 The annual celebration of St. Lucia's Nobel laureates takes on a new mode this year due to COVID-19. However, the spirit and significance of the month-long Nobel laureate festival has not been deemed. More from Hermadi Mark. The Nobel Laureate Festival Committee officially launched its 28th anniversary of activities honoring St. Lucia's two Nobel laureates, Sir William Aphalus, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1979, and Sir Derek Alton Walcott, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992. This year's activities are being held under the theme, Celebrating Excellence, Challenge, Uncertainty, Opportunity. Chair of the Nobel Laureate Festival Committee, Her Excellency Dame Paulette Louisie explained that the sub-theme this year has been inspired by the challenge confronting the world for the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The chair noted that it describes the environment in which this year's festival is being observed, and more significantly, it embodies the elements that drive the creative process that ends in excellence. A challenge confronts the one who seeks to expand the boundaries of his field of endeavor. Then there is a certain measure of uncertainty as he presses on, but the opportunity to make a contribution, whether big or small, cannot be missed. And this is the driving force behind the pursuit and achievement of excellence, and both of our Nobel laureates would have been all too familiar with that process. The reward of this journey is what we celebrate in this annual festival. It is the encouragement we really want to offer all those on that journey. We want you to confront the challenge, circumvent the uncertainty, and by all means seize the opportunity. Bank of St. Lucia has been a supporting partner at the Nobel Laureate Festival for over a decade, and is continuing in that vein, lending financial support to the festival in the amount of 5,000 EC dollars. Estolita Kampabach is the Bank of St. Lucia's corporate secretary. The achievements of our Nobel laureates are clear testament to our potential, and showcasing the work as we are doing through this commendable initiative of the Nobel Laureate Festival committee goes a long way in building the confidence of our nation, particularly the young population. So they too can aspire to the highest level of their respective fields of endeavor. May these observance continue to inspire and ignite the academic, creative, and artistic pursuits of our young people. This awfulist community college will be offering its usual program of activities. A new addition this year will be the opening of the Sir Derek Walcott Library, which will house his impressive collection donated by Ms. Sigrid Nama. Kathy Birch-McDamid, acting librarian at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College's Hunter G. Fossal Library, provided some insight into the activities. In keeping with this year's theme, our planned activities focus on encouraging us as a college to convert contemporary challenges and uncertainties into opportunities. The college's first activity is a virtual academic discourse, which takes place on January 20th, 2021, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Finance Administrative Center. Panelists will explore the prospects with a blue economy and discuss the ways in which academia, entrepreneurs, and state agencies can work together to maximize on the burgeoning opportunities. Walcott, placed managed by the St. Lucia National Trust, will provide a virtual online tour at the facility from 11 p.m. to 31 p.m. 2021. The St. Lucia National Trust's virtually guided tour will be presented via two 15-minute videos. The tour aims to give a first-hand look at the history of the Walcott family house in Cassjure, its architecture, and its impact on the Walcott brothers' life, with particular focus on Sir Derek Walcott, his writings, and watercolor paintings. The St. Lucia National Archives Authority will open its annual exhibition on Wednesday, the 25th of January, to the 31st of March, 2021, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday in observance of National Archives Month. National archivist at the St. Lucia Archives Authority, Mago Thomas, explained that the exhibition will be held under the theme, with writers, arrangers, producers, music techniques, flight, and singing begins. The exhibition places a spotlight on the writers, arrangers, and producers who work or have worked behind the scenes to add to St. Lucia's repertoire of well-loved songs, and we have folk, we have traditional, we have calypso, gospel, ballad, soca, and so on. We are going to be looking at the individuals who write the lyrics, arrange the music, and produce the songs, because very often they go unrecognized and unknown by an on-away public. Other entities, such as the Cultural Development Foundation CDF, among others, will be staging activities to celebrate St. Lucia's Nobel laureates during the festival. Zoom links and programs will be available on the Facebook page at Nobel Laureate Festival St. Lucia, and by request to the coordinator at email address info at ddmediarelations.com or on WhatsApp at 758-717-7979 from the Government Information Service.