The People Who Came 

By Stan Bishop

Saint Lucia’s East Indian community has undoubtedly made a sterling contribution to our nation’s development. At times it seems that the recognition they deserve is not forthcoming. Their endless struggles, especially in the agricultural sectors over the past century and a half, need not go unnoticed. But just how did the East Indian experience begin in Saint Lucia?

According to an account published by Richard B. Cheddie and James Rambally, 318 East Indian indentured labourers arrived in Castries, Saint Lucia aboard the ship, “Palmyra”, on May 6, 1859. There were 240 male adults, 58 female adults, 2 male minors, 11 female minors, and 5 children (2 unaccounted for).

The “Palmyra” was the first of thirteen ships that brought 4,354 Indians to Saint Lucia. These Indian labourers were assigned to over 23 different estates and domiciles across the island to work in the sugarcane industry that was Saint Lucia’s principal economic crop at the time. They all received wages according to the type of and number of tasks they performed and were also afforded certain basic human rights.

At the end of their initial contracts, some re-indentured while others did not. During the latter years of indentureship, free Indians could accept a parcel of land if they chose to remain in the colony, or apply for free passage back to India. It was these factors that set them apart from being slaves, although the work and the punishments were no less harsh. By the time indentureship ended in Saint Lucia, 2,560 Indians had returned to India, while the remainder of them stayed behind to help build their homes.

The twelve other ships that brought East Indians to Saint Lucia were: “Francis Ridley” (1859), “Victor Emmanuel” (1860), “Zemindar” (1860), “Ulysses” (1862), “Leonidas” (1878), “Chetah” (1879), “Foyle” (1880), “Bann” (1881), “Bracadaile” (1884), “Poonah” (1885), “SS Roumania” (1891), and “Volga” (1893).

Today, the East Indian population in Saint Lucia is estimated to be between 8% and 10%, many of whom include people of mixed races. According to attorney Clarence Rambally, the new movement in no way attempts to create division among the various ethnic groups in Saint Lucia. Instead, he says, it aims to focus on how East Indians have been able to integrate themselves into Saint Lucian society to the extent that racial discrimination is almost non-existent.

“This is a Saint Lucian thing, not just an Indian thing,” Rambally said. “Nevertheless, we’re noticing that the East Indian values are sort of dying out. For example, our foods, our dances and the things we do that are different and unique to us are dying out. This whole idea is to make the point that when our history is read down the line, we want to be seen as a people who embraced their culture while at the same time embraced the other values and peoples that reflect our national identity.”

Watch Yuh Bread

                                           watch yuh bread —

                                                a short story by stan bishop

portia could sway hips. ask anyone in the community what portia did best and they would tell you that even the wind couldn’t sway trees as rhythmic as portia swayed her hips.

to be honest, portia swayed her hips too damn well for her own damn good. especially when she wore those short cutoff shorts with revealing halter tops that left nothing to the men’s dirty imaginations. many of the women felt strongly that portia dressed intentionally sexy just so she could sway their men’s attention away from them. portia’s defence was the same when faced with such accusations: “it eh have noffing on me that diff’rent from what y’all have. jus’ sayin’.”

still no woman took for granted that what portia had was quite a revelation. she was about five feet seven inches of prime shabine real estate. the justifiably insecure babonneau women knew it and even the best writers couldn’t adequately describe what portia had. simply put, portia had all the right goods in all the right places.  

the women knew portia had what they lacked, which included the audacity to flaunt in the men’s faces the sinful things men have no problems having weaknesses for. and they hated her. the women, that is. especially sonia who just couldn’t wait for the day to come when she could just snatch portia’s s&s braids from her head and beat the living daylights out of her with them.

portia also had the quenchable fountain of youth on her side and was also strikingly beautiful. her twentysomething years of magnetic pulse and smooth thickness pitted her in a class by herself compared to mathaline and sonia, both of whom were approaching their fifties and losing their magic touch.    

“awa, eh, dat skettel portia really fink she too so,” sonia blurted out to mathaline near the babonneau bus stand in downtown castries a few fridays ago.

