Beauty vs. Wisdom

It is Jounen Kweyol in Saint Lucia; a time to celebrate culture. Last year there was a huge celebration in the village. The streets were filled with booths offering traditional foods cooked in coal pots as well as large BBQs which are more efficient when cooking for large crowds. Items used in the first half of the 20th Century were displayed with pride. Of course there was plenty of liquor, music and dance to ensure proper traditional entertainment. The Folk Research Center has been planning 2009 activities on the island and the annual Lawenn Lawenn Kweyol Competition is going to be in my village this year.


This is the hottest month of the year and it’s likely ninety degrees in the building. (First mistake of the night: I left my fan sitting in my drawer.) The island breeze has all but disappeared on most days and the air can be very stale.


I take a seat and quickly peruse the program. I’ve seen many pageants in my years. I’m thankful this is an event that won’t require explanation. (I will find out later this is Mistake #2.)


There are three main components: introduction of the five contestants, talent and formal wear. It looks straight forward and simple. I should be home by 11:00. (I should have guessed this to be a mistake that I will call Mistake #3).


Amber and Brian, Peace Corps Volunteers arrived from the north arrive and take a seat next to me.


Traditional live music is being played. There is a violin, guitars and percussion instruments. The music has a distinctive beat and rhythm. People are in a festive and party mood. Many are wearing blouses, skirts or holding bags made of traditional plaid material. Others have brightly colored outfits with their hair wrapped in colorful cloths that match. People are arriving from all over the island to support their favorite contestant. The planning committee expects close to three hundred people.




Finally, forty minutes late, the event begins . . . in Kweyol. Alright, maybe I was wrong about this being “pageant as usual”.

After prayers and the national anthem and introductory remarks, they introduce each of the contestants. Knowing little Kweyol, I look over at Amber and whisper, “this is going to be a long night”. Amber smiles and nods in agreement. The first thing I notice about the contestants is they are not young women with long legs and perfect bodies. These women are robust and older with lines on their faces and bodies that are aging.


As the talent session begins a woman is standing beside me. I look over and it’s Angelina. She has a smile on her face and says, “you aren’t hard to find in this crowd”. She pulls up a chair and begins translation. Now the pageant is becoming interesting. Angelina tells me what they are saying word for word. I summarize the information for Amber and she passes it on to Brian.


The talent show is much different than what one might expect. Women are dressed in Madras, a three piece traditional costume which consists of a white blouse and an outer skirt made of plaid material which is worn over a long white slip.


Each contestant takes her turn to act out a vignette about Saint Lucian ancestor struggles. One contestant stands over her man. He is sitting at the table with a bottle. She tells him she is a strong Kweyol woman who knows how to harvest cassava with her cutlass. She talks about the struggles she has as a woman, and reminds him that God has made her strong.



Another woman tells us how she is able to take care of her children because she gardens, cooks, sews and washes clothes. She works hard. God provides for their needs and she follows His word. Singing, acting and dancing are all part of these vignettes. The talent show is a reminder of traditional Saint Lucia Creole times. The most prominent message in the talent session is that Creole women are strong and hold strength in the word of God.

Each vignette has singing and dancing. Members of the audience all have their personal preference and they applaud and whistle and yell words of encouragement and support. One man has an air horn which is sounded often inside the building. People rise from their seats when the musc starts and dance in the isles. The acoustics in the building are poor and the level of noise is off the charts. I’m beginning to think this is more party than pageant. Any preconceived notion I had of pageants is now gone.

In between the three parts of the contest we watch traditional dance, listen to more traditional music and we hear folk music from Manmay Lakey, a Saint Lucia singer who has a large fan base.



The traditional formal wear of Saint Lucia is called Wob Dwiyet and was introduced in the eighteenth century. The contestants have sponsors who help pay for the dresses that can cost $600EC. The judges will look at not only the beauty and design of the dress but how each woman carries herself in the costume. Pictures cannot capture how stunning these costumes are.


There is more to come and I’m feeling exhausted. It is close to midnight now. There are likely three hundred people in the building and it feels like an oven. The air is stagnant and bugs are flying around the building. I’ve endured noise at the highest decibels for the last four hours and I am tired. The final portion of the competition takes me by surprise.


This part of the program is called “Pawol Gwan Moun” or “Wisdom of the Elders”. I’m reminded of a James Taylor song where one line is, “Lord knows when the cold wind blows it will turn your head around”. I think of this line often when seemingly ordinary things surprise me.


Angelina carefully translates what each woman says. They talk about family and the importance of values and education. They implore people to take time for their children and to not let modern technology become an obstacle to passing down their heritage. The last part of the ceremony is meant to help judges decide by weighing the wisdom of their years


The queen is chosen because she has lived long enough to become wise; she knows about her heritage and culture and she is comfortable imparting her wisdom through dance, song, customs and a deep sense of the people of Saint Lucia. I think the women’s movement of the past would approve of this pageant.


In the end the queen was crowned and the people literally danced out of the hall and out into the field set up with food tents and refreshments. I learned a lot about the contest. It was not a spectator night, it was a night of participation.


The Voice, a paper in Saint Lucia reported, “The Lawenn competition began in 1997 and the representative of Jacmel emerged the winner. Since that year the competition has grown to include a Creole King. . . The Lawenn Lawenn competition for this year is itself a unique event. Former winners will compete for a Queen of queens award.”


So I went into this event thinking I'd be home and in bed by 11:00 p.m. I fell into bed after 2:00 in the morning. I've lost count of how many times I have forgotten my fan when I've needed it most. I thought this would be a typical pageant and found it to be a rich cultural event that demonstrated the strength of Creole women. It was an entertaining evening and one I'm certainly glad I did not miss.