Carib Scope

标签： Saint Lucia

圣卢西亚

  • Seifert’s sensational 105 stuns TKR

    Seifert’s sensational 105 stuns TKR

    In a dominant Wednesday night display at Queen’s Park Oval, the Saint Lucia Kings secured their third consecutive seasonal victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League, capping off a historic batting performance and a clinical bowling effort to climb to the top of the league table.

    The fixture marked a key return for local player Keon Gaston, who came back into the squad following an injury layoff, while Sri Lankan batter Charith Asalanka stepped in to replace Johann Jeremiah in the Kings’ adjusted lineup. After TKR won the toss and elected to field first, the Kings got off to a blistering start that would set the tone for the entire match. Opening batters Tim Seifert and Kamil Pooran put together a rapid 60-run opening partnership to kick off the innings. When Pooran departed for a well-crafted 25 runs, the Kings’ momentum showed no signs of slowing. John Campbell stepped up to add aggressive impetus, keeping the required run rate soaring above 10 runs per over through the first half of the 20-over innings.

    Led by Seifert’s red-hot form, the entire Kings batting unit attacked all areas of the ground, with the New Zealand batter delivering a standout match-winning century. Seifert remained unbeaten on 105 runs off just 61 deliveries, hammering eight boundaries and five maximums to post the highest individual score by any Kings batter in the 2024 CPL season. By the end of their innings, the Kings had posted a mammoth total of 211 runs – a new ground record for the franchise at Queen’s Park Oval, breaking the previous benchmark of 167/5 set by the side when it competed as the Saint Lucia Zouks back in 2019.

    Despite the imposing target, the match was not without its own milestones for TKR. Veteran spinner Sunil Narine picked up his 650th career wicket in T20 cricket during the Kings’ innings, making him just the second bowler in the history of the format to reach the elite milestone, following Afghanistan star Rashid Khan.

    TKR’s run chase got off to a similarly explosive start, with Narine joining opener Colin Munro to put on a 70-run opening stand inside the first seven powerplay overs. But the Kings turned the tide immediately after the powerplay, when skipper Roston Chase delivered back-to-back breakthroughs to derail TKR’s momentum. After claiming the second wicket of the innings, Chase dismissed TKR captain Nicholas Pooran just one ball after he walked to the crease, leaving the chase disjointed.

    TKR struggled to rebuild their momentum until former captain Kieron Pollard – the leading run-scorer in T20 history – launched a late counterattack. Pollard smashed a rapid 65 runs off only 26 deliveries, including six fives and five sixes, to drag TKR back into contention. But once Pollard fell to Kings leading wicket-taker Matthew Forde, TKR’s hopes of a comeback were effectively ended. The Saint Lucia Kings eventually sealed a 36-run victory, their largest winning margin by runs this CPL season.

    Named Man of the Match for his historic century, Seifert highlighted the importance of the win over one of the league’s strongest sides in post-match comments. “It probably wasn’t the best start for us in the first five games, but we said to ourselves to forget about that and focus on the next five. Now we’re two for two. So yeah, it’s a great night, and to come here and win gives huge confidence to the boys,” Seifert said. With the third straight win over TKR, the Saint Lucia Kings now sit atop the CPL table as the tournament enters its next phase.

  • Saint Lucia’s hot spell offers a glimpse of El Niño’s grip

    Saint Lucia’s hot spell offers a glimpse of El Niño’s grip

    As the Caribbean enters the peak of its annual heat season, a powerful El Niño event has amplified already record-breaking hot and dry conditions, triggering widespread public health crises, agricultural disruption, and long-term systemic risks across the region, with Saint Lucia already feeling the acute impacts. For weeks, health clinics across the Caribbean island nation have reported a sharp uptick in patients seeking care for heat-related conditions, including dizziness, fainting, headaches, confusion, and vomiting – trends doctors confirm are directly tied to the prolonged extreme temperatures marking one of the driest, hottest periods Saint Lucia has seen in decades.

    Local health officials have issued urgent warnings highlighting that heat stress poses disproportionate risks to vulnerable groups, including older adults, young children, and pregnant women. Dr. Delphina Vernor from Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Health has advised the public to prioritize hydration, limit unprotected sun exposure, and seek immediate care if unusual symptoms develop during time outdoors. “Do not ignore symptoms if you experience headaches, dizziness, weakness, confusion, fainting, vomiting or any other concerning symptoms while you are out or exposed; it is important to move to a cooler environment,” Vernor emphasized.