“girl, i hear you, oui,” replied mathaline, clearly in agreement. “i watchin’ that tramp closer than butter on bread. she eh go box bread out of me and my children moufs. over my dead body.”

truth be told, sonia and mathaline were not always the best of friends. in fact, mathaline didn’t take it too kindly some years ago when she found out that her best friend sonia was sleeping around with her common law husband gustave. to this day, sonia continues to deny the salacious charges leveled against her. even after gustave was rumoured to have bragged to fellow bus drivers in a bar at paix bouche after a few piton beers that he did went in unto sonia a couple of times. even after sonia’s second son, sean, bears a spitting resemblance of gustave, too.

but mathaline was unlike most looshan women: she was the forgive-and-forget, that’s-water-under-the-bridge type. she was ready to give sonia the benefit of the doubt. whatever did or did not transpire between gustave and sonia seven years ago seemed not as threatening to her and gustave’s smooth relationship as portia’s presence in babonneau. presently, any ally in the fight to secure her man against the evil temptations of that jamette portia was worth it.

“ever since dat girl come from soufriere, people in babonneau just losing their man just so,” sonia said, choopsing loud and long enough for the customers in dilly’s supermarket about fifty yards away to hear. “well if is heat she t’ink she have, she go get wha’ she lookin’ for.”

without drawing on any flashback to her sad case seven years earlier, mathaline was quick to agree with sonia.

“dem is de kinda women dat does give we women a bad name,” mathaline responded somewhat professorially. “I eh know why some women cyah keep dem damn legs closed. I waitin’ for that bitch to tell gustave as much as a ‘good mornin’. what she get she go take. trust me.”

the edgy conversation between sonia and mathaline continued when they boarded the bus to babonneau. by the time the bus got to choc gap near the cinema, every passenger and the driver had gotten more than an earful relating to the fiery shabine from soufriere who had moved to babonneau to become a homewrecker. and while most of the women appeared to pay no mind to the juicy banter between the two, there was absolutely no doubt about the fact that what they were saying was being taken in by the other women on the bus. women are women and can sense a threat from other women.

portia may have been a sign of trouble but she was certainly no fool. she may have been an outsider to many in babonneau but she did have sources. which explains why everything that was said on that minibus finally got to portia’s ears.

about a week after sonia and mathaline broadcast all of portia’s dirty business on that babonneau minibus, it was portia’s turn to talk. upon hearing the news that sonia and mathaline were malpalaying her on the minibus, portia decided that the time was ripe for her to wash her tongue on the two women. she had long suspected that they didn’t take it too kindly to her taking up residence in babonneau. saint lucia is too small for secrets and she was just waiting for the right moment to give sonia and mathaline a piece of their business.

it was about ten in the morning that saturday when portia decided on revenge. she got up from her lonely bed in the one room shack just behind the roman catholic church she called home. she took a quick shower, suited up in a tight piece of jeans shorts and white tube top and slapped on her pair of pink old navy slippers. then she slammed her door shut and set out to open up a few chapters on sonia and mathaline.

mathaline and sonia lived not too far from the secondary school at babonneau. their homes were adjacent to each other and close to the road. it took portia less than five minutes to get there to call them out.

“yes, i hear my name spreadin’ all over de place,” portia introduced her presence in a loud voice near the speed bump. “all who t’ink i screwin’ their man, come and take me on now!”

with these words, portia struck a sexy yet threatening pose with her short thick legs apart and her arms folded across her voluptuous chest. her loud voice drew the attention of the other people living in the houses close to sonia and mathaline. who didn’t bother to come out of their houses and stand on their doorsteps settled for a peep through their windows. soaps was about to go down and no one wanted to miss the bubbles.

for the twenty or so minutes portia stood there and washed her tongue on sonia and mathaline, every minute of it was entertaining. she made it known to whoever had ears to hear that who she decided to open her legs for was her business. who vex lose. further, those gossipers spreading her name around the place needed to focus on how to keep their men happy at home and not worry about her.

in a nutshell, portia never denied or confessed to any man visiting her humble abode behind the r.c. church for comfort. that part of the story, she said as she was walking away, would come sooner or later.

although portia had called out sonia and mathaline by name, neither woman was brave enough to show their face or take portia on. they listened to every word portia had to say but remained stuck within the confines of their homes where christianity could protect them. even after hearing the neighbours jeer and laugh about their business as being told by portia, sonia and mathaline had to exercise patience.    
    

apparently, sooner or later happened to be the next day. that sunday morning, the r.c. church was almost packed with hundreds of faithful servants who had probably broken a couple of the ten commandments the previous week. adults and noisy children were being led in prayer by father joseph who was in the middle of the lord’s prayer.

