Culture and Entertainment enthusiast, Buffalo Odlum, has taken issue with the construction of an amphitheatre at Serenity Park in Sans Souci.
Castries Central MP Richard Frederick announced the construction, which commenced on September 7th of this year, and aims to provide a home for the arts in Castries.
Odlum, however, says the park was intended to be a recreational facility and not an entertainment one.
“I think it’s a very sad time for us that this park, and with the name Serenity, we knew what it was conceptualised to be and that an MP can just change the whole structure of the park. It is a recreational facility, it is not an entertainment facility,” Odlum said on Wednesday during a one-man protest at the Park.
Presently, the Park has housed Junior Jazz events using stages erected for that purpose. These structures would be dismantled once the events had ended.
Odlum says this should continue being the way events are hosted at the park, as opposed to building a permanent amphitheater. “These concrete structures that are going in should never be permanent. If there are events that require a little additional infrastructure, it could be put in and taken out. But these permanent concrete structures are wrong,” he said.
Odlum also asserted that there was a lack of consultation with Sans Souci residents regarding their opinion on the development. “We were never consulted, and I think MPs have to stop. In fact, we have to stop them, because this park was developed for the people,” he stressed.
Originally earmarked for a December 13th completion date, the amphitheater is still under construction.
I support buffalo on this one. RF is just a narcissist!!! He needs signatures!! I did this and I did that kinda ‘leader’
I see persons attacking the gentleman for his opinion however I have seen similar being expressed by SLP supporters who are to scared of the tongue lashing from the minister in question. This is what our democracy have become, we are too scared to express a contrary opinion because of the inevitable attacks of the personal kind which comes with daring to not tow the party lines.
CORRECT ME BUT DOESNT ENTERTAINMENT FALL UNDER RECREATIONAL OR JUST ANOTHER SELFISH BOURGEOIS NOT BEING AS PROGRESSIVE? LETS DEVELOP ST LUCIA AND STOP PUTTING FEAR IN PPL, ITS FORWARD THINKING TO SHARE THE PARK FOR ALL SORTS OF ENJOYMENTS, BOTH FOR PROFITS AND PERSONAL GAIN. U WANT THE PARK TO JUST SIT THERE AND WHOS PAYING FOR THE MANICURE, TAX PAYERS?
Seasons change and nothing stays the same – to everything there is a season —while I am neither SLP nor UWP – if there is an urgent need for an amphitheatre location in St. Lucia based on limited space then there should be a meeting of the minds for a definitive resolution for all concerned.
Is it the aame minister who change the place around to Sereneity park. Just a few years later this?. Clearly illustrates this character lacks vision or just has no sense whatsoever. People need place to relax. This is just more noise in a space designed for the opposite.
Oh well cry a @$&!?@ ing River. Everything or Anything this government does is met with their resistance. If “Junior Jazz” (what the hell is that) Jazz is Jazz held there I don’t see how having amphitheater would not enhance the pleasures of visiting serenity Park. . Halls of Justice they bawl Police HQ they bawl, As long as it’s not painted yellow it’s so very wrong ……. keep on crying a river you Clowns.
What’s happening is Castries is a one man show! Sadly there is no vision…just do things now for now!
Yawn, this is boring.
Odlum should grow up and stop thinking in either this or that (black or white). It sounds like he is convinced that recreation is not entertainment and that a space can’t have more than one use.
Dude, the space can be BOTH (entertainment and recreation). You can do both at the same time or for alternate uses.
Additionally, the 100 or so square feet of space for a stage is a good use of green space. If Castries has diverse spaces, different events can be hosted.
He says the park is a recreational facility, not an entertainment facility. He stated his impression that it was part of the law.
Maybe Odlum can take up a cause to join Kalash and help motivate the ghetto yutes!!
I think some ppl are missing the point. He is saying the Primary Objective is Recreational therefore the permanent structure or entertainment should not be, however temporary structures are ok for entertainment. He nvr said he doesn’t see entertainment as recreational. I saw this bldg going up in there and all i can say is a Contract for a supporter and a consultancy for a hack. If there isn’t a hack as consultant and a supporter as contractor blast me, but this was the main objective as clearly there has been NO STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS. Anyways.
