As we look ahead to the new year and all its promises, it may be useful to take a glance back and count our blessings and celebrate our successes and accomplishments. For although 2022 presented some serious challenges—COVID, the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war, and a rising crime rate—on the cultural front quite a few bright lights adorned the St. Lucian sky.
Shantaye’s World. Filmmaker and actress, Mathurine Emmanuel, who is singlehandedly pioneering the movie industry in St. Lucia, released her fifth movie, Shantaye’s World, a coming-of-age and inter-racial love story set against the backdrop of 1950s rural St. Lucia (and the emigration travails of the UK’s Windrush Generation) that puts to the test the notion that love can conquer all. But Emmanuel didn’t stop there, she accompanied the movie with a novel of the same name and in the latter half of 2022, following the release of the movie and novel, the filmmaker and novelist embarked on an international book and film tour, with stops at Castries, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Boston, and London.
Two Cents Tuesday. Dr. James Fletcher, former cabinet minister, founder of the Caribbean Climate Justice Project, a Chevening Global Changemakers Scholar, and author of the book Governing in a Small Caribbean Island State, launched Two Cents Tuesday, a video blog that provides balanced, in-depth, easily understood and accessible thought-provoking and timely analysis on a wide range of issues including governance, agriculture and fisheries, public utilities, environmental concerns, food security, culture, crime, energy security, constitutional reform, and climate change. Two Cents Tuesday provides further evidence of why Dr. Fletcher was grouped among St. Lucia’s top public intellectuals.
World’s Most Influential People. Talking about public intellectuals and leadership, Prime Minister Mia Mortley of Barbados, hit the ball out of the park for the region when she made the Time Magazine list of the world’s 100 most influential people. According to the magazine, “There are some who stand tall and stand out no matter where they are from—whether a large, densely populated country or a small island nation. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados is one such person. Bold, fearless, and possessing a great intellect and wit, the Prime Minister is a brilliant politician who knows how to shake things up.
St. Lucia Dubai Expo. St. Lucia’s participation in the 2021/2022 Dubai Expo was indeed a proud moment for even the harshest St. Lucian critic. Be it fashion, music, drama, St. Lucia’s star shone brightly. Surprisingly, its seamoss was a big hit, and even more surprisingly (considering that Sandi Arabia isn’t an English-speaking country) its books were a hit. Please treat yourself to a tour of the St. Lucia Dubai Expo Display Pavillion.
Calypso, Soca and Carnival. With the COVID protocol lifted and having been starved for a couple of years of a carnival fete, in 2022, calypso, soca and carnival returned to St. Lucia with a bang, attracting large enthusiastic audiences and revealers. The calypso arena witnessed the Mighty Pep, eight-time St. Lucia calypso King, passing on the calypso crown to his Son, Dezral, who won the 2022 Calypso Crown with Legacy and Calling all Saints, likely the only Father and Son to have both win the St. Lucia calypso crown. Ricky-T captured the Groovy Monarch for the third time with his song, Mal Pale, to go along with his eight previous Road March wins, six Power Soca Monarchs, and three Caribbean Soca Monarchs, making him arguably St. Lucia’s all-time greatest soca artists. Fross, on the other hand, won the Power Soca Monarch for the first time with his hit song God Made Man.
Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters. Luther François, perhaps the Caribbean’s best jazz musician and the greatest musician to come out of St. Lucia, who now resides in Martinique, was awarded France’s Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters in recognition of his significant contributions to the arts and the enrichment of the French cultural inheritance.
Barbuda Gospel Music & Media Awards. Emrand Henry, one of St. Lucia’s leading gospel artists and winner of the first-ever Cable & Wireless Star Quest, won the 2022 Antigua Barbuda Gospel Music & Media Award for regional artist of the decade and best gospel soca single. The Antigua & Barbuda Gospel Music & Media Awards is an International Award Ceremony hosted by So Arise and open to participants from around the world.