“…give us this day our daily bread ----.”

at that very moment, a loud noise interrupted the sea of bowed heads that turned around and glanced toward the back door of the church.

“hypocrites. all of y’all are bloody hypocrites!” portia had arrived.

portia’s presence at sunday mass was an anomaly. never before had she attended the church despite the fact that she lived right next to it! but this sunday seemed too important to let up. there was, however, some sense of apprehension among the humble flock as to her manner of entry, though.   

unlike her usual tantalizing attire she wore that virtually revealed her titillating voluptuousness, portia was now decked out in a formal black and white two-piece dress. it was one of those dresses that made the coquettish mannequins in the hobie show windows look lady-like. her hair was freshly-done and the s&s braids gave way to the new natural tie-in-one-bun style she was now rocking. her pair of white pumps were a far departure from the regular open-toe sandals and old navy slippers that exposed her lollipop toes.

about a minute or so after interrupting the people’s service, portia sat her prized derriere in the front pew where no one else was sitting and put her bible in her lap.

“carry on, father jo. carry on,” she told the priest, who was by now sweating under his collar like an accused awaiting sentencing.

“and forgive us our trespasses ----"

“preach it, father jo,” portia shouted out. “is not me that does tell their man to trespass by my home.” 

and she let out one of those irritating and inciting laughs that would force anyone to want to fight even though they were in the lord’s house at the time.

nervously, father jo continued: “as we forgive those that trespass against us----"

“amen to that,” portia shouted out. “amen to that. they too hypocrite. coming to church playing all holy and their sins blacker than charcoal. woooy. well look it.” 

at that point, father joseph had no choice but to remind sister portia that she was interrupting the morning service.

“sorry, father jo. but some people just too hypocrite,” portia said contritely and leaned back on her pew.

“and lead us not into temptation----"

that was it. portia could not resist the urge to let it all out. she sprang to her feet, put her bible down on the pew and went over to the pew where best friends sonia and mathaline sat with their children.

“lemme tell y’all somefing. eh mess wif me, eh. eh mess wif me. y’all t’ink y’all know my business, eh. well is me that know y’all dirty business,” portia said, standing in front of the two women, wagging her right index finger in their nervous faces.

she was not done yet: “as for you, sonia. when it come to skettels, you take de cake. gustave tell me about all de chil’ren you fro’ for him. and you, mathaline, i know all about your jamette days when you used to sleep with them tourists in rodney bay. gustave tell me everyfing.”

both sonia and mathaline remained quiet, seemingly puzzled by the information that was just made public and will definitely be spread as soon as mass ended. the priest left the altar and walked about six paces towards portia, apparently in an effort to reason with her. turns out that was a wrong move made on his part.

“and father jo,” she shouted out as she turned around and looked him squarely in the eyes. “do you care to let the congregation know what my bed looks like and where the church money going to and who that paying my bills?”

portia went on to name names: she had slept with bus drivers, civil servants, drug dealers, a member of parliament, shopkeepers and members of the clergy, to name a few.  even a few women’s names were mentioned in the mix. and she would do it all again, she proudly told the mesmerized gathering.

in short order, mass ended prematurely that sunday morning. about two weeks later, father jo was reassigned to a church in barataria, trinidad. the local archbishop finally had proof that one of his men of the cloth was scandalous and had naked desires. a few other relationships were affected, too. mathaline and sonia’s friendship ended that day in church. some bus drivers resorted to sleeping in their buses at nights or crawling back into portia’s ever-welcoming bed.

all in all, portia turned out to be the outsider the babonneau women learned to never mess with and the babonneau men would risk everything to mess around with. she had just what it takes to sway men’s attention away from their women and toward her. and she swayed it quite well, too. and she probably still does.