I could not agree more with Odlum on this perspective. The people who are responsible for developing the country are clueless, visionless, lack ingenuity, poor on ideas. Why would you put built structure in a park that is supposed to be a place of tranquility and serenity for the people as the name implies? I always opposed the amphitheatre being place In serenity park. They should look for a more appropriate place to built the amphitheatre. I am not opposed to the amphitheatre, but it should be placed somewhere more appropriate. Just like that halls of justice being built right next to the cathedral, this is going to be an elephant in a tight space, right in the heart of the city. It is quite clear these politicians have no sense of how to build a city. No sense of civil and urban development. If they had any sense of what a beautiful city should look like, they would not build the halls of justice with it’s humongous size In the middle of the city, nor propose to put the amphitheatre in serenity park. Totally clueless. And they will go ahead and waste tax payers money to build a substandard amphitheater. It is sickening to hear these illiterates propose city development. Why not put the amphitheatre on the Vigie peninsula where the people who go there can enjoy the beauty of nature, visualise the sea, the breeze while they enjoy what is on stage in the amphitheatre? If you look at all the amphitheatre of the ancient Greeks, the vast majority are built with the backdrop of the sea, a mountain range, an inspiring cliff or some awesome natural structure. These politicians went to school and have no common sense….but of course, they don’t teach common sense in schools…but one wonders where is their intelligence…
@ CWIZ– thank you for breaking this down to the small minded among this group and beyond….the Minister for Central Castries first and foremost- dem men have zero intelligence. Whether its deliberate of shear ignorance, so many things are being done to disrupt the core function of a typical city as we know it. Castries is micro- metropolis and it has everything (albeit needing proper development) to morph into prominence among all the cities in the entire Caribbean. However, whats going on is the ABC’s of what city planners should NOT DO such as erect a high security structure in a city where you want to attract life aka children, families, night life, entertainment, after-4 activities. The erection of those vending huts by printery is nonesense and reactive rather than planning for 5-10 years in the near future. This ampitheater is a bad decision– why? While the contruction cost is not disclosed for many reasons, I can bet that a more suitable site would not cost more orrrrr take time to do something that is well conceptualized with input from key stakeholders in the arts to replace the NAtional Cultural Center—infact build a proper home for the performing artists on the same site of the National Cultural Center. I SUSPECT that this Serenity Park thing is being built to rid Derek Wolcott Square from such entertainment to justify the location of the Halls of Justice–in that way, this Government can say no more mass crowd events on the square next to a high security building. You all have fooled us sometimes, but you all cant fool us all the time!
I thought the buffalo soldier was in America. So he is back in St Lucia. What is the Buffalo soldier banging on about? Is he from San Souci? I thought he was from Marchand or somewhere in that vicinity. The Right Hon. Minister needs to undertake projects that will bring jobs and opportunities to the people of this area. Kudos to him for doing so. Let’s rally behind the government as they work to put projects in place that is beneficial to the people. I don’t care about parties and colours. I support any party in power as they are the government of St Lucia. The government is our government and we should all get behind them to offer our support. Some of you are too damn partisan and colour-mad. We need to support and patronize the arts in this country.
@Nooks
You raised some very interesting points. What these clueless politicians don’t understand is how a city and it’s infrastructure affect or contribute to the wellbeing of the citizens. Saint Lucia isn’t America or some big metropolis where there is vast amounts of space. With vast amounts of space, you can build huge structures and make them fit within the overall plan of the area. New York can afford great sky scrapers because it has space, and yet even if the buildings look tightly packed, the architects would have considered how the building clusters fit within the landscape of the New York sky line. Look at the government buildings near the waterfront in Castries. Even though the government buildings don’t have much character, they fit beautifully on the landscape Infront of the harbour and creates an iconic backdrop to the city. These politicians will destroy Castries with their ignorant ideas of putting wrong structures in the wrong place. The halls of justice and the amphitheatre are wrong structures in the wrong places. Case in point, the PM has had quite a few meetings with the Cathedral care takers and the developers of the halls of justice precisely because of concerns about the size of the halls of justice in such a tight space right opposite the cathedral itself. These politicians will damage the aesthetics of the city with the lack of concern to detail. You have one chance to develop the city without wasting tax payers money but this is exactly what these brainless politicians are doing. When you have ignorance leading the people this is what to expect. There was millions spent by the UWP government in early 2000s to develop Castries. The developers designed Castries in such a beautiful way, I was impressed. I wished that these plans were kept but these politicians are so spiteful, they will not implement the plans of the UWP administration due to ridiculous, childish and reckless self serving mindset. If they had stick to the plan, Castries would have become the envy of the Caribbean. When the design plans were released to the public, there was great approval by the public. I even have the design plans saved on my computer to this day. These plans were grand, with every detail considered. Why can’t we just unite as Saint Lucians and do things in the interest of Saint Lucia? This BS starts with the politicians, which then spreads to their blowhard supporters then you have this toxic policitical environment in which we all live. It’s a shame to be honest. Our country deserves better but these people who call themselves leaders, they are taking the people and the land for a ride..
