He has penned timeless hits that have transcended generations from the anthemic "Tell Guatemala leave Belize alone" to the celebratory "Rain can't stop this reggae jam," and this weekend for the first time in ten years, Lord Laro will perform in Belize. The legendary Calypsonian arrived in Belize this afternoon and he told 7NEWS why this was a homecoming, not a visit.
Lord Laro, Calypso Singer
"It feels great to be back home." [Laughs.]
He said it himself: this is home and what a homecoming it was. Lord Laro's first stop was inside the VIP Lounge at the airport where he was officially welcomed by City Councilor Marshall Nunez and the media.
Lord Laro,
"I am a Belizean, I mightn't have the paper to say that, a birth certificate to say I'm a Belizean, but I love Belize in such a way that I feel that I'm Belizean. I don't feel that you have to be born here to be a Belizean, you have to love here to be a Belizean and that is what happened to me. When I came here, if I hadn't already set up myself in Jamaica and had everything that I wanted in Jamaica, this would have been home. When I said I am home, this is home. This is the place I would have built my house and live right here."
[Lord Laro Singing: Ya da fu we Belize a could hear them say, ya da fu we Belize in independence day, Independence is no longer just a dream, but reality to people.]
Lord Laro,
"The time that I was here, Guatemala decided that Belize is part of Guatemala and there was a big controversy going on and in Cayo we had all the people from all over the Caribbean singing and so on and there was this spontaneous thing, people were saying, 'viva Belice,' and you could feel the nationalistic spirit coming out and the nationalistic spirit in me came out. And as I took up the guitar on that stage I said, 'tell Guatemala leave Belize alone and the place went up.'"
Keith Swift,
Have you recognized how much people value that song and what it means for Belizeans?
Lord Laro,
"Well I am happy to hear you say that because this is how I would like it and if it so then I'm extremely happy and proud."
Promoter Anwar Barrow says choosing Lord Laro was easy
Anwar Barrow, Sadat Entertainment
"Lord Laro is a classic artist and I was looking at the September Celebrations calendar and I didn't see anything on there that would cater to a more mature crowd, people that wanted to come out and just sit down and enjoy a nice evening of music. So I thought Lord Laro would be the perfect fit."
Keith Swift,
What can people expect?
Lord Laro,
"They can expect some new songs and some songs that tell about the history of that time."
Keith Swift,
Will it a be a concert for the older folks or everybody?
Lord Laro,
"Well I always sing for the young people because I am young and all the people who are my age and younger than me are still, we are still in the same generation as far as the music is concerned."
What the promoters are calling his last concert takes place on Saturday night in the King's Room at the Princess Hotel. You can catch him signing autographs during the day on Saturday at Venus Store on Albert Street.
