Saint Lucia: Independence Day celebration kicks off with National Baton Relay

Saint Lucia: An annual relay race starting at Soufrière spans all 17 constituencies throughout the island with its final destination being Castries South took place to celebrate the nation's 45^th Independence anniversary.

The week long relay race is held annually in February, marking the anniversary of Saint Lucia’s independence from the United Kingdom. This year the official theme was "Douvan Ansanm: Building a Nation through Unity, Resilience, and Creativity.".

Each regional community celebrates alongside the route with music, dance, speeches and cultural performances wherever the baton is passed to the next runner. The event is also a celebration and encouragement of fitness in the island nation, people spend weeks in preparation for the event and set a good physical example for the younger population. The Saint Lucia Government live streamed seven hours of the event at Castries Central on the 18^th of February.

The minister for housing and local government, Richard Frederick had this to say, “so far… the baron relay has had the footprint of a programme that unites us, that transcends the political divide and brings out the best in our people”

“There are loads of people in the various constituencies who have made contributions throughout the length and breadth of Saint Lucia and those people remain relatively unknown”,

He goes on to say “The Baton relay is one exercise that brings the efforts of those people to national acclaim. I am indeed pleased that it is going on very, very well and things are happening in a manner that we expected… and it’s getting bigger and better.”

Corporate entities were also involved in the exercise including Saint Lucia Helicopters, this has garnered criticism in the past with critics claiming it’s an extravagant expense and recourses could be better used, however, the monetary investments are often justified as being trivial in the face of maintaining and protecting the nation islands culture and pride.

The relay is one of the most unique and proud civil involvements of the people of Saint Lucia and is a tradition that will carry on for decades to come.