                         

TJ’s All About Love Passion Music
Story and photos by Stan Bishop

When Teddyson John announced his decision to forego competing in this year’s Groovy and Party Monarch, the soca-loving fans he’s brought the good vibes to over the years breathed a sigh of disbelief. Not that TJ’s absence signaled any hint of retirement – far from it. But what fans lament is the fact that with TJ not competing this year takes away a certain vibe from the season.

To be fair, though, TJ had good reason for taking a break from the competitive side of things. In fact, the groove-master who won the first-ever Groovy Monarch title back in 2007 for “Coming Down De Road” has been busy putting music together for his new album, “Love Passion Music”. The album, TJ’s first, features seven tracks: “Land of Wine”, “Wine Up On Me”, “Out and Bad”, “Take Over”, “Sweet Soca Music”, “Oh Gyal”, and “Spread Love”. Six of the tracks are groovy soca, while “Spread Love” is a party soca song.

Despite adding another Groovy Monarch title to his trophy case last year with “Land of Wine”, TJ explained that it was time for him to take a break from it all and do something different. What he did has since turned out to be a promise for an annual event of its nature: a Love Passion Music concert.

I met up with TJ while he signed CDs at his July 4 concert at the Gaiety on Rodney Bay. Moments before the show began, TJ seemed overwhelmed at the love and passion the fans had shown for his music. He was also overwhelmed for another important reason.

“For me, this is a dream come true because I finally have a product,” TJ said, beaming with pride. “I finally have a product that I can put out there to show the true representation of myself: where I’m from and what I represent.”

TJ said the idea for the concert came about at a meeting his unit held recently to determine his preparation for the Carnival season. He explained that the thrust was to not limit his music to the national and competitive levels but, instead, take the music further, take it international.

The Love Passion Music concert featured Saint Lucian acts such as Toya, Mysterio, Superman HD, Ricky T, Alpha and Arthur. Also on the card that evening: Antiguan Tia Winter, and Barbadian Edwin Yearwood. TJ explained that the all-groovy music concert was a long time coming.

“I wanted to do what I know best, which is a groovy event where we can all come out and have a really great time,” he said. “And judging from the response of the fans, the Love Passion Music concert is going to be a staple on the Saint Lucia Carnival calendar. So it’s the start of something new. It’s the start of a movement. We’re talking about outreach programmes to the schools and so much more.”

According to the soca star, the Love Passion Music vibe will also be taken to New York, Miami and the other cities where TJ continues to blaze it up and have people getting on out and bad. And with the forcefulness in his voice, there seems to be no doubt that TJ is about to revolutionize in a big way the manner in which sweet soca music from Saint Lucia is treated overseas.

“I just don’t want people to look at us as if the kind of music that comes from here is not up to standard with what is international. I want to change people’s minds. So for me that’s what this movement is about. This is not just music -- it’s a movement,” TJ said.

And that movement was definitely evident last July 4 when Love Passion Music premiered to a packed Gaiety audience that seemed insatiable for the groove-master TJ himself and the other artistes who took to the stage. The love was there. So, too, was the passion. And the artistes sure did bring the sweet groovy music to the people.

The CD – “Love Passion Music” – is now available at Anthony’s Jewellery on Bridge Street and Baywalk Mall for $40. Get your copy today!

Flawless: Still Chasing Destiny
By Stan Bishop

   
                      Flawless keeps her music flawless. (Photo credit: Flawless William) 

At twenty, Shernice William thinks she has something lyrically beautiful to offer those who would lend her an ear -- metaphorically, of course. And despite acknowledging that the long path to her realizing her dreams has just begun, she is adamant about getting things done the right way. In fact, when it comes to her music, she says she is meticulous in ensuring that it all comes out one way – flawless.

“I started singing around age six and after graduating from Vide Boutielle Secondary School at fifteen, I began writing my own songs,” twenty-year-old Flawless said shyly in a recent interview. “I write, sing and kind of produce my songs in my home studio.”

