Month: December 2007

DOMINICA TO OPEN CELEBRATIONS FOR REUNION YEAR 2008 WITH GRAND REUNION WIVE ACTIVITY

hon._loreen_bannis-roberts_at_reunion_wive_press_con_dec_2007.jpg Roseau, Dominica – December 28, 2007……… A flotilla of canoes depicting the first inhabitants of Dominica, the Kalinago, will leave the southern tip of Dominica and travel to the Roseau Cruise Ship Berth at just before 5am on Tuesday, January 1, 2008. A Reunion torch will be handed to Prime Minister Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit to signal the start of Reunion Wivé- a grand and spectacular extravaganza to launch the commencement of activities to mark Dominica’s 30th year as an Independent Nation.

The Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard in the Capital City of Roseau will be the venue for Reunion Wivé, (Reunion has arrived). It will include Prayer and Praise, Cultural and Artistic Performances and musical interludes.

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PRIME MINISTER SKERRIT HIGHLIGHTS THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN DOMINICA

dignitaries_at_summit_on_non-communicable_diseases_in_roseau_dec_2007.jpg Roseau, Dominica – December 27, 2007……… In the keynote address at a National Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases in Dominica, Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit highlighted the incidence of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCDs) in the country.

As a follow-up to the CARICOM Heads of Government Summit on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases held in Trinidad in July, 2007 and on the initiative of Dominica’s Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit, the Government of Dominica, through the Ministry of Health and the Environment convened a National Summit on the epidemic recently at the Fort Young Hotel in Roseau.

According to Hon. Skerrit, the main causes of CNCDs in Dominica  include an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol abuse. Diseases of the circulatory system and cancers are the leading causes of death among Dominicans.

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HON. JULIUS TIMOTHY SPEAKS ON ASPECTS OF GOVERNMENT’S PLANS THE CAPITAL CITY OF ROSEAU

hon_julius_timothy_at_roseau_city_council_inauguration_2007.jpg

Roseau, Dominica – December 24, 2007………… Minister for Economic Development and Urban Renewal, Hon. Julius Timothy has unveiled aspects of Government’s plans to transform the Capital City of Roseau as part of its Roseau Development Plan.

 

The Minister made the remarks at the Ninth Inaugural Meeting of the Roseau City Council held recently at the Arawak House of Culture.

 

According to the Minister, the Plan seeks generally to address the improvement the physical environment of the Roseau Area, overall development of the City, particularly housing and improvement of the Tourism assets in Roseau.

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HON. CHARLES SAVARIN HIGHLIGHTS PROGRAMME OF REFORM IN DOMINICA’S JUDICIAL SYSTEM AT PRESENTATION

charlessavarin.jpgRoseau, Dominica – December 20, 2007………… Minister with responsibility for the Public Service, Hon. Charles Savarin has highlighted the reforms now underway in Dominica’s judicial system.

 

Hon. Savarin who is the Minister for Public Utilities, Energy, Ports and the Public Service made the disclosure at a Presentation Forum on Reform of the Systems and Institutions relating to the Administration of Justice in Dominica which took place recently.

 

According to the Minister, reform of the judicial system in Dominica is also supported by the World Bank. This programme provides technical assistance to the Government to implement key components of its public sector modernization strategy, focused on streamlining the public sector to increase the efficiency of service delivery while at the same time, lowering costs.

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Dominica 1st Received Money From Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility Following Earthquake

handing_over_of_cheque_ceremony_ccrif.jpgRoseau, Dominica – December 19, 2007………… Dominica has become the first country out of sixteen in the Caribbean to benefit from its participation in the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) following the presentation of a cheque for US$279,338.14, which represents 50% of the estimated full pay-out.

Dominica was struck by an earthquake which measured 7.3 on the richter scale on Thursday, November 29th 2007.

At a ceremony at the Financial Centre last week, Dr. Simon Young of CCRIF presented the cheque to Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Hon. Roosevelt Skerrit. 

