St. Lucia: Beautiful Island,
Wonderful People
By Veronica Logan
 Though
people on the outside looking in tend to paint the
West Indian islands with one brush, thinking they’re
all the same (sun, sea and sand), St. Lucia differentiates
itself from other islands with its food, language,
music, history and geography.
A Brief History
The beautiful island of St.
Lucia was first inhabited by the Arawak Indians and
Caribs. Europeans first came to the island around
the 1500s during Spain's early exploration of the
Caribbean. The Dutch, English, and French all tried
to establish trading outposts on St. Lucia in the
17th century but faced opposition from the Caribs.
Both the English and French,
based in Barbados and Martinique respectively, found
St. Lucia attractive after the development of her
sugar industry in the 18th century. At least 14 wars
were waged between the two European countries before
St. Lucia finally became a British territory in 1815
and one of the Windward Islands in 1871.
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Exploring
Bob Marley's Legacy
By Majessire L. Smith, Esq.
 West
Indians love this great entertainer and hold him up
as a national treasure. Some of us feel an innate personal
ownership of his accomplishments. When his name is mentioned
our chests swell with pride as if we somehow had a hand
in the creation of his music.
His presence is felt far beyond
the West Indian community as well. As I am sure you
know, Bob Marley’s immense following includes
peoples of all walks of life, all cultures, and all
of the far-flung reaches of the world. He is known and
loved the world over for his talent as a musician and
his many chart-topping albums. To this day, the posthumous
release, “Legend”, is touted as one of the
best selling albums of all time.
But what is it about this man—this
Robert Nesta Marley—that makes him so universally
loved?
Bob Marley achieved international
superstardom, certainly no easy feat for a Jamaican
reggae artist in the seventies. He propelled reggae
music into the limelight and created a world-wide musical
revolution. He added just enough pop to make his music
resonate with mainstream American and European audiences,
yet he still managed to maintain that gritty authenticity
that could only come from his upbringing in Jamaica.
His now iconic songs such as “Black Progress”,
“Buffalo Soldier”, and “Africa Unite”
bespeak his outspoken dedication to the pan-African
struggle. Yet, to many he is remembered primarily, if
not exclusively, for a single aspect of his adherence
to the Rastafarian faith, his marijuana use.
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