28th
August 2010
What
the fuss is all about
This
weekend, we lay to rest Marie Selipha
Sesenne Descartes, St. Lucia’s “Queen
of Culture”.
There are undoubtedly hundreds, perhaps
even thousands of the younger generation
who are wondering what the fuss is all
about, who are asking the question, “Who
was this woman and why is she so revered
by the older folk?”
The songs she sang were simple, without
the lyrical complexity that those who
came into this world only after the advent
of radio, television and technological
complexity in the arrangements and composition
of musical offerings, powered by megawatts
of power through huge amplified systems,
are accustomed to.
Her renditions reflected the innocence
of a bygone age, when the lilting music
of the Rose and Marguerite flower festivals,
sung in the yellow glow of the flambeaux
on warm nights, were the songs that captured
the essence of the Creole heritage that
was a part of every one of us born in
this fair land of ours.
Like the old bards and minstrels of medieval
times in other countries, she sang the
ballads that reflected the spirit of the
times, whenever an uplifting of the hearts
of her countrymen was needed, instilling
a sense of national pride and an adherence
to our timeless traditions in all who
were privileged to hear her.
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