I recently listened to a radio anouncer playing music done throughout the years, by various performers, and realized that it was a rare treat. And it had me thinking about the contribution of several persons who contributed to our development in one way or another.
History, as we know it, is about documentation of events and identification of contrubitions made by people at various times in that time period.
We need to connect the past to the present because it is important to remember the efforts of persons in the past who paved the way for persons in the present to shine.
There are various periods in several walks of life when people have made significant contributions in shaping our history.
Prior to the 16th Century, little or nothing was known about our island and what we know for sure is that it was the South American Indians who were the first defenders of our lands and they suffered greatly at the hands of the intruding armies, mainly the French and the English, and in so doing, their land (meaning St. Lucia) was plundered, destroyed, many were killed and despite their historic efforts, not one name is documented or remembered as being our first defenders of our land.
There are so many other contributors too numerous to mention, that have played a part in the growth of our nation. Some are barely remembered, and some become a household name only because they rose to international status. I refer to such persons like Derek Wolcot and Sir Athur Lewis, and in modern times Daren Sammy and our sprint queen Julien Alfred.
But in politics, we ought not to forget the inputs of the island’s first Chief Minister George Charles, nor the input of the Bousquet Brothers, Maurice Mason and others.
In agriculture, how can you forget the name ‘Coco’ Charles, who made us contious of the value of our wildlife? Or historians like Gregor Williams, Robert Devaux, or the contribution of editors like Guy Ellis or Victor Marquis.
In music such names like ‘Paul K’ Modeste, ‘Pan’ Andrew, ‘Scrubb’, ‘Shining’ and Roddy Walcott, Rameau Poleon, Charles Cadet or ‘Bam’ Charles and Joyce Augiste must not be forgotten.
In football: George Odlum, ‘Mocking’ Gilbert, ‘Wax’ Bonaire, ‘Chotet’ Edmunds, Arnold Clouden, etc.
In cricket: ‘Bam’ Charles, Martial Francis, Earl Fraites, Mindo Philip and Ignatius Cadet, Sir Frederick Clarke and Dame Pearlette Louisy, or our first tourism guru Mark Beaubrun?
And not forgetting such names in body building like Rick Wayne, Sledge Roberts and the Sidoney Brothers…
I forgot to mention dance persons like Sixtus Charles, Virginia Alexander, Ikel Francis, drummers like Athanasios Laborde, Secra Gibson, Rolan Francois, or Cephas Brandford, not excluding myself.
I mention all these names from memory to make the point that several persons of the past, some living and some dead, all have played their part and should be immortalized in our history books and such information documented and remain etched in our history books and made available to those who care to go down Memory Lane.
The present crop of electronic wizards should take the information of these past icons and modernize their input and make it relevant, as a contribution to their efforts throughout the years.
I do appreciate the efforts of persons in the present, but they must also give praise and thanks for the efforts of previous pioneers. Modernizing is good and upgrading is welcome, but not all of the past was without merit.
Take, for instance, the old West Indies cricket team: no present-day cricketers can match the talent or soul of the crop of cricketers of the earlier era. But without the effort of the first liberators that denounced slavery, our today would not be what it is.
Today, we talk tourism and forget the efforts of people like Chef Harry, the Barnards, or the St. Helens, all who made major contributions to our tourism product.
We have a lot of unsung heroes, a lot of forgotten souls, and a lot of forgotten contributors. The efforts of living persons like Emerson Nurse and Luther Francois, Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, George ‘Fish’ Alphonse, Kendel Hippolyte, Robert Lee, Mc Donald Dixon (all writers and contributors to the art form), including Miss (Euralis) Bouty; and when it came to carnival, in radio who can forget such voices as Margaret Robert-Steele, Babara Jacobs, Valerie Albert, Dave Samuels, Winston springer, Vaughan Noes – and in writing in the papers, persons like Earl Bousquet, or Rick Wayne, who wore many hats?
The writings of brother George, carvers like Joseph Eudovic — as I said, too-many, too-numerous to mention.
We must not let the efforts of so many people die and their efforts should always be remembered. We ought never to forget their names. They have to be remembered, at all costs, for their efforts.
We must realize that our past connects to our present and it’s time to exalt the deserving.