Saint Lucia & The Rainforest of Reading
Saint Lucia's population of 174,000 (in 2010) is evenly divided between urban and rural areas, although the capital, Castries, contains more than one-third of the population. Its citizens are predominantly of African and mixed African-European descent, with a small Indo-Caribbean minority. The culture of Saint Lucia has been influenced by African, East Indian, French and English heritage. One of the secondary languages is a Creole, a form of French patois.
Saint Lucia boasts the highest ratio of Nobel laureates produced with respect to the total population of any sovereign country in the world. Two winners have come from Saint Lucia: Sir Arthur Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1979, and the poet Derek Walcott received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. Both were born on the same day, 23 January, in 1915 and 1930, respectively.
Together with Caribbean music genres such as Calypso, Soca, Reggae and Country & Western, Saint Lucia has a strong indigenous folk music tradition. Each May since 1991, Saint Lucia has hosted an internationally renowned Jazz Festival.
Participation Facts
| Total Students | Grade 3, 4, 5 students | No. of Primary Schools | No. of schools participating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33,000 | 8,500 | 67 | 67 |
From The Consul General of Saint Lucia to Canada:
I am pleased to express my support for the Rainforest of Reading project which targets Grade 3 primary school pupils. By motivating these young minds through extensive reading to become habitual readers and knowledge seekers, the Rainforest of Reading offers its visitors a place for the imagination to take root and new possibilities to bloom.
The Consulate has worked closely with OneWorld Schoolhouse Foundation from the inception of this program and we are extremely happy to witness its implementation.
On behalf of the people of Saint Lucia, I wish to congratulate the organizers and their sponsors for creating such a worthwhile program in our primary schools nationwide. We wish this venture every success.
Hon. Michael Willius, Consul General of Saint Lucia {.credit}
