UWP Appoints New Communications and Strategy Manager

Castries, Saint Lucia – 27 September, 2013 – The United Workers Party is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Elijah Anatole, who will join the team as the new Communications and Strategy Manager.
Within this role, Mr. Anatole will lead a team of experts in all aspects of communications to ensure that the Party’s latest news, views and concerns are shared with all citizens, both here and abroad.
His proven background as an author, journalist/reporter at the STAR Newspaper and CHOICE TV, not to mention, creative skills and ambitions will be an asset to the Party.
Chairman of the UWP, Mr. Ezechiel Joseph says, “Mr. Anatole is a respectable and talented young man and we (at the United Workers Party) welcome him with open arms. He has a great task ahead of him and we know that he is more than capable of delivering results.”
Anatole, in a short statement, expressed deep thanks to the Party for having confidence in him. He added, “This is a new turn of events in my life. I welcome this opportunity as one that will not only help me grow but also help the Party grow and evolve to be a more modern and appealing Party for both the young and the old. I am happy to be a part of the team and look forward to achieving great things together.”
Anatole’s appointment comes almost two months after Allen Chastanet successfully won his bid for leadership of the Party at July’s National Convention, with the installation of a new Communications and Strategy Manager being one of his first objectives.

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FRC’s Creole Literacy For Students Starts October 1st.

October is celebrated as Creole Heritage Month in Saint Lucia. The programmes and events for the month are largely organized by the Folk Research Centre in association with individuals, groups and communities. The climax of the month is the now-established Jounen Kweyol which takes place this year on Sunday October 27th. The main communities selected as the central venues for Jounen Kwéyòl 2013 are Grande Riviere, Vieux Fort, Mon Repos and Soufriere.

Celebrating all things kweyol

As part of its own activities, the FRC has organised Creole Literacy programmes aimed at the school children and adults of Saint Lucia. This year the children’s programmes take place from Tuesday October 1st to Friday October 4th at the FRC headquarters on Mount Pleasant. The teaching sessions are arranged from 10 am – 11.30 am and from 12.30 – 2.00 pm daily.
Among the objectives of the annual programme are the increase of knowledge and awareness of aspects of St. Lucian culture among students and teachers. The FRC would like to ensure that young students continue their education with a good foundation in cultural education. The institution also hopes that this interaction with the culture in an educational setting will help to instill in the participants a lifelong interest in, and appreciation of, their rich cultural inheritance. The children’s programmes of the FRC are endorsed by the Ministry of Education. Teachers are asked to call the FRC to make a booking for their students.
The programmes are conducted in a lively, interactive manner and led by well known cultural personalities.
The 2013 Cultural Literacy/Creole Heritage Programme of the FRC will focus on the theme of “Nou tout sé kwéyòl – learning about our culture, learning about ourselves.” The aim will be to help participants identify, recognize and claim their unique St. Lucian heritage.
Facilitators will focus on specific and distinctive aspects of St. Lucian culture. Classes on The Kwéyòl Language, Kwéyòl narratives (folk tales), Kwéyòl music, Kwéyòl dances, Kwéyòl arts and crafts, will be presented alongside a general survey of St. Lucian history that is culturally focused.
This programme will comprise interactive presentations from which the participants will acquire cultural skills and knowledge, interact with several prominent cultural personalities, and be encouraged to continue their involvement in cultural activities. It is hoped that this experience will help to instill in the participants a lifelong interest in, and appreciation of their rich cultural heritage.
Several well-known cultural personalities will be present to meet with students and to perform for them, among them Niger Nestor the drummer, George ‘Fish’ Alphonse poet and actor and Frank Norville, musician. Younger performance poets like Flora Jessy Leonce and singer Naomi Granderson are scheduled to appear.

Police and LIME Team Up for Road Safety

LIME has joined forces with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force in a historic collaboration that is helping the Traffic Department transform its operations with the help of LIME’s 4G mobile data network.
Armed with technology provided by Saint Lucia and the Caribbean’s only fully integrated telecommunications provider, traffic officers can now establish an immediate connection with the Transport Board’s database via smartphones, laptops or tablets. They can easily exchange data, files, evidence photos and video footage from the field directly with police headquarters using safe data connectivity and superfast speeds that only LIME’s 4G network can provide.

