As part of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) will pay tribute to a woman whose life was a testament to the preservation and celebration of Saint Lucian culture.
On May 1, La Bèl Kwéyòl – The ICON Gala will honour the late Teresa Hall, affectionately known as Ma Hall, a visionary educator and cultural icon whose influence still resonates across the country.
A dedicated teacher at Ave Maria Girls’ Infant and Primary Schools and Castries Comprehensive Secondary School, Hall nurtured generations through arts and crafts.
But her true legacy lies in her tireless work as a cultural architect – founding the Helen Folk Dancers, establishing national events like the Violin Festival, the National Dress Festival, and the Junior Kwéyòl La Rein and La Roi Pageant, and inspiring countless Saint Lucians to embrace their heritage.
Her contributions earned her the nation’s highest honour, the Saint Lucia Les Piton Medal (Gold), as well as the British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2007 for her dedication to education, community service and cultural promotion. Even after her passing in 2017, her impact endures, making her the natural choice for this year’s Icon Series tribute.
“Anytime someone speaks about Teresa Hall, they think of folk, culture, tradition, the dance, the national wear, and anything to do with folk tradition is wrapped up in Teresa Hall,” says Kendall John, CDF’s communications director. “Every year we select someone who has made a tremendous contribution to the cultural landscape of Saint Lucia and it was an easy selection this year.”
The gala, held at the Pavilion in Rodney Bay, will embody the traditions Ma Hall championed, featuring folk dance, music, national wear and Kweyol couture. Performances by the Helen Folk Dancers, Les Danseurs Traditionelle de Ste. Lucie, Mamai Lacaye and others will bring her legacy to life.
For former students like Christine Samuels of Christy Creations, Hall’s influence remains profound.
“As an artist, she contributed to who I am and my work,” Samuels says. “I spent five years at school doing crochet, knitting, embroidery; she really taught me how to be excellent at my craft. So I am very happy that my brand which is Christy Creations today has some resemblance to Ma Hall and what I have achieved through what she taught me.”
Her son, leading MC Ezi Hall, shares the family’s pride: “The view of the family is that it is just so pleasing that after all my mom’s hard work and her efforts in teaching and her cultural exploits that she is being recognised at an event as prestigious as the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts festival.”
With relatives flying in for the occasion, the Hall family and Saint Lucia will come together to celebrate an outstanding daughter of the soil.
“We want to thank the CDF who contacted us in the first instance, we want to thank the Government and people of Saint Lucia for embracing the selection of my mom and for this grand tribute and we all eagerly await the night of the Gala,” Ezi said.
