Celebrated veteran broadcaster and Creole icon Felix Henderson is dead. The ace mediaman died at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) after a protracted battle with a heart condition. He was flown by helicopter to Martinique for treatment earlier this year, but returned to Dominica several weeks ago. His condition relapsed and after being admitted to PMH, he died on November, 10, 2020.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has expressed shock at the sudden death of Henderson and sympathized with his family over the loss. He said Henderson was a household name and did justice to the preservation and adoption of Creole language within and outside the country. He prayed Henderson’s soul to rest in peace, and prayed for God to give his family to bear the irreparable loss.
“It is with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Felix Henderson, very sad news indeed,” PM Skerrit said. “Mr. Henderson is a renowned Dominican, a household name, and a voice that has been at the forefront of the preservation of our Creole language for several decades. A great patriot and someone who committed and dedicated himself to communication and broadcasting in Dominica, and our nation is poorer as a result of is passing.”
Minister of Education, Octavia Alfred, also expressed dismay at the sudden death of Henderson, saying she remained close with his family and always communicated with him until his passing. “We spoke about everything that day,” she said. “So many things he wanted to tell me, he was passionate about so many things.” She credited Henderson with developing the DBS Reading Competition which the dying man insisted must be continued across the nation even after his passing.
The Patrick Anthony Folk Research Centre (FRC) in St. Lucia also sympathized with the Dominican government over the death of Henderson. The centre equally credited the departed broadcaster with establishing the Konmite pou Etid Kweyol (KEK) and the Bannzil Kreyol as well as instituting the first International Creole Day celebrations among Creole-speaking peoples in 1983.
“His pioneering work in the development of the Kwéyòl language in the media paved the way for the extensive use of Kwéyòl in the communities, public and private sectors, and resulted in the formation of a number of new Kwéyòl practitioners in the media,” FRC wrote. “We are confident that his expertise, sincerity and popularity as the father of the use of Kwéyòl in Dominica will be the foundation of his legacy.”
Henderson began working at the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation (DBS) in 1977 and served as Kweyol language producer, investigative journalist, programme director, and general manager until he retired in 2016. His autobiography, Because You Are With Me, was published in September 2020
He won several awards which included the Sisserou Award of Honour – the second highest national award in Dominica, and the Golden Drum award among others.
This article is copyright © 2020 DOM767