The Bois Den resident’s music is receiving countless positive feedback from Facebook fans who just cannot comprehend that the self-described introvert packs such a potent musical punch. One of her songs, “Hold Yuh (One Man Mi Seh),” which samples Gyptian’s hit “Hold Yuh,” has sent Facebook residents crazy with bewilderment. Comments on the song include: “This is a song that should be on a CD for worldwide consumption,” and “Imagine it’s Heineken Green Synergy and da DJ just spins that track by Flawless! Whoa! Deh eh have enough security to control dat crowd!”

But flawless as she and her fans think she is, she admits that she is not resigned to letting all the overnight fame ruin her ultimate dream. She sees realizing that ultimate dream of being the next dancehall/hip-hop artiste as a one-song-at-a-time approach. And the songs are already being churned out by the teenager who is yet to hit any stage to perform to a crowd due to stage fright. For now, she says, hitting the karaoke joint in her ‘hood suffices.

So far, twelve songs have been recorded by her, including “Make Me Sweat,” “9 – 10,” “Baby I Know,” “I Wanna Give U,” “Forever In Love,” “All Alone,” and “Never Got The Chance To Say.”

Flawless readily admits that sooner or later, she will have to step up to the stage where the stage becomes her platform. For now, though, she says she is meticulously refining her craft to bring it to just where she wants it – flawlessly sound.

Flawless credits her brother Lincoln, as well as artistes Esteban, Mac 11, Private Six, Mustaphar, Nigel Nicholas, and Patrice Regis for all the assistance the render in making her dreams come true.

Her songs/videos can be found on Facebook by logging on to her page at Flawless William.

What’s The Scoop?
By Stan Bishop

There's certainly a lot more than just quality and wholesome ingredients that can be found in a Ferrands Food product. Aside from the smooth taste and rich flavours of the ice cream and other novelty products, there seems to be something that keeps us yearning and screaming (sometimes literally!) for some Ferrands ice cream. That something is called soul.

I recently got the first inside scoop on what keeps people coming back for scoop after delicious scoop of Ferrands ice cream. But before we tease your taste buds too much, we thought it best to fill you in on just what you’re dipping your spoon into when you remove the lid from a tub of Ferrands ice cream.

Managing director, Charles Devaux, said it all began in the late 1940s with his father, Dennis, supplying milk produced by cows he reared in the Ferrands area near Cul De Sac. (Hence the name Ferrands). Due to the growing demand for milk in the 1960s, Charles said his father built a milk plant in Castries. A few years later, he shifted course a bit and began making ice cream which he sold to pushcart vendors. Charles joined the company around 1970 and began producing other qualities of ice cream.

After a while, restaurants and hotels were added to the list of Ferrands’ growing clientele. From that point on, there was no way but up. Although the Ferrands brand competed with a few local ice cream producers at the time, Ferrands quickly left them cold in their tracks. As demand for the company’s products grew, more flavours were added to the company’s portfolio. Soon the initial vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavours had additional cold company. Today the company boasts a wide array of flavours of ice cream, yoghurt, choc ice and sorbet that everyone craves for.

Presently, the company’s products are limited to the local market but the company is churning out plans to position its products on the regional market as well. Because of the sensitive nature of dairy products, Devaux said the necessary precautions also needed to be put in place to ensure that the product’s quality is not compromised. Even on the production floor, quality is priority number one when it comes to producing a Ferrands product.

No changes have been made to the secret formula that has been used for decades to produce the ice cream that we so love to scream for. No shortcuts, no compromise. Also, the company uses vegetable fat instead of butter fat in their recipes. Ferrands also uses skimmed milk instead of whole milk. And get this – no preservatives! Ferrands products also have a shelf life of six months.

There are plans for expanding the company’s infrastructure, particularly as it works towards gaining its HACCP certification. The company’s staff base currently stands at just over fifty and that number is expected to increase as the company’s size increases. New products are also in the pipeline and Ferrands is working assiduously to create a better packaging for its products. It’s no surprise why Ferrands was able to snag the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Saint Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association (SLISBA) Awards held last March.

