Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Relations

Communique

The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, in the name of the government and people of Venezuela, expresses his most deeply felt condolences to the government of Santa Lucía and to all of the peoples of the Caribbean for the unfortunate loss of the Nobel Laureate in Literature, Derek Walcott. We extend our condolences to the relatives and friends of this extraordinary human being, poet, playwright, and writer from Santa Lucia.

At the age of 19, Derek Walcott began to extol our Caribbean roots, showing the world – by way of his poetic art – the identity of the peoples of the Caribbean and their irreverent soul. Commander Hugo Chavez described him as the “great voice of the Caribbean and the world”.

From his deep soul, of Caribbean blue, he called us to unity as a people and to the important role of defending the good: “It may sound a bit sentimental but, although it’s a hard world, the humanity of the Caribbean people is necessary to fight what is not good in the world.”

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela joins together in the pain of mourning with its sister nations of the Caribbean in the face of the physical loss of one of the most emblematic poets, of great and dignified verse.

Eternal glory to the great poet Derek Walcott!

Caracas, March 20, 2017

Translated by Lucas Koerner for Venezuelanalysis.com.