ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Janaya Clark yesterday copped the 2026 South Junior Calypso Monarch title, even as San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris explained that the lack of Government funding for this year’s San Fernando Carnival affected the competition.

With performances that could rival any calypsonian at today’s Calypso Fiesta, the seven participants between the ages of nine and 18 years old captivated the audience at San Fernando City Hall Auditorium yesterday.

With her piece, “Role Model”, Clarke, who stands at just about four feet tall, commanded the stage as she called for role models for the nation’s youths. Clark, of Modern Minds Anglican School in Princes Town, placed third in the junior category of last year’s competition.