Devaux said pricing of Ferrands products are kept at a minimum even as the costs of raw materials and other factors of production increase. Nevertheless, he believes that Saint Lucians need to recognize the significance of purchasing quality local products.

“There are many Saint Lucian companies today producing top quality products. However, there’s a tendency for consumers to want to buy foreign products. What we need to recognize is that the more we buy that’s local is the more positive spin-offs that has for our local economy,” Devaux tells me.

The company also plays a crucial role in the community by taking its social responsibility to heart. Ferrands supports a number of schools and other organizations in various ways. A more aggressive marketing campaign aimed at doing just that is also on the way. Nevertheless, its presence can be felt.

So if you’ve had the chance to watch Ferrands’ nostalgic (and witty) television advertisements or listened to the radio advertisements over the years, you would by now know that Ferrands is deeply entrenched in the national psyche when it comes to cool taste. So ensure that the next scoop of ice cream or the next choc ice you bite into says Ferrands. It’s a Ferrands products and it’s stood the test of time.

And that’s the scoop.

Raskassa’s Heart of Arts
By Stan Bishop

Raskassa's slight grin unmasks his serious passion for his craft. (Photo by Stan Bishop)

Raskassa is one eccentric brother. Not crazy – just eccentric. And so, too, are his works of art. All of his creative pieces have a story behind them, too. But all of these pieces piece together a story of determination, passion, resilience and being true to one’s self. Raskassa is himself a brilliant work of art that becomes even better with time.

Born Arthur Samuel Richardson, the Vieux Fort native’s father seems to have left an indelible impression on the man who now eats, sleeps and breathes arts and craft (and a little poetry mixed in for good measure). Raskassa says his father was a mason by trade but dabbled in arts and craft as well. His father, he says, taught him as a boy how to make cups from bamboo and coconut shells which he (the father) would sell to people within the community to complement his income.

After leaving home, Arthur decided to draw on the experience his father had taught him and make a living off it as well. In 1974, he erected a shop on John Compton Highway to create his works of art “but that was later demolished by de System”. From there he moved to Anse La Raye, then to Soufriere before journeying on to Vieux Fort. Those moves, too, were motivated by the System demolishing his craft shops, he recalls.

Feeling victimized and frustrated, Raskassa says he left Saint Lucia for quite some time to clear his thoughts. He ended up traversing through Central and South America, visiting most of the countries there and meeting a few of their presidents along the way. While there, he says, the people showed much appreciation for his talents and he, too, learned quite a lot from them, especially their cultures.

Upon returning to Saint Lucia seven years ago, Raskassa set up shop along the Vide Boutielle Highway near the La Clery roundabout. Sandwiched between Avis Rent A Car and Harbour Light Inn, Raskassa’s movement that began four decades ago seems to have finally beaten the System. In the seven years that he has settled there, Raskassa’s Art Gallery has quickly blossomed into not only a creative masterpiece but a symbol of resilience.

But just when one would have thought that Raskassa’s eye-catching creations would realize even bigger harvests, the deeply spiritual rootsman is setting out on yet another journey. It turns out that had this interview with him been delayed any longer, the opportunity to reveal the man behind the great works of art along the Vide Boutielle Highway would have been missed.

“It’s about to come to an end soon because I’ll be leaving here,” he tells me, looking up at the walls of chiseled wooden pieces and paintings on pieces of leather. “I’m going to Africa on a tour. So it’s a closing era, so I am in tune with the time setting. But before I leave, I will be having a major two-week exhibition beginning in mid-July. Hopefully, it would be held in Derek Walcott Square.”

Prices for his pieces, he says, vary. But he gives the assurance that customers will walk away with something beautiful for as low as a couple of dollars. He is also willing to offer discounts to customers.

Raskassa sits on his throne of arts. (Photo by Stan Bishop)

Raskassa specializes in creating decorative ornaments, paintings, sculptures, and other craft items which his children then sell to visitors at Pointe Seraphine. But quite apart from making a living off the best trade he has ever known, Raskassa says his is a business that is beyond mere dollars and cents. It’s a movement, he tells me emphatically.

