The Introduction of Saint Lucian Students to the Ancient World African Community.

This article is a revised version of a paper the writer presented at the Seventeenth Cheikh Anta Diop Conference, convened September 30 to October 1, 2005 by the Association for Nubian and Kemetic Heritage (ANKH) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It reports on a project in which the writer has introduced the history of the World African Community to people in Saint Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean. The project covers the history from the beginning of human life in Africa to the coming of members of the Community to the Caribbean and other parts of the western hemisphere. The paper marks the 10th anniversary of the launching of the project at Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School (VFCSS) in Saint Lucia in May and June of 1995. Since then, the writer has introduced the history directly (in lectures and special presentations) and indirectly (through teachers of history) to more than 1,500 young learners in secondary schools, directly (in lectures) to more than 250 learners in adult education programs, and indirectly (through newspaper articles and radio and television appearances), to other audiences, in Saint Lucia. The writer dedicates the article to the late S. Wayne Louis. With fellow history teachers Sylvester Clauzel and Lydia Sadoo, he collaborated in the launching of the project at VFCSS. Up until his passing almost three years later, he was extremely active in the promotion of an understanding of the history among students in the school, students in other schools, and the general community.