Letters & Opinion

Let us learn the lessons

Image of Kensley Peter Charlemange
Independent Eye by Kensley Peter Charlemange

ON Tuesday night, I heard the sound of the drums calling coming from a certain primary school — traditional ‘tanbou’ and sounding good.

The hope was that the young versatile drummer that I am looking for, I would find there, but I was disappointed. The group has been around for a while and the players are well seasoned. But where were the young people to take up and evolve the tradition?

There are lots of traditions and professions that are under threat of extinction in Saint Lucia. But at the top of the list, I think, is our clay-making traditions.

I come from a family of potters and I can tell you no one is taking up the craft. After my aunts pass away, that’s it for pottery in Choiseul.

Who is cutting grass for the making of baskets anymore? There are some raw materials that are sourced way in the forest but, who is going to take on or have that hassle? Who wants to make straw chairs anymore?

After the brothers in Mongouge give up the trade, then what? Who is making any canoes anymore? Have we documented the process? Our Fisher folks are grown-up or elderly people and it does not look any better when we look at our farmers.

Our people will always need to eat and so we need fresh blood in both of these fields.

Last Sunday, we lost an important historical archive in the Folk Research Centre. Radio Saint Lucia and the National Archives and the Central Library are other institutions which — we must pray — do not suffer the same fate.

The Harold Simmons Academy’s work must continue. Our traditional dances and music must be taught to our children. They must know what is the ‘konte’ and the ‘la conmèt’, even if I do not know them myself.

Are our elder violinists passing on their skills and tricks to the younger generations?

Do we know our traditional medicines? Can we tell our folk-tales to our children? Do we even know them, or have we lost our skill for storytelling? There are definitely some things better than television and iPads – but do they yet realize this?

If there was one thing I lamented, it was that the FRC was too out-of-reach in terms of location. I knew of many people who would not attend events there because of the bushy track that they had to traverse to get there.

So, hopefully it will be a new start for the Folk Research Centre and the unfortunate demise may be a blessing in disguise.

I heard Monsignor Anthony lamenting that their call for the digitization of their catalogue fell on deaf ears. He seemed most agitated, so there are definitely lessons to be learnt. Hopefully we will learn them this time around.

Lessons are repeated until they are learned, I am told… ( See full message in Easter Supplement)ON Tuesday night, I heard the sound of the drums calling coming from a certain primary school — traditional ‘tanbou’ and sounding good.

The hope was that the young versatile drummer that I am looking for, I would find there, but I was disappointed. The group has been around for a while and the players are well seasoned. But where were the young people to take up and evolve the tradition?

There are lots of traditions and professions that are under threat of extinction in Saint Lucia. But at the top of the list, I think, is our clay-making traditions.

I come from a family of potters and I can tell you no one is taking up the craft. After my aunts pass away, that’s it for pottery in Choiseul.

Who is cutting grass for the making of baskets anymore? There are some raw materials that are sourced way in the forest but, who is going to take on or have that hassle? Who wants to make straw chairs anymore?

After the brothers in Mongouge give up the trade, then what? Who is making any canoes anymore? Have we documented the process? Our Fisher folks are grown-up or elderly people and it does not look any better when we look at our farmers.

Our people will always need to eat and so we need fresh blood in both of these fields.

Last Sunday, we lost an important historical archive in the Folk Research Centre. Radio Saint Lucia and the National Archives and the Central Library are other institutions which — we must pray — do not suffer the same fate.

The Harold Simmons Academy’s work must continue. Our traditional dances and music must be taught to our children. They must know what is the ‘konte’ and the ‘la conmèt’, even if I do not know them myself.

Are our elder violinists passing on their skills and tricks to the younger generations?

Do we know our traditional medicines? Can we tell our folk-tales to our children? Do we even know them, or have we lost our skill for storytelling? There are definitely some things better than television and iPads – but do they yet realize this?

If there was one thing I lamented, it was that the FRC was too out-of-reach in terms of location. I knew of many people who would not attend events there because of the bushy track that they had to traverse to get there.

So, hopefully it will be a new start for the Folk Research Centre and the unfortunate demise may be a blessing in disguise.

I heard Monsignor Anthony lamenting that their call for the digitization of their catalogue fell on deaf ears. He seemed most agitated, so there are definitely lessons to be learnt. Hopefully we will learn them this time around.

Lessons are repeated until they are learned, I am told… ( See full message in Easter Supplement)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend