Album: 2019 Golden Drum Awards
Good evening and welcome to the Golden Drum Awards Ceremony and Concert here at the Alliance Francaise.
Tonight, as we observe and celebrate emancipation, we take the opportunity to recognize the important achievements which have taken place in Dominica over the years, and also the people who have contributed to these achievements and the roles that they have played in Dominica’s development.
And this evening we are recognizing the artists and groups which have played their part in helping to build Dominica, especially in the field of arts and culture. We are taking the opportunity to highlight these persons and groups and to show our appreciation for their invaluable work in helping to promote Dominica’s arts and culture.
Our arts and culture for years have helped to give meaning to our lives, have helped to shape us and identify us as a people and have brought invaluable benefits to the welfare of our people by providing many of us with opportunities to earn income and sustain livelihoods through their arts and crafts, their music and other artistic skills. Our arts and culture have helped to showcase Dominica to the rest of the world.
When one thinks of our international artists like Gordon Henderson, Ophelia, Michele Henderson, Exile One, WCK, Midnite Groovers among so many others….we cannot help but admire them and take our hats off to them for the prominence which they have achieved in the cultural landscape of the world and the fact that they have helped Dominica to be recognized as a country with an abundance of God-given talent and skill and a people proud of their heritage and identity.
And of course, there are these artists and so many others here in Dominica who continue to play their roles day after day, year after year, in building and enhancing the various cultural expressions of our country and helping arts and culture to thrive and become such a positive and meaningful force in the country and overseas.
The tourists who come to Dominica appreciate our physical landscape very much – all our natural tourist attractions, but they also appreciate the cultural expressions of our people, in our music, our dance, our cuisine, our creole wear and creole lifestyle….all the things that make us truly Dominican.
And somehow it seems to me that especially now, after the negative impacts of Maria and other storms….that even more now….we need to build and rebuild the spirits of our people through our music, our dance and all our other artistic expressions, which help to inspire and motivate our population and give us a greater sense of belonging and love for our country.
So we give thanks to the Almighty for bringing us to this point…through the ups and downs and the challenges and victories of our lives. This is not a time to give up and quit. This is not a time to bring down our country and say all kinds of negative things about our country.
In fact our artists and performers and our musical bands have a great opportunity now to create works of art and musical pieces which help to inspire and motivate, and help to promote our country. Our true richness lies in the natural and abundant fertility of our land, the beauty and hospitality of our people and also the diversity and vibrant expressions of our arts and culture.
So let me commend and salute all our awardees here tonight. I am very proud of you, the government is proud of you and the people of Dominica are very proud of you and your achievements.I just want to encourage you to continue the good work which you have been doing through the years. Dominica needs persons like yourselves.
My Ministry will continue to provide support and assistance as long as we are able, for the continued building of arts and culture. At present we are continuing the work on the new stage and other rehabilitation works at the Old Mill Cultural Centre and also the renovation work at the Arawak House of Culture…and we are looking towards fully utilizing these newly rehabilitated facilities in the not too distant future.
In addition, the government has committed significantly by sending a national cultural delegation of over 40 persons to CARIFESTA XIV to be held in Trinidad and Tobago from August 16th to 25th 2019. The government is firmly committed to regional integration and cultural preservation and promotion and we feel that this will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the artistic and cultural expressions of our country at such a magnificent occasion as CARIFESTA.
We wish our delegation every success at this very important regional festival. So in the spirit of emancipation, we congratulate our awardees and encourage all those involved in arts and culture in Dominica to continue to do even greater works in your fields of work. Thank you and do have a good night everyone
This article is copyright © 2019 DOM767