World Travel Awards. St. Lucia won the 2022 World Travel Awards as the Caribbean’s leading honeymoon destination, making this the 13th consecutive year the country has won this award. In addition, St. Lucia won for the first time the award for the Caribbean’s leading adventure tourism destination. The World Travel Awards is regarded as the global travel and tourism industry’s premier award program.
Export St. Lucia established Taste of Saint Lucia at Pointe Seraphine, billed as the “first of its kind” and a “one-stop shop for authentically Saint Lucian products,” including books and other cultural products. 758 Books, probably St. Lucia’s last traditional bookstore, which had closed down during the rage of the COVID pandemic, reopened its doors at La Clery, Castries, in the vicinity of Stephenson King’s constituency office.
St. Lucia 2022 Bookshelf. St. Lucian authors were quite productive in 2022. All told, over 20 books authored/edited by St. Lucians or about St. Lucians were published. These included seven novels, one political commentary, six memoirs/self-help narratives, two collections of short stories, an anthology on climate change, three children’s books, a collection of poetry, and two anthologies on Derek Walcott.
Jako Productions Cultural Ambassador. Dr. Anderson Reynolds and Jako Productions also had a busy writing and publishing year. Jako Books published the political commentary, Jungle Democracy on Trial: The Politics of COVID by Modeste Downes, and republished The Brown Curtains, an award-winning novel by Clive Sankardayal. Also, the Jako Productions website expanded its growing activity list of St. Lucian literature and writers to include St. Lucia’s Public Intellectuals, St. Lucia Children’s Books, and St. Lucia’s Top Poets. Other such activity lists on the website include Significant St. Lucian Writers, The Novels of St. Lucia, and Books on St. Lucian Politics. The Jako Productions website is arguably St. Lucia’s most substantive culturally oriented website, therefore we invite you to take a few minutes to browse the site.
The Expanding World of Anderson Reynolds. For his part, in 2022 Dr. Reynolds produced several blogs and well-developed pieces, most notably St. Lucians Don’t Read: Fact or Myth? Allen Chastanet and the National Identity Crisis; The Youth Economy (Part II): Culture as an Engine of Economic Growth; and The Youth Economy (Part III): The Role of Government in Strengthening the Cultural Industry. He dabbled for the first time in the world of radio, hosting nine episodes of Conversations with Dr. Anderson Reynoldshttps://www.jakoproductions.com/conversations-with-dr-anderson-reynolds/ (on Roof Tropixx Media), where he engaged in conversation with such iconic St. Lucians as Mathurine Emmnauel, McDonald Dixon, and Cassius Elias, and addressed a wide range of topics including the youth economy, the St. Lucia film industry, economic development, food security, societal ills, and the nature of art and creativity.
They Called Him Brother George. But more excitedly, Dr. Reynolds completed They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician slated for publication February 2023.
Secondary School Essay Contest. Besides the book, as an additional means of paying homage to George Odlum and keeping his legacy alive, Jako Productions teamed up with the George Odlum Foundation to conduct a secondary school George Odlum essay competition in which students from all 26 of the nation’s secondary schools were invited to submit essays of 1000 to 1200 words on The Greatness of George Odlum.
Jako Productions has announced the top three contestants, and hence the shortlisted essayists of the 2022 Secondary School George Odlum Essay Contest, as Davianne Alexander of Beanefield Comprehensive Secondary School, Teia-Marie Alexander of Bonne Terre Preparatory School, and Cyann Alfred of the Vieux-Fort Comprehensive Secondary School. The winners of the competition will be announced at the official launch of They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician. Presentation of awards will also take place at the book launch.
2023 International Book Tour. Following the launching of the book, as he did in 2017 with the publication of The Stall Keeper, Dr. Reynolds will embark on an international book tour that includes secondary school visits, stops at several CARICOM countries, and stops at several North American and UK cities.
Sponsors/Partners of the Secondary School Essay Contest & Publication of
They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician