On Wednesday June 22nd, 2022 the Cultural Development Foundation will unveil the calendar of activities for this year’s Emancipation Celebration under the theme “Enkindling Our Consciousness” The launch event which will take on a virtual format is scheduled for broadcast at 8.00 p.m. on national television stations NTN and Calabash TV as well as via the Facebook pages for CDF, ECSL, FRC and SLTA where the major partners will speak to their role in the celebrations.
Emancipation celebrations 2022 will signal the beginning of a renewed consciousness amongst us as a people. The observance of emancipation will take on an aura of not just a typical holiday but will span the entire months of July, August and September with the primary objective being to create a heightened sense of awareness through education programmes and activities geared toward evoking a burning desire and appreciation in our heart and mind, of the process that governed our experiences and decision making through the struggles our ancestors endured, to influence who we have become as a people.
The major events for 2022 are:
• Drum and Dance Ritual A community parade and ritualistic spectacle featuring drumming and dance, done at dawn in sequence with the rising of the sun.
• Hero of Emancipation – The unveiling of one Hero of Emancipation with the purpose to iconize our heroes and rediscover our history.
• La Wὸz Festival and Traditional La Wὸz Food Festival
• Soufriere Festival
The Emancipation concept “Enkindling our Consciousness”, celebrating our shared history created by the Cultural Development Foundation will span over a three-year period where each year will build upon the preceding year.
Through the support of the Ministry of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information and in collaboration with the Events Company of Saint Lucia, the emancipation celebration will be one of inclusivity, where partnering agencies will play a pivotal role in driving the concept in every sphere of our society and beyond. These partneringi agencies include: the Monsignor Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre, Ubuntu Rastafari Cultural Centre, ICAR, Archeological and Historical Society, Export Saint Lucia, Dennery North and South Constituency Councils, Soufriere Constituency Council, Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and the National Youth Council and La Wὸz groups island wide. The festival will seek to generate nationwide interest from all sectors on the true meaning of emancipation lodged in forgotten spaces of our memory.
The CDF anticipates that through the collective responsibility of all stakeholders, the celebration will be a resounding success. The festival will run over three months in both virtual and live formats. All the events will focus on and pivot from our past into facets of our arts, culture, politics, landscape, and people. Our history must be told, our victories must be embraced! The lessons learnt must propel us into shaping our future and identity towards nation building. Annou litè! Lawout sé tjé!
The full calendar of events will be available on the websites of CDF and ECSL from June 22nd and can be found on the social media handles of partnering agencies.