Funeral Service: Dr. Alwin Anthony Bully Buried After 2 Days of National Mourning

The government declared two days of national mourning as Dr. Alwin Anthony Bully was interred on Wednesday. The two days mourning covered Tuesday and Wednesday and flags were flown at half-mast across the country.

As part of the official government funeral organized for the late artist and cultural administrator, a funeral service held at St. Gerard Cathedral Chapel in Roseau and a tribute tagged “Shapes in the Cloud” held at the Old Mill Cultural Centre to honour Bully.

Government officials and private citizens who attended the funeral wore attires in the colours of the national flag or madras prints. At the occasion were President Charles Savarin, PM Roosevelt Skerrit, members of the House of Assembly, government officials, and private individuals who attended in one capacity or the other.

The funeral service was broadcast live on government broadcast channels to give the event the widest coverage possible. A playwright and author, Bully was credited with designing the Dominican flag at the nation’s independence in 1978. He also established the Department of Culture and served as its first director for many years.

Bully was UNESCO’s culture adviser for the Caribbean in Jamaica for 20 years and amassed several national and regional awards which included the Sisserou Award of Honour – the second-highest national award in Dominica.

He battled Parkinson’s disease for many years before he died on March 10, 2023, at the age of 74.   

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