Bahamas Delegation Attends Saint Lucia’s 38th Independence Anniversary
Saint Lucia gained its Independence on February 22, 1979 so, in keeping with the Government’s initiative to enhance a positive relationship particularly with its CARICOM colleagues, The Bahamas was proud to be a part of Saint Lucia’s 38th Independence Anniversary. Representing The Bahamas during the period 21-23 February, 2017, in Saint Lucia were Parliamentary Secretary Cleola Hamilton accompanied by Foreign Service Officer, Erica Ward.
Under the theme “I am Saint Lucia”, thousands gathered at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia, to mark the Independence celebration. Beginning at 8:00 am, uniformed officers paraded across the field as spectators waved the Saint Lucian flag which, in some respects, is similar to the Bahamian flag. It consists of a blue field charged with a yellow triangle in front of a white-edged black triangle. The blue represents the sky and the sea, the black and white refer to the harmonious relationship between the black and white races and the yellow symbolizes the sunshine, as well as prosperity. The triangles represent the Pitons, the twin volcanic cones located in the southwest part of the island, and unity of the people.
The Independence celebration showed how proud the people of Saint Lucia are of their country and its achievements, such as producing two Nobel Prize winners, Sir Arthur Lewis (Economics, 1979) and the Hon. Derek Walcott, OCC (Literature 1992), and notable athletes like Darren Sammy, after whom the Cricket Stadium was named.