Voices from the Valley – St. Lucia Voice News

Inspired by Julien Alfred’s incredible performance in Paris, I happily accepted Primus “Primo” Hutchinson’s invitation to attend the book launch of his new book, “The Roseau Valley Story” on Saturday at the St. Lucia Winery in the heart of the Roseau Valley.

I attended this event because of my personal and professional friendship with Primo; my admiration for his exemplary community spirit; and my instinctive support for books written by local authors. Moreover, my fondness for the valley and its inhabitants dates back to my first visits there as a child, when my father and godfather, Joseph Antoine, worked at the winery. I can point to the exact spot near the entrance to Jacmel where I got carsick and vomited in my godfather’s car. I have visited the valley many times during my various jobs, and it has left me with indelible memories.

It is always a commendable thing when the people of a community or a country share their history, either orally or in writing, as doing so provides both the author and the reader with a stronger sense of personal and national identity and a better understanding of the political, cultural and social context in which the history was produced. Only through exposure to such history can our people, especially our youth, analyse the facts and develop critical thinking skills. In this context, the authors of this groundbreaking book deserve a great deal of credit.

Instructively, the seeds of this book were sown by the “Dr. Patrick Antoine Folk Research Center (FRC)” in the fertile minds of the members of the Jounen Kwéyol Committee in Jacmel in 2016. The initial goal was to produce a pamphlet. Although this goal was not achieved, there were enough embers in the ashes of failure to ignite the determination of the members of the research committee to publish a book that would provide a more complete history of the social, economic and cultural development of the valley. It is reasonable to speculate that if the committee had not failed to produce the pamphlet, it would not have succeeded in publishing this book.

This 185-page book contains rich and fascinating stories that help dispel the long-standing portrayal of the people of Roseau as “Jan Wozo” – as Sir Calixter George recalls in his foreword – “the most ignorant, uncivilised, illiterate and backward people in St Lucia”. In fact, the book encourages the conclusion that the people of Roseau did not allow the decades-long crippling poverty that engulfed their community to rob them of their pride, dignity, dreams and aspirations.

Drawing heavily on accounts by renowned researcher and anthropologist Robert DeVoe (who has sadly passed away) and community folklorists, the book traces the development of the valley from the days of the “Sugar Kings” when Roseau and the surrounding estates became centres of agricultural-related innovation, with steel mills and locomotive-driven harvesting techniques. The book gave me a deeper appreciation for the militancy of the early “Jan Wozo” period, as reflected in stories of violent strikes by estate workers that helped secure wage increases and improved working conditions for workers across the country.

Francis Lyons’ contribution established Roseau’s influence in the development of the banana “green gold” industry. The Windward Island Banana Growers Association (WINBAN) Research and Development Centre in Roseau did groundbreaking work that benefited farmers as far away as Africa. In addition, the Roseau Demonstration Farm would become the most productive banana growing area in the world, with yields of nearly 20 tons per acre, which for many years was among the highest in the world. The untimely demise of the Centre and the Demonstration Farm continues to pain me deeply.

Roseau also left St Lucia with the Sir John Compton Dam and Miller Reservoir, which facilitated development along the North West Corridor up to the Capp Estate. The construction of the dam led to a large-scale housing development in Bellaire, initially consisting of families relocating from the catchment area. As Sir Calixte George pointed out in his speech at the launch, the construction of the dam deserves to be discussed in a later edition of this book.

Roseau is also home to the St. Lucia Distillery, which has developed a range of alcoholic beverages that have inspired local and global consumers for decades.

Chapters written by Fathers Stanislaus Albert and Lambert St. Rose acknowledge the role of the Catholic Church in promoting the spiritual development of the people of the Valley, beginning with the founding of the Holy Family Church in 1960. The church has arguably one of the most visually appealing and provocative altars in Christendom, featuring a striking fresco of the Black Madonna painted by Sir Dunstan St. Omer. In the eyes of Father St. Rose, the fresco represents “a mockery of the brutality of colonialism… and a reminder of the terrible truth that the human soul, dignity and integrity are inviolable and indestructible.”

Stanislaus Albert recounts the evolution of the valley’s school system. A notable feature of his story is that Roseau children had to walk long distances (3-6 miles) to the nearest school in Anse-la Raye until 1955 when the Catholic Church built a school.

In a chapter titled “Memoirs”, Primus shares some of the true stories and experiences of the old men of the Valley, including the revelry and casino-like atmosphere on paydays when businessmen and “club girls” from Castries flocked to the Valley and brawls ensued. This chapter also gives a vivid account of a gruesome murder in the Valley and the 1973 banana strike.

I salute the author of this illuminating book and recommend it to anyone eager to gain a better understanding of St. Lucia’s history.