UWI’s Dominica Country Conference slated for August 15th and 16th promises to feature and explore ancient Creole heritage of the Dominican peoples. Tagged “Creole as Cultural Heritage: Framing, Strengthening and Advocating,” this third country conference will hold at the University of the West Indies (UWI) campus.
According to Dr. Violet Cuffy, a senior lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire in the UK, revealed that the upcoming two-day event will showcase deep and rich Dominica’s heritage as it pertains to arts, music, languages, tourism, and culture among other ancestral values. She added that the Creole conference is an initiative that is part of a wider project which is focused on establishing a research intellect.
The core focus is to ensure the advancement of creole heritage and culture, a multi-disciplinary reproach through the unique indigenous creole language, arts, storytelling, song and dance, tourism and of course our Kalinago people.
Dr. Violet Cuffy: Senior lecturer – University of Bedfordshire
The Dominican born intellectual also stated that the event will be an opportunity to set up a key partnership between key stakeholders in the country and those in the diaspora on matters relating to Dominica’s rich cultural heritage. To this extent, it is expected that the Dominica Ministry of Culture, the UWI, the DSC, and the University of Bedfordshire will establish a partnership network to foster better cultural values.
The lecturer detailed how the events of the two days will go. According to her, the program will commence on the evening of August 14. She said it will be an evening where local artists will showcase cultural songs, dances, drama, and storytelling of the Dominican people. She added that local Creole cuisines will be on display and it will be an evening for people everywhere to know one another.
“A series of three sessions will be held on day one (August 15th) with the first session called the “creole language, historical and contemporary perspective,” Dr. Cuffy said. “The second session n the first day will focus on creole music and artistic cultural heritage…in the afternoon we have a session on policies in creolization, politics, education, and tourism…and that will take us to the end of day one.”
The educationist said distinguished historians will have the second day – August 16 – to speak on Creole education, music and media among other aspects of indigenous Creole life. Dominican historian and anthropologist, Dr. Lennox Honeychurch, will be using the opportunity of the coming event to highlight the roles of early Africans in influencing Kalinago culture in Dominica’s national heritage.
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