According to Prime Minister Skerrit, the issue of an insurance which would assist Caribbean countries to respond to disaster situations, “has been discussed for a very long time”. After the passage of Hurricane Ivan in Grenada in 2004, Caribbean countries again made a call to the donor community, more particularly the World Bank for assistance to develop such a facility.

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DOMINICA TO RECEIVE $36 MILLION FROM EU FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

ambrose-george-and-amos-tincani-9th-edf-budget-support.jpgRoseau, Dominica – December 13, 2007……… The Government’s Programme for economic growth and private sector development received a significant boost with the signing of the financing agreement between the Government of Dominica and the European Commission last week.

 

The assistance will be provided as direct non-targeted budget support and disbursed in three tranches with the first being $15.7 million and the other two EC$10.3 million each.

 

Expected results from the project are the strengthening of customs services to include modernisation and automation of port and customs information and payment systems; strengthening of the investment environment and establishment of an investment promotion agency.

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Police Officers charged With Murder

dominica.jpgTwo servicing police officers on the Commonwealth Of Dominica Police Force were charged with murder when they appeared in court on Tuesday 11, December 2008 in Roseau. The two officers Carlton Williams and special constable Dethros were charged nine days after one of the police officers shot Stan Bruney 30,in the head killing him.

Stan Bruney was a resident of the Carib Territory.

Earlier reports out of village stated that the lawmen were called to investigate a disturbance of an armed man-carrying a cutlass and arriving on the scene one of the officers attempted to calm the man down when he was attacked leaving the other officer with no choice but to shoot Bruney to save his fellow officer’s life.

 

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DOMINICA AND CHINA SEEKING TO DEEPEN AREAS OF COOPERATION

Roseau, Dominica – December 4, 2007…… The Commonwealth of Dominica is chinese_head_of_delegation_receives_gift_from_dca_brewery.jpgseeking to deepen and broaden areas of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China as a fifteen member delegation from Guangdong Province in China continues a four-day visit to Dominica. The delegation which is led by Director General of Foreign Affairs Office of Guangdong Province, Mr. Fu Lang,  arrived on island on Sunday.

 

The purpose of the visit is three-fold:

 

· Promote the bilateral economic and trade relationship between Dominica and China as a follow-up to the visit by Prime Minister, Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit in April, 2007;

· Gain better knowledge and understanding  of Dominica’s economic, trade, cultural and tourism development;

· Source possibilities for cooperation in the areas of trade, culture, and tourism between Dominica and China.

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Music of Dominica

musical.jpgThe music of Dominica plays an important role in the social and culture life of the Antillean island of Dominica. Popular music is widespread, with a number of native Dominican performers gaining national fame in imported genres like calypso, reggae, soca, zouk and rock and roll. In addition, Dominica’s own popular music industry has created a form called bouyon, which combines elements from several styles and has achieved a wide fanbase in Dominica, especially the group WCK (Windward Caribbean Kulture). Native musicians in various forms, like reggae (Nasio Fontaine, Brother Matthew Luke), soca (Derick St. Rose-De Hunter, Young Bull), zouk (Ophelia Marie, Exile One) and calypso (Lazo, The Wizzard) have also become stars at home and abroad.

Like the other Francophone musics of the Lesser Antilles, Dominican folk music is a hybrid of African and European elements. The quadrille is an important symbol of French Antillean culture, and is, on Dominica, typically accompanied by a kind of ensemble called a jing ping band. In addition, Dominica’s folk tradition includes folk songs called bélé, traditional storytelling called kont, masquerade, children’s and work songs, and Carnival music.

Until the late 1950s, the Afro-Dominican culture of most of the island was repressed by the colonial government and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, both of which taught that African-derived music was evil, demonic and uncultured. This perception changed in the mid- to late 20th century, when Afro-Dominican culture came to be celebrated through the work of promoters like Cissie Caudeiron.

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