    Beyond acute heat illness, regional climate and health experts warn that the extended dry spell has created secondary public health hazards, including depleted drinking water supplies, declining water quality, and increased transmission of vector-borne diseases carried by insects.

    The crisis stretches far beyond the health sector, with small-scale and commercial farmers already facing steep production losses. Frank, a vegetable grower based in Saint Lucia’s Choiseul district, told reporters his annual yield has dropped sharply compared to 2025. Climate scientists confirm that sustained high temperatures and below-average rainfall threaten widespread crop failure, particularly for low-income subsistence farmers who rely entirely on rainwater for irrigation. These losses put regional food security and rural household incomes at severe risk.

    Climatologists say the current extreme conditions are being driven by one of the strongest El Niño events on record – a natural climate pattern defined by elevated sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific that occurs every two to seven years, and reshapes global weather systems. Labeled a “Godzilla El Niño” by earlier BBC reporting, this event is forecast to persist through 2027, bringing rising heat risks to the Atlantic and Caribbean regions. Forecasts indicate peak record-breaking heat could hit the region as early as March to May of 2027, with drought conditions lingering for months. Dr. Cedric Van Meerbeeck, a climatologist with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), noted that El Niño has a well-documented history of triggering severe drought across the Caribbean, including major events in 2009–2010 and 2014–2016. Beyond drought and heat, the phenomenon also amplifies risks of wildfires and marine heatwaves that destroy vulnerable coral reef ecosystems. For parts of the Eastern Caribbean already experiencing severe drought, Van Meerbeeck warned that water reserves may recover far more slowly than usual even during the 2026 wet season peak between September and November.

    While El Niño typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity – a trend that has held true for the 2026 season, which has seen only four weak, largely harmless storms to date – experts caution that the risk of catastrophic storm damage has not been eliminated. Van Meerbeeck pointed to 2015’s Tropical Storm Erika, which triggered devastating flooding and landslides across Dominica that left the island reeling, despite never making official landfall.

    Unlike sudden, high-impact events such as hurricanes, this El Niño-driven heat and drought crisis is a slow-onset disaster that builds in severity over months. Professor Michael Taylor, co-director of the University of the West Indies Climate Studies Group Mona (UWI CSGM), emphasized that the slow-moving nature of the crisis does not make it any less dangerous. “Unlike a hurricane, the impacts will continue to build over months. We must respond to the unfolding slow-moving crisis with the seriousness we bring to other major climate threats, since what we do now determines the options available to us later,” Taylor said.

    Regional experts also warn that the crisis extends to trade and economic stability. Because the Caribbean relies heavily on imported goods, global El Niño-related disruptions can ripple through local supply chains, drive up living costs, and limit access to essential goods and services. CIMH and UWI CSGM have called on national governments, businesses, and community groups to proactively assess risks to supply chains, transport infrastructure, and key trade routes to avoid exacerbating food insecurity and inflation.

    In a joint statement released in late August, CIMH and UWI CSGM urged all stakeholders across the Caribbean to implement urgent preparedness measures ahead of what could be years of sustained extreme conditions. “Proactive measures are vital for mitigating the impacts of extreme weather events on climate-sensitive sectors, communities and national economies,” said Dr. David Farrell, CIMH principal.

  • Babonneau Lawòz returns after decades

    Babonneau Lawòz returns after decades

    After lying dormant for more than 40 years, a beloved cornerstone of Saint Lucian cultural and Catholic heritage has returned to the community of Babonneau. On Sunday, August 23, the long-absent Lawòz tradition was rekindled at Babonneau Church, where community members gathered to crown George Louis and Brenda Aimable as the new Lawòz King and Queen.

    This historic ceremony marked the first official Lawòz coronation held in Babonneau since the 1980s, drawing participants from both the Babonneau and Monchy Lawòz community groups. The coronation kicks off the lead-up to the annual Feast of Lawòz, which this year will be hosted by the neighboring community of Monchy on August 30. Rooted deeply in both local Saint Lucian identity and Catholic religious practice, the annual gathering serves as a unifying event for residents across communities to honor their shared heritage.

    For Father Albert Aaron, parish priest of Babonneau, the revival of the Lawòz group extends far beyond simply resuscitating an old folk custom. He detailed the tradition’s complex origins, tracing it back to the era of plantation slavery in the Caribbean. Enslaved people were barred from holding formal positions of social status in colonial society, so they created Lawòz as a space to imitate and claim those roles for themselves, building a community tradition that outlasted the systems that birthed it.

