Global Voices Online » Dominica

Dominica: Not Happy

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:20:17 +0000

Steve's Dominica is “not Happy” about “The recently released ‘Happy Planet Index' report”, which seems to have forgotten about the Caribbean.

Caribbean: On the Honduran Coup

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:42:25 +0000

Writing at Havana Times, Guillermo Fernandez Ampie examines the Honduran coup d’état, while Repeating Islands reports that “heads of state throughout the Caribbean region have expresses their condemnation of the military coup in Honduras that has removed President Manuel Zelaya from office.”

Dominica: Chavez's Influence

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:21:09 +0000

Chris at Dominica Weekly says that “the possible influence that Hugh Chavez…might have on the outcome of the next general election should be something every that Dominican should be concern[ed] about.”

Dominica: Campaign Financing

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:27:56 +0000

Chris at Dominica Weekly thinks that “the issue of campaign financing is as important as voters identification and cleaning of the voters list before the next general election is held.”

Dominica, Venezuela: The Motherland?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:19:48 +0000

Following Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to the island, Dominica Weekly says: “Many Dominicans have focused narrowly on the lavish developmental aid of Chavez than focusing on the fundamental issue at hand: do we support Chavez’s ideology and his vision of the motherhood of Latin American and the Caribbean.”

Caribbean: Following the path of the Caribs

Fabienne Flessel — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:03:39 +0000

Since the beginning of 2009, French West Indians have questioned their identity, their national heritage and their present-day situation in different ways. Kintamingo Ema, a Martinican blog, presents an initiative which mixes a social insertion, historical and archeological project with an identity quest. Dubbed “Kintamingo Ema, sur le chemin de nos ancêtres” (Kintamingo Ema, following the path of our ancestors), the project was launched by Association Karisko , an association focusing on social integration, as explained here [Fr]:

Ce sont les jeunes du foyer d'insertion de Sainte-Marie qui ont bénéficié de cette formation.

Young adults from the insertion structure of Sainte-Marie are the recipients of this vocational training.

They benefited from the knowledge and experience of the Caribs, by learning to build a canoe and then ride it from Martinique to Antigua. But before reaching to all these islands from le Prêcheur in Martinique, many young adults in search of a professional project and practical training participated in the creation of the Kanawa (the native name for a canoe). The social integration building site quickly became a genuine shipyard, where the traditional skills of the native inhabitants were used to create this massive canoe. A comment on CocoNews post gives us more details concerning the measures of the canoe [Fr]:

Le kanawa pèse plus d'une tonne ( à vide !) , 18 mètres de long et 27 rameurs.

The Kanawa weighs more than a ton (empty) (about 2200 pounds) and is 18 meters long (about 60 feet) and needs 27 rowers.

One of the team members has posted pictures of the construction site and lists the 4 steps involved in the making of the Kanawa: cutting the tree, transporting the trunk, preparing the top of the trunk and finally digging it up. Here is a diaporama describing all the different steps of the making.

CocoNews Guadeloupe introduces the project to its readers and reveals the itinerary of the ride [Fr].

@ CocoNews Guadeloupe

The journey was scheduled as follows: leave le Prêcheur in Martinique on May 21st and go back to le Prêcheur on June 1st, after stops in the Caribbean islands of Dominica, les Saintes, Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre then Grande-Terre) and Antigua. The trip included about thirty people, including historians, athletes, sociologists and writers, but it was also open to anyone else who had an interest in the project. This post lists all the participants.

Quite apart from its social integration and historical aspects, this project has had an important impact at the level of memory and conscience. To understand this better, CocoNews quotes one of the objectives of the project [Fr]:

L'objectif de KYTANGOMINGO EMA est la réouverture symbolique et matérielle de la route de navigation maritime des temps anciens,…

The objective of KYTANGOMINGO EMA is the symbolic and material opening of the old-time seafaring…

But the best way to understand the motivation behind the project is to read about the experiences of the passengers and rowers [Fr]:

L'aventure Martinique-Antigua a été pour moi une expérience très valorisante humainement parlant. Découvrir les îles des Caraïbes comme nos ancêtres amérindiens et pouvoir ressentir les moments forts de leur arrivée sur une terre inconnue

The Martinique-Antigua adventure was a very enriching human experience for me. Discovering the Caribbean islands as our native ancestors did it and being able to experience the strong feelings they had when they landed on these unknown lands.

The general success of the initiative has gone a long way to inspire the team in its plan for next year: reaching Puerto Rico by kanawa.

Dominica: Closing for Chavez

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:28:30 +0000

Dominican blogs discuss whether it was a wise decision for the government to close the airports in order to “facilitate the visit of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.”

Dominica: Chavez' Visit

Janine Mendes-Franco — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:13:25 +0000

“It's like the uncle who comes with some cash in his pocket and the whole family gets lined up by the door of a recently cleaned room”: Caribbean Man reports on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' visit to Dominica.

Dominica: Going Green?

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:46:36 +0000

“It’s obvious that business as usual, handouts as usual and corruption as usual in our nature isle is not getting us where we want to go”: Dominica Weekly sees merit in talk of a “green economy” for the island.

Dominica: Tourism Potential

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:18:17 +0000

Dominica Weekly thinks that “tourism can do more, much more, particularly in meeting Dominica’s need for…sustainable jobs.”

Dominica: Emancipation of the Mind

Janine Mendes-Franco — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:13:30 +0000

“If we as a people are to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, we must first establish a new sense of self and engage in a critical transformation of the mind”: Dominica Weekly wishes everyone a happy African Liberation Day.

Dominica: Brain Drain

Janine Mendes-Franco — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:58:56 +0000

“When are we going to realize that knowledge is a wealth-creating asset to our country’s development?”: Dominica Weekly is concerned about the island's brain drain.

Dominica, Cuba: Bird Festival

Janine Mendes-Franco — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:13:26 +0000

“I just discovered—to my absolute delight—that the VII Festival of Caribbean Endemic Birds is being celebrated throughout the region”: Repeating Islands provides details.

Dominica: Doing vs. Being

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:16:11 +0000

“We Dominicans on a whole must avoid lingering in the past and mulling over the circumstances that led to our perceived errors in judgment”: Dominica Weekly reminds us that we are more than what we do.

Caribbean: Funding the Fight against HIV

Janine Mendes-Franco — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:57:11 +0000

Both Abeng News Magazine and Repeating Islands note that “Caribbean governments have been urged to provide financial support for the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP).”