Hierland Peter is Determined to Create Opportunities for Young, Artistic St. Lucians

[dropcap][/dropcap]When we first met at his work place, Hierland Peter was on his lunch break. I was there for a pre-arranged meeting with the producer of a play on which we would collaborate.  When Peter appeared, smartly dressed, without the smallest sign of fatigue, the thought that occurred to me (don’t ask me why) was that he had to be older than he looked; at least 30. He handed me a script by Kendel Hippolyte, then informed me it was a story at the heart of his latest project.

It later turned out, when I had the opportunity to interview him, that Hierland Peter was only 24 years old. I had been misled by his no-nonsense demeanour, hardly synonymous with the average young Saint Lucian male. Almost the first words out of his mouth concerned his family. They had always been most supportive of his aspirations.

He said: “They truly believe in the old saying that if you can think of something, a project, then you can make it happen. All you have to do is go after it!”

He had found his passion when he was only 15. “A friend encouraged me to attend a meeting of Youth Studying Performing Arts and Culture (YouthSPAC). I thoroughly enjoyed that first session.” It sparked in him a near 10-year commitment to the arts. Before long he was participating in drama productions that took him to Trinidad and other venues outside Saint Lucia.

Referencing groups such as YouthSPAC, he said: “On a scale of one to ten, I would say the impact, especially on young people is 1,000. The performing arts help in building self-confidence. They help with networking skills as well.”

During his time at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Peter established with two friends a magazine called “Expressions”. The trio would rename and rebrand the publication as an educational, online magazine called ‘That’s Wassup’.

“When we first created the magazine back in 2012,” Peter recalled, “its main objective was basically to give students at the secondary school and tertiary level the opportunity to develop their skills.” Students were responsible for the magazine’s production, its design, the bulk of the writing and the graphics.

“Unfortunately,” said Peter, “the other two members decided to move on. They’re no longer involved but I decided to continue because I recognize the importance of giving young people an opportunity to develop their skills.”

The 24-year-old now works fulltime in the accounting arm of 1st National Bank’s Finance department—a job he says helped him further his contributions to the arts.

“I started with the bank in 2012 and then I left to further my studies at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus. There, I majored in management and minored in Finance and Accounting. In accounting you have to ensure that everything is documented and sustainable, so that helps a lot in managing ‘That’s Whassup.’ ”

And Peter readily admits that he is fascinated with the proper management of money:  “The process of turning a dollar into $10,000 five years from now just blows me away!”    

Meanwhile Peter has been working at turning ‘That’s Wassup’ into a production company where young people can showcase their skills in theatre arts.

His first play was co-produced alongside Kiedal Sonny and Dexter Felix in 2014. His next project, the first play to be staged under ‘That’s Wassup,’ will feature a crew and cast of young, talented Saint Lucians between 17 and 35 years of age. The socially conscious Kendel Hippolyte-written play titled ‘In Half An Hour, So Much Can Change’ is scheduled for the National Cultural Centre on 10 November.

The budding producer says his team has been working tirelessly to ensure the event’s success and promises the message at the heart of the story is one every Saint Lucian should hear. He implores interested persons to visit the ‘That’s Wassup’ Facebook page for more information.