RESTRUCTURING THE CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION by Gandolph St. Clair The heart congealing into stone How many would prefer to this poem To see you drunken in a gutter And to catch in the corner of their workrooms The uncertified odour of your death? Derek Walcott - Another Life. On Friday 30th August 2013 I was working for the Cultural Development Foundation in Vieux Fort hosting La Rose, when my swollen feet severely hampered my movement and overall well being. Everyone could see the swelling and it was the day of Irish Nobel Laureate’s Seamus Heaney’s death, he who was Derek Walcott’s close friend, they having lived and worked in the United States together and visited St. Lucia. The funeral was on Monday 2nd September and after watching the funeral service on BBC, his last text to his wife was in Latin “ Noli timere”-“Be not afraid”. I drove to Victoria Hospital with my leg swelling still hampering my movement, as I was out of breath and restless with the palpitations of my heart. As I lay in the Emergency Ward, Dr. Wilson informed me that I had conditional heart failure and that was the reason for my swollen feet. After the Xray I had a heart attack and was on my way out when I was revived by the Doctor with Nitromin and was admitted to Victoria Hospital where I was to spend eight days. I was the Programme Coordinator for Communities. One month before I had been interviewed by a three person panel for the position of Director of Events and Production, with three years as Director of the National Carnival Development Committee which established the foundation of the July Carnival accomplishing its mandate with the limited resources of finance and personnel; seven years as CDF’s Special Events Officer for Carnival and the last traumatic three years as Programmes Officer for Communities. During the last three years the CDF’s role in Carnival had been stripped as the funding for the Event rose substantially. The new CDF Management stripped my Computer of the seven years of previous work, increased personnel and portfolios, compromised the structural integrity of the building by placing a door and raising the partitioning in one of the cubicles for the Administrative Manager and in her new position as Director of Operations, the same partitioning has been compromised further by removing the partitioning, creating an even bigger spate of waste as CDF’s restructuring progresses notwithstanding the ransacking of my computer and personal belongings, space, lies, duplicity and promotions from mediocrity to seniority. The Interviewers were Victor Poyotte-FRC, Louis Lewis - Director of St. Lucia Tourist Board; Lisa Dublin-Director of Shine Studios-CDF Board Member. In her 2011 published book of poems “Sani Baat- A voice throwing” in her acknowledgements she cites, “TO DRENIA FREDERICK WHO SO ENCAPSULATES TO ALL THE GIRLS THANK YOU FOR THE SACRIFICE AND YOUR DIRECTORSHIP WITH THIS PROJECT” . According to the CDF Board Chairman Petrus Compton by letter of October 14th I failed the interview, Drenia Frederick passed, thus terminating my services. I was on sick leave until 8th November 2013.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 16:13:28 +0000
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