    Passed down through generations of Saint Lucians, the tradition has retained its deep ties to the Catholic faith, a connection that made this year’s coronation date particularly symbolic. August 23 is the official feast day of Saint Rose of Lima, a revered Peruvian Catholic saint whose life of service aligns closely with the core values of the Lawòz celebration.

    “Lawòz is a way of bringing people together and being able to appreciate each other as who they are, the things we do, how and why we do them…and bringing people to care more and more for each other,” Father Aaron explained, noting that Saint Rose of Lima’s lifelong devotion to serving others embodies the spirit the celebration seeks to nurture.

    For new King George Louis, the revival of Lawòz in Babonneau is a deeply personal milestone: the tradition has been a thread running through his life since childhood. “I understand it’s part of our culture, and so I have continued whenever I get the opportunity,” Louis said, adding that the coronation holds profound meaning as a public marker of the tradition’s return to his home community.

    New Queen Brenda Aimable shares that commitment to preserving the custom, particularly through engaging younger generations to ensure the tradition does not fade away. As a young girl growing up in Babonneau, Aimable missed her early chance to participate in Lawòz, a regret that left her acutely aware that the local culture was at risk of dying out without active effort to sustain it.

    When she heard that organizers were rebuilding the Lawòz group in Babonneau, Aimable did not hesitate to sign up, determined not to repeat her earlier mistake. “I have always been interested in being the queen, and I stated my interest and there you have it. God bless me. I am the queen,” she shared.

    For Aimable, the role of Queen is about more than the coronation ceremony itself. She hopes her tenure will inspire young people across the region to explore their Saint Lucian heritage and join the Lawòz tradition. “So during our reign, I pray that God helps us to get that done,” she said.

  • New Vieux-Fort Mayor promises ‘new era of local governance

    New Vieux-Fort Mayor promises ‘new era of local governance

    A new chapter of community-centered local governance has begun in Vieux-Fort, as Rhyesa Joseph officially assumed office as the town’s mayor, anchoring her administration’s priorities in grassroots participation, worker dignity, and celebration of the region’s distinct cultural and civic identity.

    Joseph took the oath of office on Friday, August 21, during an inauguration ceremony that also swore in the full roster of members for the newly established Vieux-Fort South Constituency Council.

    Bringing a rich professional and academic background to the role, Joseph previously served as director of the Folk Research Centre, and earned the distinction of valedictorian during her studies at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill. In her inaugural address, she framed her decision to accept the mayoral post as a commitment rooted in public service and collective responsibility, rather than personal ambition.

    “While my stewardship will require the collective effort and support of councillors, staff, the community, private sector and the government, I asked myself, ‘Can I do any good here or be of any service?’ The answer was yes,” Joseph shared in her remarks.

    Collaborative, inclusive governance sits at the core of Joseph’s policy agenda for Vieux-Fort. A top priority for the new administration is restructuring how local government operates, pushing for a cultural shift that recognizes the full value of municipal workers beyond their most visible public-facing duties.

    Joseph outlined her goal to “usher in a new era of local governance where workers are respected and valued as more than street cleaners and democracy and development are community led”. Moving beyond internal administrative reform, she also laid out an ambitious long-term goal to position Vieux-Fort as a national benchmark for inclusive, sustainable municipal development, while investing more resources in amplifying and celebrating the town’s unique local history and identity.

    In a departure from top-down development frameworks, Joseph emphasized that local residents hold a critical share of responsibility for shaping Vieux-Fort’s future, urging community members to recognize their own agency in driving progress. She pushed back against the idea that successful development models must be imported from external regions, noting, “Development is homegrown and need not be imported or copied for success.”

    Closing her address, Joseph extended gratitude to the newly seated council members for their commitment to public service, as well as to the outgoing and continuing municipal staff who have maintained consistent operations for the town during the transition period.

  • Vieux Fort workshop gives mothers hands-on support for breastfeeding

    Vieux Fort workshop gives mothers hands-on support for breastfeeding

    As Saint Lucia marks its annual Breastfeeding Awareness Month, a community-focused initiative in the southern town of Vieux Fort is bringing critical guidance and encouragement to new and expectant mothers navigating early parenthood. The Vieux Fort Wellness Centre organized a targeted hands-on workshop designed to address the common knowledge gaps and anxieties that often leave first-time mothers feeling unprepared to breastfeed their infants. Drawing attendees from across Vieux Fort and surrounding neighboring communities, the event forms part of a broader, sustained public health push to normalize breastfeeding and equip mothers with the tools they need to succeed from the very start of their parenting journey.

