Aguillera

The West Indies and India Women’s teams are here and the stage is set for the two T20 International matches to be held at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium on Wednesday, February 22 and Thursday, February 23, 2012 from 2:00 p.m.

The Windies team will be led by 26-year old Merissa Ria Aguilleira, who joined the team in 2008 and attained the captaincy one year later.  A right-handed middle order batswoman and wicketkeeper, she has been rated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as one of the most inspirational captains in the world, having participated in the ODI World Cup in Australia in 2009 and leading the regional team to the semi-final at the World T20 along with the series win against world champions England, in that same year.

Most recently, she led the West Indies to victory in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2011, after defeating Pakistan by 130 runs.  She has played cricket in most of the West Indies islands and abroad in Australia, India, England, Ireland, South Africa and Bangladesh.  As captain, she has had the impressive winning record of 22 out of 37 games to date.

Merissa hails from the deep south of Trinidad so it’s no wonder that her favourite cricketer of all-time is Brian Lara.  She is a hairdresser and enjoys running, football and dancing in her spare time.

The matches being held here are the third and fourth in the five- match T20 Series, W.I. V India, currently underway.  The teams are now level at 1-1 having each won a match in Antigua last weekend.

Tickets to the matches will be on sale from 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday at Windsor Park and are priced at only $10 for adults while children 16 years and under will enter the Stadium absolutely free.

Bully

Cultural consultant Alywn Bully is reluctantly reiterating suggestions for changing Dominica’s carnival date.

Bully, who has spoken extensively on the matter over the years, says he is very aware that the traditionalists want Dominica’s annual carnival kept at its current date ahead of the Lenten season leading into Easter.

However he says they are ignoring likely benefits of moving the carnival possibly to the summer, a move he argues would make Dominica carnival bigger, better, and a major economic force.

He is advocating that the change be tried for a three year period after which the success or failure of that undertaking could be properly assessed.

Bully’s key reason for promoting the change is that Dominica carnival would no longer have to compete with Trinidad and Tobago’s bigger carnival.

According to him the benefits are many, including a much greater influx of Martiniquans and Guadeloupeans to the Dominica carnival.

He says the larger numbers of visitors would include people from the OECS countries who at the moment by-pass Dominica and head instead for the Trinidad carnival.

Cultural Consultant Bully says a change of date would likely see more people from the diaspora coming in for the event, while there would also be much more sponsorship of carnival activities.

“If after three years it doesn’t work then we go back to the original date,” he says in response to those who want the traditional carnival date maintained.

The Government  says it will issue a 91-day Treasury bill of $15 million for the purpose of financing part of its operational budget and to refinance existing debt at a lower cost.

It says the maximum rate offered on the Treasury bill will be 6 per cent.

The RGSM was established in 2002 by the Monetary Council of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) as part of its thrust to develop money and capital markets in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).

The aim is to raise short and long term capital at the lowest possible cost; provide investment opportunities for residents; and to develop money and capital markets in the Eastern Caribbean.

Available information suggests that since the inception of the RGSM, five of the eight member Governments of the ECCU have utilised the market to meet their financing needs.

These included St Kitts and Nevis (2002), Grenada (2003), St Vincent and the Grenadines (2003), Saint Lucia (2004) and Antigua and Barbuda (2006).

A government release says to date a total of 263 auctions have been held on the RGSM with Governments raising a total of $5.2 billion.

The Governments are reported to have saved an estimated EC$33 million through the use of this facility.

The Roseau Cathedral

An opposition MP has made a case in parliament for the Dominica government to help finance the restoration project of the Roman Catholic Church’s Roseau Cathedral.

Roseau Central representative Norris Prevost of the United Workers Party (UWP) told the House on Wednesday that there should be greater support for tourism including in the city where many cruise passengers visit two main sites, the Botanical Gardens and the Roseau Cathedral, which UWP’s Prevost described as an important, significant national monument.

The diocese of Roseau is about to undertake restoration work on the cathedral expected to cost some EC$8 million.

Prevost told parliament that the Church still required $3.5 million of those funds, and that the government could provide the money to ensure the upgrading of what he considers an important site regularly visited by tourists.

He indicated that he has written a letter to the finance minister, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to “put some funds into the Cathedral restoration project”.

Prevost was at the time participating in a debate on a $20 million loan that the government is trying to obtain from the National Bank of Dominica for general purposes.

The opposition MP said he supported the measure, while urging the government to allocate some of those funds to the Roseau Cathedral project.

Tourism Minister Ian Douglas supported Norris Prevost’s appeal for support for the church project, telling the House that he was sure the government would be able to assist the project when it gets off the ground.

Gayle

The ongoing saga between Chris Gayle and The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has taken yet another turn as  the Board has now given Chris Gayle the option to retire from international cricket if he can’t commit himself fully to representing the regional team.

The board’s latest position comes against the background that the controversial opening batsman has requested an unconditional No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for global domestic Twenty20 tournaments.

