Dominica Conference of 1932

The Dominica Conference of 1932, chaired by Cecil Edgar Alan Rawle, was a crucial moment in Caribbean history. It was the first significant gathering of political leaders from various British West Indian colonies. Representatives from islands such as Trinidad, Barbados, Dominica, Montserrat, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Antigua, and Grenada met to discuss the region’s political future. The conference’s primary focus was to explore the possibilities of regional cooperation and greater self-governance.

Significance of the Dominica Conference

This meeting, which later became known as the West Indies Conference, laid the groundwork for the eventual creation of the West Indies Federation. The federation, while short-lived, was an essential milestone in the Caribbean’s journey toward political independence from British colonial rule. The conference helped to solidify the idea that the British West Indies could come together as a federated entity, much like Canada and New Zealand, with a federal assembly that could advise a Governor General. Rawle and his colleagues envisioned a political structure where the governor would act based on the advice of a federal executive council, marking a significant shift from colonial governance to self-representation.

The Dominica Conference of 1932 is considered a landmark event because it provided the platform for West Indian leaders to deliberate on the possibilities of regional unity, setting the stage for future independence movements across the Caribbean.