Earlier this month St. Lucia lost another cultural icon when St. Lucians woke up to the news that Cypriani Frank Norville, who had been ailing for some time, died days before his birth date.
Norville was a photographer, actor, dancer and cultural activist, but what he is most known for was his work as a singer, musician and composer.
He arranged and recorded a large repertoire of Saint Lucian folk music and is credited with preserving what might otherwise be lost. For this reason the Cultural Development Foundation (CDF) and the Folk Research Center (FRC) held a wake on the CDF grounds on April 28 to remember the cultural icon.
Family, friends, and cultural groups paid tribute to the Caribbean son. The Venezuelan and Mexican ambassadors were among the hundreds who came out to attend and sign the condolence book.
As families of the late Cypriani Frank Norville finalised plans to lay him to rest this weekend, FRC chairman Hilary La Force said: “All are invited to attend the funeral service which starts at 2 p.m. at the cathedral on Saturday, May 2 to give him a cultural send off.”
