Let the Saturnalia Begin!

Last year’s Carnival season opened with a particularly “immoral” (which is how saturnalia is commonly defined) bang. Sprinkled with sexual assault accusations and intoxicated minors, trench digging on beaches, and unexplainable pictures of waste disposal, the beach event left some uncomfortable grains of sand on people’s skin. But almost a year later, the Saint Lucia National Conservation Authority confirms that the organisation has already received several applications for beach events this carnival season, and the approval process is going to be as it’s always been.

The party in question has been rebooted as something exclusive with an amped age limit and restrictive ticket purchase options. At press time, and with about three weeks to go, patrons are unsure whether the event will be at its previous venue. If it is, the NCA will give no pushback if it’s done in the same way this year.

“When people apply to us for the activity,” said the NCA’s commercial services officer, Lydia Cox, “we do a site visit. In our approval letter there are a number of things they have to do and a number of agencies that they need to liaise with.” 

Event organisers need additional approval from the National Emergency Management Organisation, Saint Lucia Fire Service, Solid Waste Management Authority, Royal Saint Lucia Police Force and the Saint Lucia Life Saving Association. The whole process is monitored by the NCA and, according to Cox, if all requirements are not met, the event is discontinued.

But that did not protect the beach from serious damage last year. “The information was false and I can tell you that,” said Cox. “I personally supervised, and can say what happened was blown out of proportion. It was so unnecessary and unfair to the organisers.”

A few days after last year’s party, there were pictures on Facebook of garbage improperly disposed of. The irate online publisher claimed his pictures were taken in the vicinity of the event and accused the organisers of taking a lazy pass. Cox refuted that as well: “I got the police to come with me to ensure the place was cleaned, and by 7am it was done. We also called Deglos and gave them the truck number. They confirmed that—so many trips to Deglos.”

According to Cox and the NCA’s general manager Jacintha Annius-Lee, once organised events follow the established protocols, it’s easy to control and prevent damage to the island’s natural resources. But there’s no 100 per cent barrier.

Said Cox, “We do our best, but you know, the beach is for recreation and we really have few places for activities. We have to work with the organisers to help them become more conscious of how they go about doing things. It’s not all going to happen at once but we are working with organisers to be conscious of the things they do and the effect it can have on the environment.”

But beaches need human protection from other humans.   The less controllable issues for the police during last year’s Carnival season were the alleged partygoers who were minors, the under-age drinkers and assault victims.

The NCA confirms that from its list of requirements, organisers are responsible for a level of security and acquiring a liquor licence, while the role of the police is to ensure that the event is law-abiding. According to the Saint Lucia Liquor Licence Act in Section 37 (1): “The holder of a licence shall not sell or dispose of, or allow any person to sell or dispose of, to be consumed on the licenced premises, any liquor to any person apparently under the age of 16 years.”

And in subsection (5), “Any person who acts in contravention of the foregoing subsections of this section commits an offence.”But the police point out that they do not determine the penalties for selling alcohol to minors. Earlier this year, the Windward & Leeward Brewery and St. Lucia Distillers launched the iPledge to Drink Right Campaign. Referencing under-age drinking, the acting police commissioner Milton Desir said at the time: “In terms of ID, the entities have to be responsible; especially the clubs. No one on the premises should be under 18.”

Last year the STAR reported in reference to the previously mentioned event, that a seventeen-year-old claimed she had been sexually assaulted but refused to co-operate with the police after her mother accompanied her to the hospital. Parties advertised as 21-and-over affairs this year have so far been met with criticism and threats of minors being smuggled in anyway.

Now that Saint Lucia Jazz has drawn the curtains, it is only a matter of time before Saint Lucia sees what else is permitted this Carnival under the noses of the NCA and police, even with government endorsed events!–