The 46 deputies present voted unanimously in favor of the proposal of the Fraction of the Frente Amplio (FA) to pay this honor to Ferguson, 104 years old, born on May 7, 1919 in Guabito, Panama, who lived in Cahuita, in the Caribbean province Limón since he was very young.
The decision to give him honorary citizenship and not Benemérito de la Patria corresponds to the fact that Mr. Gavitt, as the King of Costa Rica Calipso is known, is alive and the second recognition is only for deceased persons.
Author of around 150 calypso’s, the most famous of which are One Pant Man, Callalloo, Black Man Food, Cabin in the Water, Cahuita is a Beautiful Place and GOOD, Ferguson has previously been honored and declared National Calypso Day on May 7th his birth.
FA MP Ariel Robles confirmed that this Legislative Assembly honor settles a historic debt the country owes to this renowned musician.
Ferguson is, will, and always will be in Costa Rican history, no matter where he was born, and he’s already an honorary citizen for all of Costa Rica, Robles said, recalling his centenary in 2019, 23 musicians and artists from 16 Latin American countries, the United States, Ireland and Africa recorded an album of some of his works.
This production is titled 100 Years of Calypso Walter Ferguson, an album directed by Costa Rican musician and researcher Manuel Monestel.
“This album is unprecedented in the history of national music, as no other composer of Costa Rican popular music has been recognized, appreciated and performed by so many renowned musicians worldwide,” Robles said.
For his part, leader of the Progressive Liberal Party parliamentary group, Eli Feinzaig, stated that Ferguson’s legacy is “one of Costa Rica’s greatest cultural treasures and I am extremely honored to be here to vote for its recognition”.
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