By Keithlin Caroo - March 17, 2019
The Rural Unknown- The Paradox of Paradise
In Caribbean nations like Saint Lucia that are heavily dependent on tourism for economic stability, a lot goes into glossing up images to attract tourists. The photos range from happy children to smiling waiters and cheery vendors. It is a concept of eternal happiness that permeates throughout, an idea that there is no worry of poverty, homelessness or destitution...
By Keithlin Caroo - January 19, 2019
The Rural Unknown Basic Rights for Vendors
Good news came this week of the newly announced “Vendors’ Registration Programme” where 178 provisions vendors, craft vendors and “roadside traders” became registrants. Perks of the programme include free access to public bathrooms, job identification letters and tent packages. Now although I say good news, it felt like this programme should have been in force decades ago.
By Keithlin Caroo - October 14, 2018
The Rural Unknown: Land and Conflict
Ask any Saint Lucian what is one of the major sources of contention in their family and nine times out of ten the answer would be land. Land conflicts in Saint Lucia are as common as Julie mangoes in May. One could blame the skewed colonial laws which are based on family inheritance. These “family-land” laws have produced difficulties to identify “ownership” and ...
By Keithlin Caroo - October 14, 2018
THE RURAL UNKNOWN – The Days of Green Gold
For millennials like myself, ‘Green Gold’ doesn’t mean much. I would hear my parents casually talk about it or see my grandfather swell with pride when it came up but, for all I knew, it was a place in Babonneau where there was a green house (forgive my naïveté). So, what really is this whole Green Gold phenomenon? Well, I finally understood....
