The Minister of Kalinago Affairs, Cozier Frederick, revealed that women were as much a part of the struggle to liberate the Kalinago nation as much as men in medieval times. He said the roles of women in Kalinago tradition and heritage cannot be swept under the carpet, and that the Kalinago people in their struggle for cultural identity owe a lot to the womenfolk.
Frederick made this assertion at the Indigenous Women’s Round Table Breakfast discussion held in the Kalinago Territory in celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day. He pointed out that women contributed a lot to the civilization and development of the entire Dominica nationhood as much as they did the Kalinago Territory.
“When we hear stories of men standing up and rebelling against the society at the time when they fought against an oppressive system, women were an integral part of that movement,” he noted.
The minister stated that even though people tend to undermine the contributions of Kalinago women towards the emancipation of the Kalinago people and Dominica as a whole, he said what the women have achieved over the decades cannot be quantified or gainsaid in any way.
He noted that many school principals and health district heads and top businesswomen have turned out to be Kalinago women, and that they have continued to do the nation proud in any position they occupy.
Minister Frederick tasked Kalinago women never to succumb to discrimination, and that they must hold their heads high anywhere they find themselves. He added that whoever discriminates against women is not a true representative of the Dominican nation.
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