Alex Maestri Italy Jersey kcs2iplm

ui8trov3g

By Kiana Wilburg An extraordinary 20-year-old damsel from East Ruimveldt did not participate in the Junior Calypso Competition only to earn a handsome monetary prize. Shontell Gittens got into the contest with the aim of awakening a higher level of consciousness with her song—The Chinese Taking over.Shontell Gittens during her performanceThe song was written by a well known senior Guyanese calypsonian, Young Bill Rogers,Baltimore Orioles Adam Jones Jersey, but the idea for the song was all hers.After graduating from North Ruimveldt Secondary School, she was alwsays exploring the world of Calypso. Gittens would listen to the senior calypsonians on air on a regular basis.“I am the normal girl and though I love hip-hop and R&B music, there is something about calypso that just feels like home. It is about real issues and though you get a laugh out of the way the lyrics may sound when the dust settles, the message stays with you. It is fulfilling to sing this genre. And I am learning every day.”The jovial young woman is one who enjoys spending quality time with her mother,Buster Posey USA Jersey, Pamela Gittens,Alex Delvecchio Red Wings Jersey, a songbird in her day and who performed with a few local bands.“I am not the fancy type of girl but I have always dreamed about making a difference and doing it with Calypso music.”With this initiative in mind, Gittens was given the support of her entire family and friends.But as a young girl who entered the world of work at a Chinese-owned store, life took on a new perspective.“Working with the Chinese company really gave me a front row seat to the mindset of these people and how they treat business in Guyana. There were a lot of things I became conscious of and the inspiration for the song came from those frustrations.”“It was a stable job for me at the time and I assisted in the clothing store.However, the biggest disappointment came when she lost her job at the Chinese store just two days before her big day.She said, “Well my song basically speaks about the way the Chinese are just being allowed to penetrate every sector of this country and I don’t think that it’s fair. It’s like our country is taking a big cultural change right before our eyes and we are not doing anything about it.Part of my song says; ‘Cell phones and ya TV – Chinese, Everything now in the country is Chinese, the Clothing ya wear is Chinese,Jose Castillo Venezuela Jersey, Woman check out ya false hair is Chinese, All ya look at me- I am an afro Chinese.”“That part basically speaks to the way the country is just being taken over even down to the basic things we need. And it is something to pay attention. There is a serious cultural shift that is taking place right before our eyes and hence I just wanted to show that in my song.”After an exhilarating performance which surprised most persons,Christian Yelich USA Jersey, Gittens explained that she felt vindicated after she was fired because of the obvious contents of the song.“When they fired me because they found out about the lyrical content of the song, it really did hurt me. But I guess they did me a favour. It turned out to be a motivating lesson and it fuelled me to sing the song with passion. I was so upset and devastated and when I won it just showed me that all was not lost. I felt like I won against the people who were upset with me because I wanted to sing about the truth.”“When I won it was a thrilling feeling. Words can’t express how moved I was. I felt as though I sang something about what is really going on in our society and it was heard. I would even go further to say that it is what young people need; the encouragement to sing the truth and sing proper music; music that’s not all about moving your waistline and dancing on the road and waving a flag. This kind of music is just a reflection of how narrow-minded we can be sometimes. It shows how blind we can be sometimes.”As she ponders the Senior Calypso Competition to which she will be automatically promoted, Gittens expressed that she is nervous,Drew Maggi Italy Jersey, but is confident that her message will resonate with the audience.