    Junette Joseph, a community health nurse attached to the Vieux Fort Wellness Centre, outlined the core mission of the gathering. “The aim of the workshop is to provide information and also support for expectant mothers to enable them to initiate and maintain breastfeeding successfully, knowing all the wonderful benefits of breastfeeding,” Joseph explained. Beyond sharing evidence-based information about the wide-ranging health benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers, the workshop prioritized practical, skill-based learning that addresses the most common early challenges new mothers face.

    Attendees had the opportunity to practice proper infant positioning and latching techniques—two core skills that often present steep learning curves for women breastfeeding for the first time. In addition to hands-on practice, participants took home customized educational materials to reference after the workshop, and enjoyed open discussion space to ask specific questions about their individual circumstances. The session also created space to debunk widespread common misconceptions about breastfeeding that often discourage women from starting or continuing to breastfeed their children. Organizers report that the event left participating mothers feeling more confident and supported in their upcoming or current breastfeeding journeys, aligning with the national goals of Breastfeeding Awareness Month to improve maternal and infant health outcomes across Saint Lucia.

  • Saint Lucia make history at Pan Am table tennis

    Saint Lucia make history at Pan Am table tennis

    Guatemala City is playing host to the 2025 ITTF-Americas Youth Championships, and a little-known Caribbean under-19 boys’ table tennis squad from Saint Lucia has pulled off a stunning turnaround, capturing the first two international team wins in the nation’s youth table tennis history. The Saint Lucian side entered the tournament facing unique disadvantages from the start, and their opening matches reflected those unplanned struggles, but a dominant performance from a talented 15-year-old prodigy powered the team to back-to-back 3-2 upset wins over Costa Rica and Mexico on the tournament’s second competition day.

    The Saint Lucia delegation features three male under-19 competitors – national junior champion Manie Eleuthere, runner-up Leshon Francis, and Khamari Harris – plus a single female entrant, Shatal Charles, who is set to compete in girls’ singles and mixed doubles after the team event wraps. The squad ultimately finished the team phase of the tournament in ninth place, a result that feels far more celebratory than it might on paper given the challenges the team overtook to get there.

    In an interview after the turnaround wins, head coach Chris Wells opened up about the unexpected hurdles his team faced before they even stepped onto the competition court. The squad arrived in Guatemala City, which sits roughly 5,000 feet above sea level, and was denied any opportunity to practice on the official venue ahead of their opening matches. This lack of preparation hit the team particularly hard, because Saint Lucia’s highest natural peak stands just over 3,000 feet above sea level – meaning the team was competing 2,000 feet higher than the highest point in their home country, with no prior chance to acclimatize to the thin air.

    “The ball travels differently through the air at this altitude,” Wells explained. “The first two days were really tough, as we tried to adjust to the conditions and play the way we do when we train back home. We had no way to replicate this environment in preparation.”

    Those early obstacles showed in the team’s opening group stage matches on day one, where Saint Lucia dropped back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Peru and Canada. Even in those losses, however, there were signs of the team’s potential: Eleuthere pushed his higher-ranked Canadian opponent to a full five-set thriller before narrowly falling 3-2.

    By the second day of competition, the team had started to acclimatize, and they pulled off a historic turnaround no one saw coming. Against Costa Rica and Mexico, the squad notched their first-ever wins in international team play, both by a tight 3-2 score. Leading the charge was 15-year-old Leshon Francis, who was competing up an age group against the older U19 field, and finished the day undefeated across both matches.

    Against Costa Rica, Francis took both of his singles matches, including a dominant straight-set win in the do-or-die fifth match that sealed the historic victory for Saint Lucia. Against Mexico, he repeated the feat, again winning both of his matches in straight sets – including a victory over the defending Central American U19 champion, one of the highest-profile upsets of the day. The performance cemented Francis as the catalyst for Saint Lucia’s historic comeback, captured in official tournament photos credited to the Saint Lucia National Table Tennis Association.

    The ITTF-Americas Youth Championships run through August 31, and the Saint Lucian team is far from done. After the conclusion of the team event, Charles will continue her run in girls’ singles and mixed doubles, while all three male competitors will move on to compete in individual singles and doubles events in the coming days.

