Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire has been called upon to advocate on behalf of the Saint Lucia National Archives Authority (SLNAA).
National Archivist Margot Thomas made the call Monday at the SLNAA’s Nobel Laureate Exhibition highlighting cricketer Daren Sammy and high Jumper Levern Spencer.
“A few months (aback) I heard Dr. Hilaire say that we do not have a proper archives. Well Dr. Hilaire, we do not have a purpose-built archives but when it comes to the management of the archives we are way up there, I can tell you that,” Thomas said.
Noting that the buildings were built by the British between 1893 and 1895, Thomas pointed out that “we are not in an ideal location, we are in (a) flight path.”
“You know how many years that is? 130 years (since) these buildings were put up but we take care of our buildings… Dr. Hilaire advocate for the national archives, we need a purpose-built archives to house the nation’s archives,” she said.
Thomas also called out the Ministry of Sports for failing to provide the proper support for the Nobel Laureate event. According to Thomas, the SLNAA had reached out to the Ministry not too long ago, informing staff of the SLNAA’s plans for the Nobel Laureate Festival.
However, she asserted, their efforts were in vain.
“When we decided we were having our exhibition I wrote eight letters inviting people I thought who should be with us: Cricket Association, Athletics Association, Olympics Association… I only got two replies and I must say that is not good. I wrote to all of them, they didn’t get back to me,” she said.
Further, the Ministry of Sports “should be on the ball. I am so disappointed. I told my staff come what may we are going forward. From November we (were) trying to get information, we tried to get people to partner with us. We invited so many schools, they did not come.”
Despite this, however, Thomas said that she is proud of the outcome.
“What the staff did took a lot of effort,” she said.
Unfortunately, St Lucians do not have the culture of preserving their history – which is why the National Archives is there, as it is in every country on this planet Earth. Our leaders never see it fit to reflect on the history of our nation. Sad, so sad, but is a fact., To the SLNAA, congratulations for a job well done – and for calling out those who are failing us as a nation. I sincerely hope they are listening, seeing and learning.