Sisters return to their homeland after over 70 years

It has been their dream for over 70 years to return to the land of their birth.

Now that dream of Azucena Williams and Pearl James has finally come through.{{more}}

The Venezuelan born sisters left St Vincent and the Grenadines on Wednesday for Venezuela, a trip organized by the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which earlier this year, granted the women Venezuelan passports.

Azucena and Pearl’s story began decades ago when their mother, young Irene Haynes, moved to Venezuela to work with an oil company.

SEARCHLIGHT spoke with the sisters back in January, and Williams told the story of her family’s history.

She explained that when their grandmother died, their mother, Irene Haynes, travelled to Trinidad to live with an older sister. It was there that she heard about a job opportunity in an oil company, the Largo Petroleum in Venezuela. She then moved to Venezuela, and worked in the laundry room of the oil company.

Haynes’ four children, two now deceased, were born in Venezuela. After working for sometime in Venezuela, their mother returned to St Vincent in 1936.

Azucena and Pearl returned to St Vincent when they were two and five years respectively.

Both returned with Spanish language, which slowly turned into English.

The women, however, always longed to go back to their home country and as they grew older, always kept up to date with news and events coming out of Venezuela.

Speaking at a farewell ceremony at the VIP lounge of the E.T. Joshua Airport on Wednesday, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Yoel Perez Marcano stated that the visit of the sisters to the land of their birth signifies the historic relations between St. Vincent and Venezuala and also the friendship and corporation that exist between both nations today.

He added that the visit is also important as it coincides with the 30th anniversary celebrations of relations between St Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela.

“We’ll like to say to Azucena and Pearl we are very proud of them, that we feel that they are Venezuelans, that they are ambassadors to our country here in St Vincent and the Grenadines and in the same way, we hope that they will be ambassadors of St Vincent and the Grenadines in Venezuela,” Marcano said.

The ambassador also expressed thanks to the Friendship Association of Venezuela and St Vincent which assisted in the materialization of the friendship and connection between the nations today. Azucena and Pearl will be accompanied to Venezuela by Vice President of the Association Ideisha Jackson.

The sisters, during the ceremony, expressed thanks to the Embassy for allowing them to return to their homeland.

“We are very pleased,” Pearl said.

Mike Browne, President of the Friendship Association of Venezuela and St Vincent also thanked the Embassy of Venezuela for enabling Azucena and Pearl to return to the land of their birth. He added that the sisters’ visit to Venezuela signifies the historical tie between St Vincent and the peoples of Latin America.

Jackson, also making brief remarks, thanked the Embassy of Venezuela for making the sisters’ trip to Venezuela possible and also wished them 30 years and more of relations with St Vincent.

Pearl and Azucena will visit the main sites in Maracaibo, the city where they were born, and will also visit the church where both sisters were christened, the Catholic Church called Chiquinquira. The sisters will also visit a petroleum oil company, take a tour of the lake in Maracaibo, and also meet with Venezuelan students.

The sisters and Jackson will return to St Vincent on May 20.