On Saturday, buoyed by the stunning exploits of Julien Alfred at the Paris Olympics, I happily accepted Primus “Primo” Hutchinson’s invitation to attend the launch of the book, entitled “Stories of Roseau Valley,” which was held on the premises of Saint Lucia Distillers, in the heart of the Valley.
My attendance was driven by my personal and professional friendship with Primo; my admiration of his exemplary communitarian spirit; and my knee-jerk support for books written by local authors. Moreover, I have had an affinity for the Valley and its residents dating back to my first visit there as a boy, in the company of my father and godfather, Joseph Antoine, who worked at the Distillery. I can point to the exact spot near the entrance to Jacmel, where I was stricken by travel sickness and vomited inside my godfather’s car. Over the course of my various jobs, I made several visits to the Valley, which have provided me with indelible memories.
It is always a laudable thing when the people of a community or country share their history, whether orally or in print, as doing so gives authors and readers alike, a stronger sense of personal and national identity, and a better grasp of the political, cultural and social contexts in which history is created. It is only through exposure to such history that our people, especially our young people, can analyze various facts, and develop critical thinking skills. Against this background, full credit must go to the authors of this seminal book.
Instructively, it was the “Dr. Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC)” that in 2016, planted the seeds for the book, in the fertile minds of members of the Jacmel Jounen Kwéyol Committee. Initially, the goal was to produce a booklet. While that goal was not achieved, there were enough embers in the ashes of that failure to fire the resolve of members of the Research Committee to release a book providing a fuller history of the social, economic, and cultural development of the Valley. It is reasonable to surmise that if the Committee had not failed to produce the booklet, it would not have succeeded in producing the book.
The rich and compelling stories contained in this 185-page book, help to dispel the longstanding, characterization of the people of Roseau, “Jan Wozo”—as recalled by Sir Calixte George in his Foreword, —as being among “the most ignorant, uncivilized, illiterate and backward people of Saint Lucia.” Indeed, the book encourages the conclusion that the people of Roseau did not allow the crippling, decades-long, poverty that engulfed their community, to strip them of their pride, dignity, dreams, and aspirations.
Drawing mainly on accounts by renowned researcher and anthropologist, Robert Devaux (sadly deceased), and community folklorists, the book traces developments in the Valley, from the days of “King Sugar”, when Roseau and surrounding estates became the hub for agriculture-related innovations, with steel mills, and locomotive-driven, harvesting techniques. The book gave me a deeper appreciation of the early militancy of “Jan Wozo” as reflected in tales of violent strikes by estate workers, that helped to secure increased wages and improved working conditions for workers across the country.
Francis Leonce’s contribution to the book establishes Roseau’s influential role in the development of the banana “green gold” industry. The Roseau-based, Research and Development Centre of the Windward Island Banana Growers Association (WINBAN), was engaged in ground-breaking work that benefited farmers as far as Africa. Moreover, Roseau Model Farms would emerge as THE most productive banana farming region in the world, with eye-popping yields of almost 20 tons per acre, which for many years, ranked among the highest yields registered anywhere in the world. The untimely demise of the Centre and Model Farms continues to be a source of great anguish for me.
Roseau also bequeathed to Saint Lucia, the Sir John Compton Dam and Millet Reservoir, which has catalysed the development of the northwestern corridor, through to Cap Estate. The construction of the Dam spawned a sprawling housing development at Belair, which initially comprised households that were moved from the catchment area. As noted by Sir Calixte George in his remarks at the launch, the construction of the Dam deserves to be treated in a follow-up edition of the book.
Roseau is also the site of St. Lucia Distillers which has developed a line of alcoholic beverages that over several decades has lifted the spirits of consumers locally and globally.
In separate chapters written by Stanislaus Albert and Fr. Lambert St. Rose, the book acknowledges the role of the Catholic Church in boosting the spiritual development of the people of the Valley, beginning with the establishment of the “Church of the Holy Family” in 1960. Arguably, this Church has one of the most visually appealing and provocative altars in Christendom, with a striking mural of a black Madonna, painted by Sir Dunstan St. Omer. In Fr. St. Rose’s opinion, this mural represents “a mockery of the atrocities of colonialism…and recalls the formidable truth that the soul, dignity and integrity of the human person is inviolable and imperishable.”
The evolution of the school system in the Valley is recounted by Stanislaus Albert. A noteworthy feature of his story is the long distances (3-6 miles) that children from Roseau had to walk to attend the nearest school in Anse-la Raye, until a school was built by the Catholic Church in 1955.
In a chapter entitled “Reminiscences”, Primus shares some of the real-life stories and experiences of some of the elders in the Valley, including the carnival and casino-like atmosphere on pay-day, when scores of merchants and “ladies of the night” from Castries, descended on the Valley, and the fistfights that ensued. This chapter also gives a graphic description of a gruesome murder in the Valley, and the 1973 banana strike.
I salute the authors of this enlightening book and commend it to those who hunger for a better grasp of the history of Saint Lucia.