“As you know, culture is the fundamental presentation of genuine human values. So if you have true culture, then there’s no problem. You must survive. We need to focus on developing the creative work and go forward with it. I live by my works and I’m very happy and satisfied because self-reliance is the master key to any form of development. You have to be self-reliant and you have to be productive,” Raskassa explains.

Many moons ago, young Arthur’s father gave him the spiritual name “Raskassa”. Translated, “Ras” means “king”, and “kassa” means “throne”. How prophetic the name has proven to be! Today, despite all the journeys and fight-downs, Raskassa says he truly feels like a king sitting on a throne. He says he feels and sees a sense of peace and harmony in the pieces he creates that sooner or later – like him – will themselves embark on their own journeys after being sold.

For more information about Raskassa’s Art Gallery, contact him at 384 7902 or 716 3639. Customers can also check him out at his art gallery to make purchases and/or hear him recite his poems.

Amy’s Carnival Dream Comes True
By Stan Bishop

Feels great to have dreams come true, doesn’t it? 

Amy Stephen is more than just a talented young woman. She’s extraordinary. The humble nineteen-year-old from the fishing village of Anse La Raye on the island’s picturesque west coast has proven that it’s not where you begin but choosing the right road to get to you the end.

If you missed this year’s Carnival Queen Pageant, then I have news for you – blame (and slap) yourself. You missed out BIG time! Amy won four of the seven major awards up for grabs at last week’s National Carnival Queen Pageant! Along the way, she made it tough going for the other six contestants in the competition. In the end, though, the child prodigy became queen.

Preparing for a competition of that magnitude was certainly no biggie for Amy. By the time she had graduated secondary school two years ago, Amy had already performed in a handfuls of plays, and also has an impressive repertoire of chorale singing and dance to her credit. But it was the Carnival Queen Pageant that seems to have catapulted Amy to national fame.

Amy was sponsored by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board which means that apart from her queenly duties that come with the title of Carnival Queen, the Tourist Board will deliver on its promise to make Amy their cultural ambassador for the island. This could not have happened at a better time as Saint Lucia is currently in the run to become the eighth wonder of the world!

Winning the pageant, Amy says, has always been one of her dreams. Now she’s finally done it. Like Amy, we think that there’s that Carnival dream within you just waiting to explode into reality. So join the fun and revelry in this year’s Saint Lucia Carnival and make that dream a reality.

Nothing Sweeter Than That
By Stan Bishop

Nothing comes close to Saint Lucia Carnival. Care to come and take a peek? (Photo by Stan Bishop)

Carnival is here again. Not that it ever leaves Saint Lucia after the climactic two-day street parade of the Carnival bands in mid-July every year. It just comes back with an even BIGGER and better bang! And, as the official Carnival tagline proclaims, “Nothing Sweeter Than That”.

And that’s the reveling truth.

This year, revelers get to choose to jump and whine (and do whatever else is legal!) yet again in the Caribbean’s ultimate party. Whether you’re joining Red Unlimited Carnival Band or TOXIK Nation Carnival Band, there’s one simple guarantee – it’s money and time well spent. And the music, too, is out of this world. From the calypsos right down to the groovy and party soca tunes, this year’s Carnival soundtrack provides just the right melodies to put that rhythm back into your feet (thank God!).

The Carnival costumes this year are so jaw-droppingly gorgeous that they make you want to slap your Mama. (We advise that you don’t, by the way). Feathers, fabric, crepe paper, foil, sequins and other colourful ingredients of pageantry have gone all out this year to express themselves in a more dynamic way.

Come for the fun and leave with the memories. (Photo by Stan Bishop)

So if you’re thinking about jumping and waving and doing a bit of misbehaving this summer, book your place in a Carnival band for this year’s Saint Lucia Carnival season. The season began on May 20 but ends with the two-day street parade of the Carnival bands from July 15 to 16.
For more information on how Saint Lucia Carnival can change the way you experience summer, go to the official web site of Saint Lucia Carnival, www.luciancarnival.com.
Oh, by the way, be sure to bring your national flags, rags and whatever else to the party, as we intend to make this Carnival another melting pot of cultures.