[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Her Excellency Dame Pearlette Louisy retires from the office of Governor General of Saint Lucia after two decades of sterling service, the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) places on record its profound appreciation and gratitude to Her Excellency for her valuable contribution to the development of the arts and culture in Saint Lucia.
As the agency mandated to drive Saint Lucia’s cultural development agenda, CDF maintains priority focus on the celebration and development of cultural and artistic forms and expression, affirming national identity and engendering creative excellence for social and economic empowerment. In that regard, it has been the agency’s good fortune and privilege to have had in the highest office of our country, a credible and committed champion of our language and culture, an advocate for human resource development and an exemplar of excellence in such a broad range of endeavour.
The CDF can claim to have benefitted from Dame Pearlette’s professional renown and from the influence of her office to bring distinction to several of the initiatives undertaken under CDF’s banner. Indeed, the growth of the Nobel Laureate festival is but one example.
Under the patronage of Her Excellency, the CDF has successfully conceptualized and implemented, among others:
• The Derek Walcott Lecture – honouring the exceptional and outstanding literary prowess of Nobel laureate, Sir Derek Walcott and building on this legacy for successive generations.
• The Cultural Icon Series – paying homage to notable Saint Lucians whose life’s work has meaningfully contributed to Saint Lucia’s creative and cultural edifice.
• The Flower Festivals – celebrating the flower fraternities, La Wòz and La Magwit; an aspect of Saint Lucian culture that is unique to the island, as we fulfil our mandate to build a strong, united and proud Saint Lucian community.
• The December Festivals – a series of activities which promote the ideals of brotherhood, love, light and service, while showcasing the creative arts and our Christmas traditions.
As Dame Pearlette Louisy embarks upon her retirement, the Board of Directors and the staff of the CDF salute her as an undeniable agent of change in Saint Lucia’s post-independence era and wish her every success in her future endeavours.