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Photographers – novice, amateur or professional – in Dominica are asked to submit photos, photographer credit and caption to dominicanewsonline@gmail.com for consideration for the Photo of the Day feature, daily on dominicanewsonline.com or news.dm.

Submissions can be accompanied by a brief profile and contact information of the photographer. Submissions will be published in the order they were received.

Photos must be taken of Dominicans and things Dominican. Note that submissions advertising any form of business or business activity will not be published.

Dominica News Online also encourages the submission of a variety of photos, ranging from nature shots, people shots, weird shots, interesting human interest shots, and anything ‘newsy

Miss Dominica 2012 Nadira Lando

Behind a facade of pluralism, democracy in Dominica has always been confined to those who have political power. Others who have benefited from the power systems and have referred or proximal power belong to the higher socio-economic and business classes who enter convenient and self serving relationships with the governments of the day.

Invariably, it can be argued that the Caribs have been left out of true representation at the highest levels.  The people of the eight (8) hamlets in the north east totaling an area of land mass about 3,700 acres are  now beginning to rewrite their history, advocate, articulate and document   their stories of struggles and  progress  in authentic ways with dignity and authority.

In the process, the antiquated façade of petty bourgeois and unprogressive partisan politics as we know it in Dominica is beginning to crack and a new kind of democratic politics is dawning. Giving the Caribs their own ministry is one of the last frontiers of defeating the antiquated  and ineffective colonial hierarchical style system as it relates to our first nation people. But how much autonomy and independence does that office hold?

In spite of the fact that petty partisan politics will continue to be well and alive in Dominica and in the near future, it must be demoted in its current destructive forms and styles. Political change, thinking and reform in Dominica today must carve out more space for innovativeness and progressive trends in every aspect of society regarding civic (not political) and civil debate and discourse. This development must continue if we are to be respected in the League of Nations in the modern era.

During the Dominica Freedom Party administration, the Caribs articulated the conceptual and organizational key to real democracy quite clearly: Autonomy and full recognition. While the vague concept of an autonomous Carib nation alarmed the government with thoughts of an independent community within the country, this writer thought otherwise.

The way to organize autonomy can vary widely without causing any alarm, apprehension or division within our country. Carib autonomy is not just a political issue, but also a legal one as well. The autonomy of special communities of ethnic groups of special regions is the only possible basis for true pluralism that is truly democratic.

Autonomy for the Kalinago people and territory does not necessary mean the fragmentation of our country.  The politics of autonomy simply redefines the structuring of old persuasive, accepted   and accustomed (old-fashion) dynamics and rules of value, habit and behavior.

Autonomy celebrates a vision of continuous dialogue and interaction within an ever-changing community of communities. Today Carib political leadership (of all stripes and colours) has placed community autonomy high on its agenda. This new paradigm is also at the center of the development and a renaissance and renewal of Carib community consciousness and identity. Indigenous autonomy means economic self–determination, social, legal and political autonomy.

This notion of autonomy recognizes local and ethnic differences and is not based on a notion of rights, partition of country, needs, culture and desires. Instead, it is based on a plurality of political, economic and cultural systems. The conception of autonomy and full recognition, respect and dignity for the Carib people show that we allow and care for truly democratic practices in Dominica that accept and foster differences, dialogue and harmony amongst our people.

At La Plaine School I remembered the joy I experienced every morning looking at a giant picture of Queen Elizabeth which hung on the wall as we joyfully sang, ‘God save our gracious Queen; there will always be England and long live Britannia’.   Today our students ought to enjoy singing, ‘God save the pure Carib Indians and Kalinago Territory our first people and nation’. My dad who grew up on the edge of the territory in Jalousie, Castle Bruce, told me about the disrespect , harassment and ridicule that the Carib people faced by the police, courts, government and people in the 30s, 40, 50s and 60s. Today the Kalinago nation, people, lands and votes can no longer be taken for granted.

That’s one reason why the 2012 carnival queen victory of the 19 year old Kalinago beauty that has aspirations of becoming a lawyer was very fitting and timely. The queen spoke about the painful history of her people. She said during the competition, ‘They have been taken advantage of and have over the years been fooled, disrespected, used and abused by people. But today Caribs will no longer (‘No Mas’)  be fooled. Caribs are now (VIP)-Very Important People and gone to the next level. They are teachers, doctors and more”.

Congratulations Queen Lando on your brilliant performance and achievement and on a fine job of representing the Kalinago Nation very well. Your are indeed an eloquent and articulate spokesperson for your people.  Always keep in mind that that you are carrying the full weight of your people, history and future with that crown.

Dominica’s ambassador to Venezuela, Dr Philbert Aaron

Dominica has cleared the air on an upcoming summit of the Organisation of American States, (OAS) confirming that the island will be represented  at the summit.

One Columbian newspaper is reporting that the ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance) member countries have threatened to boycott this April’s OAS Summit if Cuba is not invited to the conference.

Dominica’s ambassador to Venezuela, Dr Philbert Aaron, told DNO on Wednesday that “Dominica will attend the summit of the Americas”.

