Minister ECYS Melissa Gumbs standing with cultural icon Louis “Pork Chop” Lambert Richardson at the Sage Cultural Award ceremony on December 13, 2024. (File photo)
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Melissa Gumbs has extended condolences to the family, friends and the wider St. Martin community following the passing of cultural icon Louis “Pork Chop” Lambert Richardson.
Gumbs recalled Richardson’s contribution to St. Martin’s cultural heritage, noting that he received the Sage Cultural Award on December 13, 2024, for his lifetime dedication to the development, safeguarding and promotion of St. Martin’s culture, heritage and legacy.
The Sage Cultural Award is the Government of St. Maarten’s highest award for cultural and artistic achievement, approved through the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.
“When I speak about how culture belongs to us all,” Gumbs said, “and how we all have a responsibility to feed it, nourish it and keep it alive, you can use Pork Chop as an example. No matter the circumstance or the occasion, he was an instantly recognisable and vibrant contributor to our cultural scene.”
“I join generations of mourners as we remember his life, his energy and his creativity and wish his family and friends much strength,” she said.
