Without a doubt our children have been short-changed. They have been left to flounder in an abyss of ignorance where our history is concerned. During the month of October 2009 students had been visiting the National Archives to get a better understanding and appreciation of the documentary heritage of our country. It is amazing to note that 99 percent of students (no exaggeration) cannot answer basic questions that are related to their history. It appears that through the course of their lives they have heard tidbits of historical facts which have congealed into an unintelligible mass in the mind, and they are not able to explain or put in context people or events. For example, to the majority of students, George FL Charles is: That Airport Man. He was either the first manager of the airport, the first pilot or the airport designer. However one student I asked asserted that he was the one who discovered the first airplane! The same lack of information is reflected when they are questioned about the many of Saint Lucia’s other “Notables”. Many were of the opinion that Dunstan St Omer did something like writing the national anthem. These students are not pre-schoolers or students from the Infant school. They are from the fourth and fifth forms of our secondary schools.

During one of the visits to the National Archives, one teacher, feeling a little embarrassed by her students’ inability to answer what was perceived as simple questions explained that the students are not taught history in the lower forms. One is left to wonder why history generally and Saint Lucian history specifically is accorded such insignificance and unimportance within the education system in Saint Lucia. In sharp contrast, no student graduates from an American College without having passed a course in American history. The same obtains for most of the countries in the developed world. Saint Lucians who have left the shores of this little island to chase, for most of them, the elusive American dream, must learn a number of historical facts about the United States of America, to qualify for that much coveted citizenship.

I feel sad and disappointed at our students’ lack of knowledge of the history of Saint Lucia. It appears that there has been little effort to teach our children about their history. Worse, History is not on the national priority list. This is a deterrent to students who may be interested in pursuing study in the subject at the tertiary level, as the Government, through its training arm, would not fund or support the student in that endeavour. The financial institutions may or may not provide loans for such persons as their student loan policies may or may not be tied in to government’s training priorities.

There is the misconception among many, and sadly, this thinking exists among those charged with policy and direction in education at the highest level, that history is just about dates and people and places and has no connection to life and living here and now. This is far from the truth. Knowledge of one’s history helps one to develop a sense of self and identity. It helps one appreciate how the forces and events of the past have shaped a nation and a people. History helps us understand whence the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, and guiding beliefs of the Saint Lucian: our ethos.

Knowledge of and circulation of past achievements of our forebears or even of living illustrious sons and daughters can foster national pride and greatly enhance the esteem or regard of other nations towards our country. Our history should give us an exaggerated sense of what it is to be Saint Lucian and should give purpose and direction to our national endeavours. But we must know that history. History serves as a guide and helps one make the right decision. One of the unfortunate occurrences in our history was the Ravine Poisson disaster in which ninety-six (96) individuals lost their lives on November 21st and 22nd 1938. This historical fact reinforces (or ought not to condemn us to repeat the past) the understanding that the forest must be conserved and alerts us to the dangers of cutting down trees on mountainsides for unplanned development. History is a great teacher, but her price may be high for those condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past.

The American military is consulting experts on Afghan history (historians) to help them not repeat the blunders of past would be conquerors (the British and more recently the USSR) of the Afghan people; to understand the Afghan mind, and to formulate strategy and execute tactics in pursuit of their national policy objectives in respect of their war on terror. Here history is being embraced to help deal with the present and plan for the future.

We are in danger of having a nation of people having no umbilical connection to the country of their birth. They are born in Saint Lucia but they know very little about their island and feel no real bond to their nation. This might well be a factor in explaining the wholesale alienation of vast tracts of the island to foreign interests. Pride in our national symbols and landmarks are eroding so fast that we sell off the land within the Pitons management area without a shred of compunction and take cover behind the fig leaf of development.

There must be a structured approach by the Ministry of Education to teach Saint Lucian History in our schools. This must be done expeditiously or we shall have a large number of uninformed people who simply inhabit their country, and have no desire to make a conscious effort at nation building; who care little about and remain oblivious to the pioneering effort of those who have gone before to develop this country. The Archaeological and Historical Society should intensify its role as a researcher and disseminator of Saint Lucian history following in the trailblazing paths of such notables as Fr Charles Jesse and BH Easter.

December 13th is celebrated as National Day. I offer the opinion that this holiday be renamed National History Day. The fortnight leading up to National History Day should be spent providing lectures, talks, plays and skits; competitions (essays, general knowledge and art showing various Lucianscapes) among the various schools at all levels, on the history of the island. The Desmond Skeete Animation Centre might offer extra special rates during that period to encourage the citizenry to visit the presentation there. The media— print and electronic—would provide articles and documentaries on aspects of our history with NTN, of course, playing a large role in the presentation of documentaries, discussions and quizzes. The National Archives should mount exhibitions around the island with pictorial representations of old Saint Lucia and photocopies of important documents. The public libraries, with the Central library in the lead, should promote books and articles from whatever source—local, regional and international, about Saint Lucia with the works of Saint Lucian writers—world famous and the not so famous and even the little known—taking pride of place. There should be fairs on the practices and on the way of life of old St Lucia with the Folk Research Centre leading out.

I could go on but the idea is to so saturate the Saint Lucian air and space with information and activities about our island that given time and the intelligent execution of these activities Saint Lucians will have a fully charged and sustainable sense of what our Derek Walcott (Selected Poems) means when he writes:

This island is heaven – away from the dustblown blood of cities;
See the curve of bay, watch the straggling flower, pretty is
The wing’d song of trees, the sparse powdered sky, when lit is
The night. For beauty has surrounded
Its black children, and freed them of homeless ditties.
That’s what I talking about.

Editor’s Note: Margot Thomas is a national archivist in  St Lucia who has spent years helping to preserve the nation’s history.