Our ancestors descended from Nigerians, Senegambians — Saint Lucian Senate President
The president of the Saint Lucian Senate, Alvina Reynolds, highlighted the ancient ties between Nigeria and Saint Lucia exact thru a joint session of the Lucian bicameral parliament on Monday, welcoming Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.
She referenced a British census from 1815 that published the origins of many enslaved other folks on the island, noting that a most well-known fragment had been from Nigeria.
Reynolds talked about that out of 16,282 enslaved participants recorded that yr, 3,488 had been born in Africa, with 34 percent originating from Nigeria, 11 percent from Nigeria-Cameroon, and 22 percent from the Congo.
The leisure enslaved inhabitants used to be born in Saint Lucia, largely descended from ancestors from Senegambia and Nigeria.
She emphasized that the legacy of the transatlantic slave exchange, which lasted extra than 350 years, created enduring cultural and ancient connections between Africa and the Caribbean.
Constant with Reynolds, President Tinubu’s visit symbolizes a renewed effort to present a enhance to these ties and abet cooperation between the peoples.
Reynolds moreover paid homage to Sir Darnley Alexander, a prominent Saint Lucian who moved to Nigeria in 1957 and later changed into Nigeria’s Chief Justice from 1975 to 1979, the fully non-Nigerian to preserve that situation after the nation’s independence.
She added that this ongoing mission contains Nigerian Catholic priests who be pleased come to Saint Lucia to attend, highlighting Father Festus, who used to be display as a special customer. Reynolds renowned the importance of Tinubu’s handle coinciding with World Parliament Day, an occasion to copy on the aim of parliamentary carrier and representation.
