Singing Windrush: Calypso in Britain (Episode 1)


‘London is the place for me, London this lovely city'. So sang Trinidadian calypso singer Aldwyn 'Lord Kitchener' Roberts as he disembarked at Tilbury Docks in June 1948 from the now iconic MV Empire Windrush. Shown to millions on that evening’s news, Kitchener’s words convey the optimism and excitement of embarking on a new life. Kitchener’s song exemplifies how, for many Windrush-era migrants, a cultural form native to their old lives in Trinidad offered a prism through which to narrate and make sense of their new lives in London. To coincide with the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush our three-part podcast follows in the footsteps of famous calypsonian Lord Kitchener, using his life as a way to consider calypso culture and the experience in Britain of Windrush migrants more broadly.

Narrated by Michael Curtis Ruiz

Featuring Tobago Crusoe, John Cowley, Josh Guild, Kennetta Hammond Perry, Felix Luis Ruiz, Sharon Watson 

Produced by Gwendolen von Einsiedel, Jake Thorold and Michael Joseph

The first in a series of podcasts on Singing Windrush: Calypso in Britain.