After a short hiatus last year, the Monsignor Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) has reintroduced the traditional game of Woulélaba as part of the calendar for Kwéyòl Heritage Month in October.
Past events featured six teams from across the island and was hosted in Vieux Fort. It was hailed as a success, with the winning team coming out of the community of Balca, while Mon Repos placed second.
The FRC has announced the Woulélaba competition will be held again this year and will continue to build on last year’s success. According to the Executive Director of the FRC, Melchoir Henry, it is important to keep the tradition of the game alive, which is why the FRC felt it necessary to bring it back this year.
“The FRC will be staging two main activities this year as part of Kwéyòl Heritage month and Woulélaba will be one of them,” Henry says.
This year’s Woulélaba competition will take place in Gros Islet on the 12th of October at the mini stadium.
Teams from across the island are encouraged to register early to participate in the event.
What is “Woulélaba?
Woulélaba is what could be referred to as traditional cricket in a creolised culture. It entails a “home-made” bat, typically from a coconut branch and a ball made using nylon rolled into a ball and burnt to harden it.
Two wickets are erected twenty-two yards apart and wickets can sometimes be made with three sticks hammered into the ground, two stones or an empty box crate.
The term itself describes the specific style of bowling where the arm swings from under the arm along the ground towards the batsman, who attempts to hit it to score runs.
Traditionally, the game was played as part of community gatherings on Sundays and combined with activities such as river limes and koudment. Teams can sometimes comprise both men and women.
Like many other activities in Saint Lucia, this traditional sport is not complete without the preparation of local food, rum, beers and other local concoctions.
In some instances communities compete against each other for bragging rights, monetary prizes and beers.