  • Tributes pour in for Kesi Fevrier after her death in Canada

    Tributes pour in for Kesi Fevrier after her death in Canada

    A promising young Saint Lucian woman, Kesi Fevrier, has died tragically in Ottawa, Canada, leaving multiple community and educational institutions across two countries in mourning, with condolences pouring in for her loved ones.

    Fevrier, a native of the Saint Lucian community of Mon Repos, was discovered deceased at a private residence on Guigues Avenue in the Canadian capital on August 22. Even after relocating to Canada to build her life abroad, Fevrier remained deeply connected to her roots and stayed actively engaged with the Saint Lucian diaspora, her former institutions and community peers recalled.

    Fevrier cut her academic teeth at two prominent Saint Lucian educational institutions: Saint Joseph’s Convent, where she graduated as part of the 2015 senior class, and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), where she completed her Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) studies between 2015 and 2017. Beyond her academic work, Fevrier was an enthusiastic participant in campus life, serving as an active cheerleader throughout her time at SALCC.

    In an official public statement shared to its Facebook page, SALCC confirmed its grief over the passing of one of its former students. “The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College mourns the tragic passing of Kesi Fevrier, a former CAPE student of the College,” the statement read. “We extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, former classmates, and all those who knew and loved her.”

    Saint Joseph’s Convent, Fevrier’s alma mater for secondary education, also released a statement honoring her memory and offering support to her loved ones. “The Saint Joseph’s Convent community mourns the passing of our past student, Kesi Fevrier, Class of 2015,” the school shared. “We offer our sincere prayers and condolences to Kesi’s family and friends in Canada and at home. May she rest in eternal peace.”

    This latest loss marks an especially painful stretch for the Saint Joseph’s Convent community: Fevrier is the second former student the institution has lost in just four months to an alleged case of femicide. In May, the school community was already reeling from the death of 24-year-old Joy St. Omer, another former graduate who died violently.

    Beyond educational circles, the Saint Lucian diaspora in Ottawa is also processing the loss. The Saint Lucia Ottawa Association (SLOA), a community organization for Saint Lucians living in the region, confirmed Fevrier was an active contributing member of the association, serving on its Entertainment and Marketing Committee. SLOA President Marshall Celestin remembered Fevrier for her warm demeanor, contagious positive energy, and consistent willingness to step up and support the group and its members.

    “This tragedy has left us with profound sadness, disbelief, and grief,” the association said in a statement. “Words cannot fully express the pain of losing someone whose life held so much promise and whose journey had so much more to offer.” The organization added that Fevrier left a lasting, positive impact on everyone she met, and that her presence will be deeply missed across the entire Saint Lucian community both at home and abroad.

  • Public invited to view sculptures for underwater park

    Public invited to view sculptures for underwater park

    Saint Lucia is making a landmark addition to its global tourism profile with the creation of its first-ever underwater sculpture park, a project designed to boost dive tourism and celebrate the island nation’s distinct cultural and historical legacy. Ahead of the permanent underwater installation, the country is opening a rare public preview of the completed artworks this weekend, giving local residents the first chance to engage with a project co-created by Saint Lucian creators themselves.

    Three distinct underwater zones will make up the broader park network once complete: a dedicated Dive Park for certified diving enthusiasts, a Snorkel Park accessible to casual visitors, and a Conservation Park focused on marine ecological protection. When installed, the Dive Park’s sculptures will be submerged off the coast of Anse La Verdue in the Canaries district, becoming a new anchor for the island’s growing adventure tourism sector.

    The pre-installation preview will run on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30, hosted at Odsan Warehouse, a venue located directly opposite the Odsan Playing Field. The event is open exclusively to local Saint Lucians first, reflecting the project’s community-centered origins.

    Unlike many large-scale tourist attractions developed by external stakeholders, this underwater park was shaped directly by Saint Lucian creativity. In 2024, the Ministry of Tourism launched a national Storyboard Competition, calling on local artists and community members to submit ideas rooted in the country’s own stories of history and heritage. Three creators took top honors in the competition: Ted Sandiford won the Culture and History category, Jalim Eudovic claimed victory in the Heritage category, and Sheree Emmanuel was named the overall competition winner. All winning concepts were developed into the physical sculptures that will form the core of the underwater park.

    Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire emphasized that the project represents far more than a new economic driver for the island’s tourism industry. “We asked Saint Lucians to help tell the story of Saint Lucia, and our artists and community creatives contributed the ideas from which these sculptures were developed,” Hilaire explained. “We are therefore not simply presenting Saint Lucia to the world; we are allowing Saint Lucians to define how our history and heritage are presented to the world.”

    Hilaire outlined his vision for the long-term impact of the underwater park, noting that it will bring entirely new, culturally rooted offerings to Saint Lucia’s tourism sector. “My hope is that when people dive into this park, they will not only discover our history, but leave with a deeper appreciation for the resilience of our people, the richness of our culture and the responsibility we all share to protect our heritage for generations to come,” he said.

    The initiative is part of a broader strategy to grow Saint Lucia’s dive tourism market, creating new visitor opportunities while centering local narrative and cultural ownership, a model that other Caribbean tourism destinations have increasingly embraced in recent years.

  • Sixx and Seven make peace in Trinidad: Could Saint Lucia be next?

    Sixx and Seven make peace in Trinidad: Could Saint Lucia be next?

    A high-profile peace agreement between two rival Trinidadian musical entertainers linked to the Sixx and Seven factions has ignited a renewed push for nonviolence in nearby Saint Lucia, where the same faction labels have been adopted by competing youth gangs that have divided communities.

    Nehemiah St Jean, a veteran youth and sports mentor based in Saint Lucia, is banking on the public reconciliation between Trinidadian artists KMan and Plumpy Boss to shift the mindset of young people caught up in intergroup conflict, encouraging them to abandon cycles of violence and retaliation that have destabilized local communities.

    Reflecting on the Trinidadian breakthrough, St Jean emphasized that the most powerful takeaway from the agreement is the clear recognition that no one emerges victorious from gang rivalry. “Too many lives have been lost, including the lives of innocent bystanders who had no ties to the conflict,” he noted.

    The high-stakes feud between the two Trinidadian artists came to an official end over the recent weekend, following structured peace negotiations mediated by Roger Alexander, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Homeland Security. The pair marked their new alliance with a joint public appearance at Summer Stage: The Festival this past Saturday, a dramatic display of unity after years of bitter public tension. Earlier in 2026, KMan, previously known as KMan 6ixx, dropped the faction identifier from his stage name as a signal of moving past the rivalry.

    News of this reconciliation has quickly resonated across Saint Lucia, where the Sixx and Seven faction branding has spread to local competing youth groups. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has repeatedly raised alarms about the growth of gang-linked criminal activity in the country, and both law enforcement and community organizations have intervened repeatedly to de-escalate conflicts between young people aligned with the two rival identities.

    St Jean pointed out that Saint Lucia has a long history of adopting cultural trends from its Caribbean neighbor Trinidad and Tobago, and he is optimistic that this peace example will follow the same pattern. He is calling on young Saint Lucians aligned with the Sixx and Seven factions to follow the Trinidadian example and lay down their grudges.

    “My honest hope is that we can copycat this as well,” St Jean said in an interview. “Copycat the truce and the peace treaty, and copycat the fact that they realized there is space for both of them to shine on the same stage together.”

    This message is particularly urgent in the coastal community of Soufrière, where ongoing intergroup tensions have left residents in a constant state of anxiety. St Jean, who has worked with at-risk young people in Soufrière for years, explained that the entire community remains on edge, with widespread fear that a new violent outbreak could ignite at any moment.

    “The entire community, especially in Soufrière right now, is on edge because it just seems like something will happen at any given time, something will escalate, somebody is going to die again,” he said.

    The involvement of vulnerable young people in these rivalries is what troubles St Jean most. He explained that many young men get drawn into gang activity because gangs provide the sense of belonging, care and validation that they fail to receive from family, schools or other community institutions. “A lot of these young men end up in the gangs because the gang members show them the love and attention that they are not getting elsewhere,” he explained.

    To reverse this trend, St Jean argued that intervention efforts must go far beyond simply telling young people to avoid crime. Communities need to invest in tangible, meaningful alternative pathways that give young people the tools to build stable, fulfilling lives. He pointed to vocational skills training and organized sports programs as proven models that can help young people develop their talents and build legitimate careers.

    “We try to keep them occupied in every way that they understand that they can actually gain a living from sports and other activities other than the lifestyle that they want to go down,” St Jean said.

