Saint Lucians have been urged not to treat emancipation as a historical footnote but as an active, living responsibility.
Emancipation Day, celebrated on August 1, commemorates the end of the transatlantic slave trade and the abolition of slavery in 1834.
Raymona Henry-Wynne, executive director of the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF), made the call for more meaningful observance at the launch of this year’s National Emancipation Observance under the theme Understanding Our Past to Create a Pathway for the Future.
“This is not a passive theme,” she said. “It is a charge to connect our history to our purpose, to transform memory into movement.”
Henry-Wynne emphasised that emancipation is not a single event marked by a date, but an ongoing journey deeply tied to national identity. “For us at the Cultural Development Foundation, emancipation is not simply a date on the calendar. It is a vital part of our identity, our mission and our mandate.”
At the heart of the agency’s strategy is the empowerment of communities through culture-building capacity, providing tools and reshaping mindsets. “What is freedom,” she asked, “if people don’t have the tools to express it?”
She underscored the importance of investing in young people and creatives, describing cultural development as a foundation for national growth. “We are here to raise awareness and change mindsets,” she explained, adding that the CDF is working to instil cultural confidence and train “artists, creatives and community leaders to become agents of change”.
As Saint Lucians reflect on their past, Henry-Wynne encouraged them to do so “not with bowed heads, but with lifted hearts,” adding that the story of emancipation is one of survival but, more importantly, one of strength.
“Let us be clear,” she said. “Emancipation is not finished business. It is ongoing work… and that work now rests in our hands. Let us not just celebrate emancipation. Let us embody it.”
Ernest Hilaire, the Minister for Culture, also underscored the importance of embracing emancipation and supporting the agencies responsible for its promotion.
“Prior to 2023, the observance of emancipation was pretty much low key,” he said. “As a Government, we decided to put the resources behind it, to make things happen, and we called on the CDF to ensure that a programme is put in place that can best represent what emancipation is all about and its significance to our society.”
In an address to the nation Thursday, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre noted that in 191 years since the abolition of slavery, “we have made much progress as African descendants in overcoming the inhumane treatment and psychological trauma imposed on our ancestors”.
“This trauma has been carried across generations, and while its impact has been declining, its remnants continue to impede the progress of some of our people,” he said.
“As we honour the sacred memory of ancestors and the unbreakable spirit of those who rose from bondage to claim their freedom, we are not only looking back, we are reaching forward.”
The Prime Minister noted that one of the moves in this direction will be the introduction of African studies into the school curriculum.
“The absence of the contributions of African civilisation and the thinking of African philosophers in our school system are gaps that need to be filled,” he said.
“Our students are expected to have greater historical knowledge and cultural awareness to develop a sense of self-worth and identity. Build the academic curiosity, creativity for exploration of African literature, music, politics, and philosophy.”
Pierre said that Africa lives in us, not just as heritage but as destiny, and the time has come to transform cultural kinship into concrete cooperation in trade, investment, education, technology, tourism and the arts.
“Let us strengthen our ties, not as distant relatives but as equal partners in a shared journey of renewal. Emancipation was not the end, but the beginning, a foundation on which we rise together to forge bonds of solidarity and a shared destiny for generations.”
The activities for the month-long celebration of emancipation include the simultaneous ringing of church bells across the island, a breadfruit festival and La Rose motorcade and parade on August 1. Lectures and panel discussions will also be held throughout the month.
Other activities will include the Marcus Garvey Market Day and exhibition on August 9, an Emancipation historical treasure hunt on August 16, a press conference on the introduction of African history to schools on August 18, a youth debate on August 21, a Marcus Garvey concert on August 24 and a “Gwan Fet Festen Lawoze” on August 30.
