And WHY are we not seeing this here in Bim? Walcott is to me so important to our validity as Caribbean creative people. He evokes what we have. What we live. Ahhhhhhh. I despair sometimes. More sad than scandalous, the relentless ongoing lack of support for the arts by Saint Lucian government after Saint Lucian government is cause for national opprobrium and embarrassment—or should be. At 83, there are few people who are not in full grasp of their mortality, and never one to mince words, Walcott has gone on record saying: “My brother Roddy died working for the arts in Saint Lucia. He never saw a museum go up or a theatre go up. I suppose I too will die and not see it happen either—it is shameful.” Perhaps the politicians are intimidated too, but that’s no excuse to waste another minute before creating a living, breathing tribute to a living, breathing legend—before it’s too late for him to enjoy it. Maybe they should have a look at the film. Poetry is an Island certainly cured my feeling of intimidation by bringing Derek Walcott’s words to life and placing them firmly in the context of Saint Lucia. Was it the impact of hearing the writer read his own work, or the subjects reading about themselves? Was it the hypnotic imagery of the island’s natural wonders, from Gros Islet fishing boats and kids playing on the beach to expansive azure horizons and “forests of history thickening with amnesia”? stluciastar/its-past-time-for-walcotts-poetry-island/
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 05:00:34 +0000
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