Saint Lucians from both the public and private sectors ascended Morne Fortune for the annual wreath-laying ceremony held on the grounds of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College at the graves of the nation’s two Nobel Laureates. Both Sir William Arthur Lewis, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1979, and Sir Derek Walcott, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992, are buried on the grounds of the tertiary institution. The ceremony was held on the occasion of the shared birthday of both men, January 23.
The ceremony honoured both men for their accomplishments and the recognition they received on a global scale. The occasion was solemn yet celebratory, remembering the legacies of these two men of valor and the path ahead for Saint Lucians who wish to follow in their footsteps.
Lewis remains the only Black person to have won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, while Walcott’s work remains at the forefront of the minds of many scholars and leaders, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who recently quoted the poet and playwright in a sit down interview with comedian Trevor Noah.
The keynote speaker at the wreath-laying ceremony was Dr Anthea Octave, a Saint Lucian born educator who currently serves as the Director of Studies at the School of Arts, Management and Humanities at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica. Octave appealed to Saint Lucians to use these men as standards to emulate rather than merely as symbols to boast about during displays of national pride.
“When a small island produces not one, but two Nobel laureates the temptation is to bask in the glow and repeat it as boast” she said.
“But we must resist the temptation to gloss over these as mere symbols of excellence, turning their achievements into retellings of myths and legends. Nobel Laureate Festival 2026 entreats us to honor our legacy”.
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