50th Anniversary Listwa Nou

The Monsignor Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) distinguishes itself as a Saint Lucian and Caribbean treasure, for its invaluable role as a movement and organisation created for the celebration, preservation and advancement of the Saint Lucian identity and culture. This is illustrated by our extensive collections of subjects related to culture, stored in various formats.

Listwa Nou, “Our Story” precedes but it is a crucial part of Saint Lucian independence which began in 1973. It was appropriately rooted in youth, folk, community, the Kwéyòl language, and Kwéyòl culture. Through mobilization, community engagement, and the Saint Lucian spirit of koudmen over the span of 5 decades the FRC has made significant contributions to Saint Lucian society. Together with other agencies, we continue to advocate for the establishment of policies that locate our cultural resources at the center of the development of people and country. Among our most notable achievements have been:

Jounen Kwéyòl and Mwa Éwitaj Kwéyòl

The creation of and celebration of the largest local indigenous festival through Jounen Kwéyòl which was first celebrated in 1983, and its subsequent expansion to Mwa Éwitaj Kwéyòl (Creole Heritage Month) observed every October.

The Kwéyòl Language

The FRC has continually advocated the formal adoption of Saint Lucian Kwéyòl as an official language. The FRC has been formative in the development of the writing system, the teaching of Kwéyòl, the use of Kwéyòl in all spaces, and the celebration of its varied expressions in cultural and artistic expressions

Traditional Festivals and Cultural Practices

The FRC has worked tirelessly in documenting and promoting Saint Lucia’s indigenous flower festivals, La Rose and La Magwit, and in underscoring other unique practices that enrich our society like Masquerade and Toes. Our extensive research programmes, in collaboration with major research institutes overseas, have documented traditional forms of worship, traditional technologies, and traditional music and musical instruments.

Contemporary Cultural Forms and Practices

The FRC has been the main and only local institution to consistently document the annual local calypso season. In the process, we have gathered information on the calypsonians, the lyrics, and the work of all the people involved in the creative output and the management of calypso, groovy and power soca, and Dennery segments. The FRC has also researched and documented some aspects of the growth of the Rastafarian movement in Saint Lucia. Our flagship publication Lucian Kaiso, chronicles the evolution, role and significance of the Calypso art form.

A prolific body of Indigenous Research

The development of an extensive body of research and archives on Saint Lucian life, traditions, and people including work on Kwéyòl, Saint Lucian Kélé, Koutoumba, Flower Festivals, and other seminal aspects of Saint Lucian as well as Caribbean identity. The FRC has also pioneered in creating numerous indigenous publications and audio-visual productions.

Human and Community Development

From the outset in 1973, FRC continues to link our cultural work with the local and national efforts to utilize our indigenous resources in the interest of sustainable community and national development.