St. Lucia was colonised for the very first time around 500 BC by the Ciboneys - an Amerindian people orginating in Venezuela. They were followed by Arawak Indians around 200 AD, and later again, around 900 AD, by the Caribs. Today, very little remains of the culture of these original inhabitants in St. Lucia, bar some knowledge regarding boat building, weaving and pottery, and some linguistic remains. From 1605 onwards, French, British and Dutch seafarers began colonising St. Lucia. By 1680, the Caribs had had to yield control over the island.. Soon, French, British and Irish colonisers felt compelled to bring in enslaved workers from the West-African coast to perform the arduous tasks associated with tropical agriculture, particularly sugar cultivation. Since 1804, St. Lucia had permanently been under British rule, after several changes in ownership between France and Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Culturally, however, St. Lucia continues to demonstrate strong French influences - as is highlighted by its predominantly French-based Creole (also informally known as 'patois').
After Emancipation, in 1838, St. Lucians remained in many ways subservient to the demands and needs of the capitalist world system. A small white elite of planters and merchants maintained control over a large black workforce, with a small but expanding coloured middle-class mediating between the two. Wages were very low until well into the 20th century, and alternative ways of making a living remained limited to fishing, charcoal-making, wood cutting, shopkeeping or emigration (both seasonal and permanent). In the late 19th century, contract labourers from India were imported to work on the sugar estates, and this 'East-Indian' heritage has since complemented the African and European ethnic make-up of St. Lucian culture and society.
In the mid-twentieth century, St. Lucian society went through a series of major changes. Plantation-based sugar cultivation was abandoned in the 1950s, and replaced by small-scale, farmer-grown banana production. In political terms, the birth of a labour movement (in the 1930s) gave rise in the 1950s to an increasing level of self-governance. Adult suffrage, various constitutional changes and closer cooperation within the Eastern Caribbean finally gave rise, in 1979, to political independence for St. Lucia within the British Commonwealth. Since the 1970s, subsequent governments have prompted diversification of the local economy, by stimulating investments in the tourism and light manufacturing sectors.
St. Lucia is a parliamentary democracy, boasting two political parties:
The United Workers Party (which was in almost permanent power from 1964 until 1997, most of the time under the leadership of Sir John Compton), and the St. Lucia Labour Party, which was in power from 1979 to1982, and again since 1997, under current Prime-Minister Dr. Kenny D. Anthony.
The recent changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism industry helped expand GDP in 1998-99. The agriculture sector registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a severe decline in banana production. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean, and the government is beginning to develop regulations for the small offshore financial sector
St Lucia has a mix of English, French, African and Caribbean cultural influences. To understand as well as enjoy St. Lucia's culture is largely a matter of gaining some sense of the various peoples who have contributed to it.
The first of these were the Arawaks and the Caribs. They were expert hunters, farmers, fishermen, and skilled artists. Their primary crops were cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, all of which still play a central role in the island's food. The Amerindians were decimated by the arrival of the Europeans, and only a small number of St. Lucians can still trace their roots back to this group. Some of the few particular aspects of Amerindian culture that survive include farina and cassava bread, fish-pots and other local craft items. Some villages still practice the ancient art of fishing in dug-out canoes.
The next group to arrive on the shores of the island were the Europeans, primarily the British and the French. Though the Europeans didn't settle St. Lucia in large numbers, they had an incalculable impact on the island's history and culture. The British and French influences seem to weigh equally, despite the fact that the French lost the island in 1814. To St. Lucia's complex cultural mosaic, the British contributed their language, educational system, and legal and political structure. French culture is more evident in the arts--music, dance, and Creole patois, which stands alongside the official language of English.
At the same time that the Europeans were bringing their own cultures to St. Lucia, African culture was becoming established through the arrival of slaves for European plantations and, later, indentured labourers. Their descendants constitute the largest percentage of the island's population, and their proud heritage has had an enormous impact on St. Lucia's character as a nation. African traditions have survived the repressions of slavery and servitude to become the strongest element in St. Lucian culture today.
After the abolition of slavery, East Indians came to St. Lucia as indentured servants. Most worked in the large sugar factories in the Cul-de-Sac, Roseau, and Mabouya valleys and in Vieux Fort, where there is still a significant East Indian community. In comparison to other immigrant groups, their numbers were small. Although their traditional culture has almost disappeared, the East Indians have had a notable and lasting influence on the island's fine cuisine.
Derek Walcott, the renowned Caribbean poet and playwright and winner of the 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature, is a native of St Lucia. Walcott, who teaches overseas, still maintains his connections with the island and is spearheading a movement to renovate the buildings on Rat Island, a former quarantine station off Choc Beach. There are plans to turn the buildings into a retreat for writers and artists.
Visas: Citizens of the USA and Canada can enter St Lucia with proof
of citizenship and a photo ID. French citizens can enter with a national identity
card. Citizens of the UK, Australia and most other countries must be in possession
of a valid passport. For all foreign visitors, stays of over 28 days generally
require a visa and an onward or roundtrip ticket or proof of sufficient funds.
Health risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) and the fer-de-lance snake (a poisonous pit viper)
Getting Around: St Lucia is only 27mi in length and 14mi in width, so it doesn't take long to get to most places on the island. Most islanders use the cheap minivan bus service to get to town, school or work.Very few buses run on Sunday. If there's no bus stop nearby, you can wave buses down en route as long as there's space for the bus to pull over.
Taxis are plentiful at the airports, in Castries and in the main resort areas. Always establish the fare with the driver before you get in.
There are car rental agencies at the airports and at Rodney Bay. Unless you have an International Driving Permit, you'll need to purchase a local license, which can be picked up from immigration at either airport.
Remember to drive on the left :)