    Even these well-intentioned intervention efforts face major barriers, however, due to the pervasive climate of fear that violence has created. St Jean noted that many residents now avoid public gatherings, organized sporting events, and even certain streets entirely, worried that they will be caught in crossfire between rival groups.

    “People don’t even want to leave their homes. People don’t want to pass certain streets. They don’t want to be certain places because they fear that a bullet might not be intended for them, but end up hitting them,” he explained.

    St Jean also pushed back against the common narrative that addressing gang violence is solely the responsibility of the national government. “I don’t think it’s just a government thing. I think it’s a whole Saint Lucia, whole community kind of thing,” he said.

    Previous attempts to broker peace between rival groups in Soufrière have only produced temporary reductions in tension, with violence flaring up again after short periods of calm. Currently, the local Soufrière Crime Prevention Task Force is working to identify new, sustainable strategies to restore safety and unity to the community.

    For St Jean, the repeated cycle of retaliation in Saint Lucia underscores the core truth of the Trinidadian example: in gang warfare, there are no winners. He warned that ongoing retaliation puts innocent bystanders and family members of those involved in conflict at constant risk, and that the harms of gang involvement extend far beyond violent shootings. Young people caught up in rivalries often lose the ability to move freely around their own communities, hold steady employment, or participate in normal community life, all because of the constant threat of attack.

    Saint Lucia has already seen organized local efforts to broker peace between the Sixx and Seven factions. Back in January 2025, local community advocacy group Strive brought rival members together for peace talks in New Village, later expanding the initiative to Wilton’s Yard in the capital city of Castries.

    With the high-profile, public reconciliation in Trinidad and Tobago now serving as a tangible example of what is possible, St Jean says he is hopeful that this example will resonate with young Saint Lucians and help break the cycle of violence that has held communities like Soufrière captive for too long.

    “We really want and hope that maybe that truce from Trinidad can trickle down here and bring the same form of peace down here in Soufrière,” he said.

  • Sammy Foundation scores big for Saint Lucian youth

    Sammy Foundation scores big for Saint Lucian youth

    Fresh off wrapping up the home leg of the 2026 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with his team the Saint Lucia Kings, legendary Saint Lucian cricketer and head coach Daren Sammy did not hang up his athletic ambitions — instead, he traded his cricket bat for a driver to host his fifth annual charity golf tournament at Cap Estate’s iconic Sandals Golf & Country Club. The event, held to benefit his eponymous Daren Sammy Foundation (DSF), brings together sports figures, regional golf enthusiasts and community leaders each year to fund educational and athletic opportunities for young people across the island.

    This year’s iteration drew 57 golfers from across Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean region, with a star-studded guest list that included CPL Chief Executive Officer Pete Russell, former West Indies cricket captain Daren Ganga, South African international cricket stars Quinton de Kock and George Linde, former Irish international cricketer Niall O’Brien, veteran sports broadcaster Alex Jordan, and Trinidad & Tobago Golf Association President Wayne Baptiste. The turnout reflected widespread support for Sammy’s mission to uplift the next generation of Saint Lucians through targeted investment in education and sports.

    After 18 holes of competitive play, the team division delivered a nail-biting finish that saw three separate teams tie for the lowest net score of 58. Samuel Richelieu and Gordon Julien edged out the competition to claim the first-place title with an stellar net score of -13, while Bertrand Johannes and Keymanie Thompson finished a close second, and Andrew McHale and Kenneth Mathurin rounded out the top three. Mario Reyes and Peter Joe Devaux took fourth place with a net score of 59, and Henix Joseph and Dharmendra Shah completed the top five with a final net score of 60.

    Beyond team competition, the tournament also featured individual skill challenges that showcased local golfing talent. Winston Charles earned the men’s Longest Drive award with an impressive opening tee shot, while Kimberly John took home the same honor in the women’s division. For the Closest to the Pin challenge, Chris Owen and Remy Smith shared the men’s title, with Jenifer Mendes claiming the women’s top spot.

    By the end of the tournament, organizers announced that the event had raised roughly EC$78,000 for the Daren Sammy Foundation — a timely influx of funding, as dozens of DSF scholarship recipients prepare to head back to school for the new academic year. Since its launch, the foundation has centered its work on expanding youth development across Saint Lucia by combining access to educational scholarships and athletic programming, creating long-term opportunities for young people from across the island. The event capped off with a celebratory photo opportunity for the winning team, joined by Sammy, his wife Cathy and his daughter Skai to mark the milestone of another successful fundraiser.