Saint Lucians have never truly understood the idea of serenity and tranquility. This is sadly and perversely a noisy country. Just sick and tired of the cheap entertainment and vulgar music that sexualize women; however again perversely, a lot of women simply don’t care about their own intellectual and personal dignity. Willing suspension of disbelief; that’s what it is. I am mortified almost beyond endurance of what black musical and entertainment culture has become. Simply no class and civility; not to mention the fact that people now say, do and sing anything in public. Our public d see spaces are a social and cultural disgrace. To quote both Derek Walcott and Shakespeare, „the isle is so full of noises“. and I’m sick of it. We need more quite spaces protected legally in this place. There is no place for an avid, quiet and reflective reader like me in today’s Saint Lucia. Hence Mr Odlum is absolutely right.
Castries is drowning.
I never thought of this. At least not clearly enough to consciously have an opinion strong enough to verbalize it. However now that Buffalo has brought this up and has even gone so far as to do in his own little and limit way something about his deep help convictions, I now realize that when I saw the construction, that, what I felt deep within was what he verbalized. I was not privy to the ministers announcement of the construction and it’s purpose, but I did think the very same things that Mr. Odlum thought even though I am by no means a resident of San Souci, Castries. When I noticed that comments could be had on the article, I immediately wanted to voice my support for Mr. Odlums position as it is in verity, one I share completely with him, however as I visaed the prior comments I noticed that some have infused the discourse with party political ruminations. I do not know what are the political affiliations of this particular ‘Odlum’ and why he took the peculiar actions he did. But I want to emphatically state that I agree to his opinion; and that, not at the disparaging of the ministers view at the same, seeing that, both could very well be working for the betterment of our beautiful island nation, all be it from different views or perspectives. Further, Mr. Odlums actions, I noticed, were disparaged by some because of its singular smallness of apparent power and renown, however I deduce, that if Mr. odlum has not acted out of political motivation but merely for the betterment of his community and his own truly personal convictions, to me; and I recognize that this is my own singular opinion, that this betrays the true greatness of Mr. Odlums character as well as his uncommon ability to think independently, and that not only for himself, but also at the same minute, considering, what would also be a benefit to his fellow inhabiters of plant earth. Noise, show, performance, fet and the bachanal which the majority of base St, Lucian’s love so much is not a sign of life, but may very well be a ominous sign of the opposite, of how debased in debauchery and dissipation that we have now become as a nation and people. A far cry from the quiet, simple near country living and values which spawned two Nobel laureates: still the most in the world by per capita by the way. But rather, I feel, that life consists in the quiet contemplations in silence of the true issues of life with the convenience of being surrounded by nature and its author; nature’s God.
When that Anaconda finish with Castries it will be all his , and theres another serpent in the midst
Amphitheater in that area= noise, traffic congestion. Who does it actually serve? This country lacks recreational healthy green spaces for citizens to enjoy. We are constantly being told that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t beneficial and leads to medical and money woes. Do we have any walking paths or Safe environments?
Buffalo is on point. Castries now looks like a ghetto. Can anyone tell me what is happening by where the fishermen berth their boats next to the Fish marketing Corp. I thought there was a plan to enhance to enhance the area since tourist coming from the cruise ships normally walk through this area. Now I understand that fish will be cleaned there and we all know what will happen as the bad of ordour will pervade the atmosphere. Now what is the other building for ? I don’t know. Is it a plan to frustrate Lucian Blue Ocean the leassee’s of the corporation?
Thing is persons know he is right yet will disparage and ridicule him because of political affiliations. Two places for the performing arts with 1 minute walking distance between them is ridiculous especially when we consider that we are q country of limited resources and the funds (Our tax layers money) could have been reallocated into something more urgent and meaningful. Instead we are drawn into projects merely to satisfy the whims of fancies of people trying to glorify their egos at the expense of purposeful and meaningful development
This is not an ideal location for an Amphitheatre. This idea ought to be revisited.