John La Rose
John La Rose (27 December 1927 – 28 February 2006) was a political and cultural activist, poet, writer, publisher, and Chairman of the George Padmore Institute. He was originally from Trinidad but was involved in the struggle for political independence and cultural and social change in the Caribbean in the 1940s and 1950s and later in Britain, the rest of Europe and the Third World.
Biography
Early life in the Caribbean: 1927–60
John Anthony La Rose was born in Arima, Trinidad, in 1927, the younger son of Ferdinand La Rose, a cocoa trader, and his teacher wife Emily. He had four sisters and a brother. La Rose attended the local Roman Catholic school, and at the age of nine won a scholarship to St. Mary's College, Port of Spain. After finishing school he taught at St. Mary's and later became a leading insurance executive in Colonial Life, which was then in the process of becoming the biggest insurance company in the Caribbean. He later lived and taught in secondary schools in Venezuela, before coming to Britain in 1961.
La Rose
La Rose may refer to:
See also
La Rose (surname)
La Rose is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
See also
Societies of Saint Lucia
The societies (societés) of Saint Lucia are two historic associations on the Antillean island country of Saint Lucia, La Woz ("The Rose") and La Magwit ("The Marguerite"). Ostensibly based around singing the virtues of the rose and globosa flowers, the societies are intense rivals, and their membership includes most of the population of the island.
Each society holds a yearly festival, on August 30 for the "Roses" and October 17 for the "Marguerites". These flower festivals are unique to St. Lucia and are major events in the cultural life and history of the country.
The names La Woz and La Magawit are in the local Creole (Kweyol) language, that combines a European vocabulary with a West African based grammar.
History
The societies originated in the time of slavery as co-operative work groups created for mutual support, and assistance in time of trouble. These groups were similar to the dokpwé of Dahomey, and the coumbite of Haiti. They also had a great deal in common with the famed egbes of the Yoruba peoples, which were and still are presided over by the tribe's various chieftains through the framework of what is essentially a highly elaborate series of West African theatre states.
