Dr. Reynolds’ international tour of his latest book, They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician, is well underway. The official New York book launch, hosted by the Consulate General of St. Lucia in New York, was held last Thursday at the St. Lucia House, to what Dr. Reynolds described as a very supportive and appreciative audience. So supportive that just about everyone bought two or more books, forcing the author to admit that this was the most books he had sold in one sitting.
The event was Emceed by radio personality Peter Dieudonne, host of the popular New York radio show, Bouyon. DJ Eryck provided the sound and set the mood. The Honorable Jeremiah Hyacinth, the St. Lucia Consul General for New York, provided welcoming and congratulatory remarks, in which he praised Dr. Reynolds for his persistence, urged St. Lucian politicians to write their own stories, and mused about if George Odlum had not gone into Politics, would he have been able to make a contribution in another sphere? Twelve-year-old Garvens Charles, of St. Lucian and Haitian parentage, recited, to loud applause, The Passing of a Great Man, a poem by award-winning St. Lucian poet, Modeste Downes, that pays tribute to the fallen national hero.
The program also included a book trailer video of They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician; a documentary video by Calabash TV, presenting an interplay of the 2022 secondary school George Odlum essay finalist contestants with George Odlum the historical figure, followed by the winning contestant receiving her award; Arthur Allain music video, I am a St. Lucia, which served as a musical interlude; and, by way of introducing, a video biography of Dr.Anderson Reynolds.
In his presentation, Dr. Reynolds said that one of the reasons he was pleased and honored to be here in the diaspora is that he thinks of St. Lucia not just as a physical space but as a cultural and economic space that encompasses both the island and the diaspora. And with the advent of social media and ease of travel and telecommunications, this has become even more so. Thus, to him, a book launch that doesn’t include stops in the diaspora is incomplete and a missed opportunity.
He said that we are all keenly aware of the economic contributions of the diaspora to the Caribbean, and we may be tempted to think that the cultural influence flows one way, from the islands to the diaspora. However, he thinks that the diaspora also exerts considerable cultural influence on the islands. So, it’s truly a mutual cultural exchange. And he is pleased and honored to be part of this two-way cultural flow.
In terms of the two-way cultural flow, Dr. Reynolds may be on to something. Because sometimes the diaspora gives rise to cultural innovations that are exported back to the original source. For example, it was the UK that gave Lovers Rock its name and crystallized it into a sub-reggae genre, and it was in the US that reggae and dub gave rise to rap and hip-hop. Sometimes a traditional cultural practice is preserved in the diaspora in its purer form, while at the source it has already transformed into something else, so it is in the diaspora, thousands of miles away, where one may need to go to reacquaint with that tradition.
Dr. Reynolds said that They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician has beentwenty years in the making. At the time of George Odlum’s death in 2003, there was an unprecedented outpouring of tributes and eulogies about the great man. So he thought that since George Odlum didn’t write a memoir or any book on his personal or professional life, these tributes and eulogies could serve as the starting point of documenting his life and political career. Thus, in preparation for a book on George Odlum, he had his then, seventeen-year assistant, Ms. Vina Frederick, type out all the tributes and eulogies that appeared in the newspapers. But it is only now, twenty years later, that the book has materialized.
Nonetheless, the author said that working on the book has truly been a labor of love and a humbling and inspiring experience. Following the political life of George Odlum and gaining a better understanding and appreciation of what he was attempting to do and what he stood for filled him with inspiration and pride as a St. Lucian. He got a boost of inspiration to stay on the path he is on, continue writing, continue giving voice to our voices.
Dr. Reynolds said that more than any of his other books, he viewed the publication of this book as performing national service, as a gift to the nation. And more than anything else he has done, this undertaking was truly a collective or national or even regional effort. For about forty persons from St. Lucia, the Caribbean, and beyond contributed pieces to the book.
And besides the contributions of the forty-plus coauthors, the Creative Industries Department of the Ministry of Tourism, Invest St. Lucia, The George Odlum Foundation, the island’s secondary schools, St. Lucian Media Houses, and over 15 private individuals and businesses—including Stan Joseph who resides in New York, Massy Stores, Duboulay Industries, Theobalds and Associates, General Security Services, and Computer World—all contributed in one way or another to the publication and launching of the book. So this has truly been a partnership between Government, Business, Private individuals, and Cultural Creators. So much so, the author said that the honoring of George Odlum through the secondary school essay contest and the publication of They Called Him Brother George: Portrait of a Caribbean Politician presents a perfect example of what we can accomplish with such partnerships.
Dr. Reynolds’ presentation was followed by a spirited question-and-answer session, that suggests St. Lucians, at home and abroad, are still full of admiration for George Odlum, yet are still fascinated and mystified by him. Several in the audience admitted they owed their political and social activism to George Odlum who helped raise their political consciousness and impressed upon them that they were just as deserving as anyone else to participate in the political process and that the country must be governed to serve their best interest.
It was a well-planned and orchestrated event; the evening flowed seamlessly. Yet Dr. Reynolds was pleasantly surprised when Mr. Vaughn Constable, the owner of Twist by Vee, a St. Lucian apparel and custom design company with operations in both St. Lucia and North America, gifted him a lovely St Lucia flag neck tie gift box that included a silk necktie, cuff-links, and a tie clip.
The New York Book Launch represented the third leg of Dr. Reynolds’ international book tour. The first two legs entailed book launches in Vieux Fort, the author’s hometown, and Castries, the capital of St. Lucia.
In continuation of the tour, among other stops, the author will be conducting a book signing on Sunday 29 October at the New York Jounen Kweyol Day Festivities (at the St. Lucia House, 438 East 49th Street Brooklyn, starting at 11 AM); and second Jounen Kweyol book signing, this time in Washington DC, starting at 3 PM Saturday 4 November (at West Bowie Village Hall, 13711 Old Annapolis Rd. Bowie, Md 20720).
In addition, Dr. Reynolds will be conducting a Hartford, Connecticut book launch at 3PM on Saturday 11 November, at United Order of Mechanics Lodge, 3363 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06120.
And then he will cross the Atlantic to conduct a London book launch at 6:00 PM on Friday 24 November at the St. Lucia High Commission (1 Collingham Gardens, Kensington, London, United Kingdom SW5 0HW).
Talking about London, we are pleased and honored to share with you Bristol University’s recent interview with Dr. Reynolds on the life of George Odlum, Bristol’s first Black Student Union president.
In other London news, we are pleased to share that St. Lucia’s pioneer actress, director, and filmmaker, Mathurine Emmanuel, who recently received an honorary Doctorate degree from the University of Greenwich for her contribution to film, has extended her UK tour of her latest movie, Shantaye’s World, winner of an International New York Film Festival gold award for best feature film.
