By Francis Quamina Farrier
IT is September and Guyana is now observing Indigenous Heritage Month. So we feature Neville Calistro, aka ‘The Mighty Chief’, who is a native of the indigenous village of Kabakaburi on the upper Pomeroon River in Region Two. Calistro, who is a musical celebrity, is well-known as a Guyanese entertainer who is of the indigenous Arawak Nation. He is endearingly referred to as “The Cali Mari Man” by some who know him well. The Mighty Chief has a heritage which can be traced back to a people who are known as Spanish Arawaks. They fled from the Bolivarian war of 1898 in neighbouring Venezuela and sought refuge in the upper reaches of the Pomeroon river in British Guiana (Guyana).

Neville Calistro is the first of his people to sing calypso professionally. His choice of the genre was in no way a misstep, as he is now considered among the best in the business. Further, Calistro composes his calypsos and has presented hits such as ‘Dulari’, ‘Sweet Rosita’ and ‘Gie She Captain’, among other crowd favourites. With his performing abilities and drive, Calistro was included in the official Guyana Carifesta contingent to Cuba in 1979. His performances at the 5,500-capacity Karl Marks theatre in Havana were the opportunity for him to shine at his brightest; and shine he did, especially on one occasion when the Cuban leader, President Fidel Castro, was in attendance.

However, Neville Calistro has also proven himself to be a competent and talented actor. That was detected during his singing presentations. When they play ‘Journey to Freedom’ which was to be staged for Guyana’s Independence celebrations, Calistro was invited to audition for the role of an indigenous character. He impressed the director and was cast in the production of the play. His performances were very convincing, both were conducted at the Theatre Guild Playhouse in Georgetown, where the play was first staged and later at the National Cultural Centre. Audiences, as well as critics, were equally impressed with his acting ability.

Sometimes strange and unique things occur that generally go unnoticed. Every government ministry in Guyana is housed in a building which was previously used for another purpose – except the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. That building was constructed expressly to house that ministry and was never used for any other purpose.

As a journalist working in television and with interest in that area of Guyana’s history, I did regular news reports on the construction progress of that building. It commenced with the ceremony on the corner stone laying, with President Janet Jagan officiating. Neville Calistro and his Cari Mari Band comprised primarily with his sons, provided the musical entertainment at that event. One of their renditions was “Gie Me A Suck Ah Yoh Julie Mango.” As I listened to the performance of that song by the Cari Mari Band, I reflected on a mango tree which used to be exactly on the spot where the group was performing. The spirit of that mango tree was probably very happy.

As mentioned, I regularly visited that building as its construction progressed, sometimes ascending from the ground floor to the upper floor by climbing a ladder.
After completing the building, there is now a wide staircase where all visitors, myself and The Mighty Chief, use to get to the upper floor. Over the decades, Neville Calistro, The Mighty Chief, has ascended many simple and esteemed staircases to the upper floor of, becoming a celebrity Guyanese entertainer and someone who all Guyanese can be proud of.