Caribbeat

BY JARED MCCALLISTER

Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:48 AM EDT

St. Lucia says farewell to three-time PM

With a cascade of praise from home and abroad, St. Lucia remembered the contributions of its late prime minister, Sir John Compton, at a state funeral in the Caribbean nation’s capital recently.

A distinguished array of 2,000-plus local and international mourners filled the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Casteries while others monitored a live broadcast of the funeral service for the three-time leader of St. Lucia and the nation's first prime minister after independence from Britain in 1979.

Compton, leading the United Workers Party, scored an upset victory last December and regained office. But he suffered a number of strokes last spring. He died on September 7 at 82.

Sonia Leonce-Carryl, a former minister and counselor at the Permanent Mission of St. Lucia to the United Nations, told Hard Beat News.com that Compton “superseded politics” for the average St. Lucian, and for many he was perpetually linked to national infrastructure improvements such as electricity, running water and schools.

In addition to the outpouring of tributes, there was resounding international praise for Compton’s immeasurable contributions to unity in the Caribbean and the consequential bolstering of the region's stature in world politics.

“He was a pillar of the regional integration movement, and participated in many of the institutions that gave birth to and shaped the current form of the Caribbean community,” said Nevis Premier Joseph Parry, summing up Compton’s pivotal role in Caribbean politics, regional unity and the development of Caricom - the Caribbean Community of nations.

The Washington-based Organization of American States called Compton, “a dedicated, sincere and loyal son of the Caribbean and a genuine integrationist.” In addition, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States called him the “towering figure in the regional integration movement” for the significant role he played in the establishment and growth of their organization.

Manning to be feted

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning was in New York this week to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

Manning received the honor at the college, at 1650 Bedford Ave., on Wednesday, September 26 and will gave an address on “The Role of Trinidad and Tobago in Shaping Regional and Global Affairs.”

Special exhibition

“Caribbeance,” a special exhibition of more than 20 Caribbean artists, opened last week at Brooklyn's Center for Arts and Culture in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza.

Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Barbados and Dominica are represented in the works of established painters, mixed-media artists and photographers in the show, which will be on display at the center’s Skylight Gallery, located at 1368 Fulton Street, through Tuesday, October 9. In addition, an artist talk on the definition of Caribbean art will be held on Saturday, October 6, from 2 to 5 p.m.

For information on Caribbeance or upcoming exhibitions and programs, call 718-636-6976 or E-mail revans@restorationplaza.org.

Art and love

The exhibition “Arturo Lindsay: LOVE,” artist and Spelman College Professor Arturo Lindsay’s imaginative examination of art’s power to enhance the experience of love, is coming to the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) starting Thursday, September 27 with an opening reception.

The Brooklyn show is a homecoming of sorts for the distinguished Panama-born educator, who came to New York at the age of 12 and was raised in the borough.

“Arturo Lindsay: LOVE” is the last of three solo exhibitions investigating the personal and collective emotional experiences. Curated by Blake Kimbrough, the show will run through January 13, 2008, and include several educational programs.

MoCADA is located at 80 Hanson Place at South Portland Avenue. Suggested donation is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and students (with valid ID). Children 12 and under are admitted free. Museum hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 718-230-0492 for information and visit www.mocada.org.

Symposium on tap

The 2007 edition of the free Nyack Library African-American Author Symposium and Book Fair returns Saturday, September 29 and next Sunday, September 30.

The third annual event will kick off Saturday with the book fair at the Nyack Library Carnegie room, 59 South Broadway, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The symposium "Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in African-American Fiction and Non-Fiction," will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.

The book fair will continue next Sunday on the first floor of the Palisades Center Mall, (next to H&M and Brooks Brothers) in West Nyack, from 1 to 7 p.m. For information, call the library at 845-893-3037 or send e-mail to stephanie@itsinny.com