New technology to boost police work

The technology is unprecedented in Saint Lucia, although it is in use in more developed countries in North America and Europe. This is yet another example of the myriad of possibilities made real by the rollout of LIME’s state-of-the-art 4G network.
“Now the Traffic Department can outfit its officers with pocket-sized devices that have capabilities they would previously have had to travel to their offices, stations or headquarters to access,” says Terry Finisterre, LIME Corporate Communications Executive. “This also increases the efficiency of the process. What would have been a time-consuming check is now just a few clicks away.”
The company is eager to see the Saint Lucia Police Force using the latest technological innovations in mobile communications. “As the Caribbean’s leading full-service communications provider, it’s our job to help instill confidence in digital methods so our police can be safer and work more efficiently with user-friendly, efficient, and interoperable communications. Our goal is to offer a solution that will work wherever our hardworking officers of the Traffic Department are working,” Terry explains.
Citing 4G as the communication wave of the future, he said LIME’s collaboration with the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is principally about helping the police achieve higher levels of efficiency for law enforcement and greater safety for the public, as well as police officers.
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For media enquiries please contact:
Terry Finisterre || Tel: +1 758 453 9572 || Mobile: +1 758 285 3332 ||
Email: terry.finisterre@lime.com || BlackBerry: 29B6F381

UWP CALLS FOR CLARIFICATION ON DR. ANTHONY’S DECISION TO ASSUME HON. EMMA HIPPOLYTE’S MINISTERIAL PORTFOLIO

Castries, Saint Lucia – September 26, 2013 – In the August 26, 2013 Extra Ordinary Issue of the Gazette of Saint Lucia, the United Workers Party notes that the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Acted as Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs for the period August 23-28, 2013.
Our information confirms that during that period, the Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, Hon. Emma Hippolyte was out of state on official business approved by the Prime Minister. In fact, based on information from a reliable source in the United States, Minister Hippolyte attended a number of meetings in her capacity as Minister with a number of State institutions and organizations.

Minister Hippolyte

The United Workers Party is baffled by the need for Prime Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony to assume the office of Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs while Minister Hippolyte was overseas conducting legitimate business in her capacity as Minister. It is also important to note that according to our information, Minister Hippolyte was not on vacation or medical leave.
As a result of these perplexed events, the United Workers Party wants the Prime Minister to provide answers to the following questions:
1. Is it a new policy of this Labour Administration for the Prime Minister to act as Minister for any Minister who travels overseas on Government business?
2. If the Prime Minister assumes a Minister’s portfolio, does the Minister who has travelled have full Ministerial responsibilities, authority and privileges while overseas?
3. Do we expect to see the Prime Minister assume other portfolios when other Ministers travel on official Government business?
4. Given that this Prime Minister has not assumed the portfolio of any of his Ministers in the past when they travelled on Official Government business, can he tell us why he found it necessary to act for Emma Hippolyte in this instance or was she technically fired as Minister for the period August 23-28, 2013?
We await a response so that Saint Lucians may better understand the policy direction of this Administration with respect to the status of Government Ministers when they travel on official Government Business.
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CDF Mourns the Loss of Tenor Blaise Claudio Pascal

The late tenor, Blaise Claudio Pascal

The Cultural Development Foundation and the Saint Lucian artistic community today mourns the loss of Blaise Claudio Pascal, a highly regarded international tenor who died on Wednesday.
The CDF notes that Blaise’s life and career as a lyrical tenor spanned a period of over 19 years, performing across the major metropolis of the globe yet he returned home to give of his time and talents to raise the standard of vocal performance in Saint Lucia and the region. Keen on vocal pedagogy and performance, Mr. Pascal had begun to conduct master classes to assist aspiring singers in their vocal pursuits, a work which had also taken him to Antigua and St. Croix USVI, where he also performed.
His dream had been to initiate a vocal program of studies through the Caribbean Development Program, which he saw as significant to raising interest and appreciation in the region for classical vocal music. In that regard CDF is aware that Mr. Pascal had some significant projects in the pipeline which had the potential to transform the life chances of their intended beneficiaries.
An avid supporter of charity, in July 2008 he was the featured artist in a song recital for the St. Lucia Salvation Army Meals on Wheels program. His work with the Just Us Choir and with numerous other young people rendered him more than a famous name, but someone who our youth could see and touch in their midst.
We understand that Blaise’s death has undoubtedly created a void in the continued development of the arts and although we have lost his presence, his legacy lives on in the lives and hearts of the many young persons he worked with.
We take this moment to applaud the excellent contributions of Blaise Pascal to the arts and our community and, on behalf of the Board and Staff of the Cultural Development Foundation, extends sincere condolences to his family and the artistic community on the passing of this exceptional gentleman.
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