“ALBA countries will attend and use the Summit of the Americas, use the opportunity there again to call for an end to all attempts to isolate Cuba, and especially the (US) financial and trade blockade against Cuba,” Dr Aaron said.

Reports in Columbia, the venue for the coming summit, have suggested that the ALBA countries are threatening to boycott the summit if Havana is kept out.

Dr Aaron told DNO that no such decision was taken by ALBA’s recent Political Council meeting.

The declaration, a copy of which has been made available to Dominica News Online, says it supports “the full participation of the sister Republic of Cuba at that Summit, a right that cannot be infringed upon or submitted to conditions that violate its sovereignty”.

Another part of the declaration wants ALBA members to “unequivocally demand, during the Sixth Summit of the Americas, the cessation of this (US) policy and the lifting of the blockade against Cuba, in the face of the persistent opposition of the Government of the United States to accept the presence of Cuba in this forum”.

The US is insisting that Cuba should not be included because is it not a democracy.

Only Organization of American States (OAS) members are invited and Cuba was suspended from the organization in 1962 because of its socialist political system.

However in 2009 the suspension was revoked on the basis that Cuba comply with democratic principles before being readmitted.

It is reported that Cuba said it is willing to attend the summit but will not rejoin the OAS.

On Monday a high ranking OAS official said that Columbia, along with other invited countries, is expected to decide whether Cuba will attend the Sixth Summit of the Americas.

US President Barack Obama is among leaders from 34 countries expected to attend the summit that will be discussing regional issues.

The press in Columbia is reporting that the alleged planned boycott has threatened to spoil the event for the Columbian president who has been trying to improve the country’s image after years of civil war and violence.

Columbian newspaper “Columbia Reports” quoted President of the Inter-American Dialogue Michael Shifter as saying that the president of Columbia is not going to let the boycott happen.

“It’s his party and he wants to be a regional leader. It’s hard to do that if you have a divided summit, or a boycott,” Shifter was quoted as saying.

ALBA’s political council is made up of Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dr Aaron told DNO that he was at the council meeting in Havana that addressed the Cuba/OAS matter.

Photos by DNO.

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The court jesters, Alex and Bull, did their best to entertain and engage us. Although not jugglers or cart- wheelers, they were still armed with a bag of banter, as well as a bag of clothes, to provide levity between moments of angst and tension. We would indeed need their facetiousness for the competition to come.

Explosion stepped forward. Quite a select group of genteel ladies and gentlemen felt that his quick wit and somber musings were appropriate qualities for a king. Unfortunately, in matters of state, a sturdy memory is equally important, and when in addressing us he struggled to find all his words, the choice among Win, Lose or Draw became perilous. Given a second chance his practiced recitation though flawless, seemed dull, and in an era of grand theatrical productions, his support on stage, basic. His manifesto of Pasta Wine, was considered, but sadly, not approved.

This is a country which feels that youth is one of the better pre-requisites of leadership. Vigilante then could be a good choice. While energy and vitality are key to good governance, it’s always a risk to start with exuberance rather than calm. Some may even describe this approach as back to front. Still, if the strategy is to grab and thrill, then mellow and inspire, why not–as long as nothing is repeated and no one forgotten.

As we stared at the retreating steps of the first two candidates, things looked bleak for the auditions and the kingdom. Then, confident Bobb appeared with the saving hands of Jesus–literally! It was clear that morality and values would be of tantamount importance to his rule if given the throne. He formidably expressed his concern for the plight of children, and exhorted, albeit with distracting demonstrations, that lest we change, the walls would come crumbling around us. Possible, we thought to ourselves. We would store him in mind for future vetting.

When your majority is the humble, grassroots may be the way to go. Soul Puss stirred our souls, appealed to our consciousness, then reaffirmed our pride. In reminding us in both self and stage dressing that we must go back to the soil, and in resolutely asserting that in this Black History month, we will never be a slave again, many were convinced that he just could be the one. But would the elders concur?

The next prospect was one already beloved by the people. Four times before he had reigned over hearts and land, and perhaps as many times he had been defeated in battle. As this warrior faced his audience, he was undeterred in his purpose and unerring–almost–in his delivery. As a student, he tugged at our emotions when he proclaimed the nobility of the teaching profession, and as a militant, he commandeered our consciences in his exposition of true confessions. Choreographed, coordinated, and appropriately combative, Dice informed the judges that he intended to wear the crown. But with a false start to a second verse of a second song, murmurs in the crowd whispered uncertainty.

The “Knight in Shining Armor” often refers to the charismatic hero who saves, charms and dazzles. That said, Webb saved his best performance for last, displayed his delightfully charming voice, while dazzling those willing to separate an unassuming personality from an austere performer. With an arsenal of cohesive lyrics, charming melodies, infectious harmonies, would the judges be swayed to give him any flowers on this night or would the obvious Sisserrou Singers folksong influence overshadow the hard hitting thrust that is calypso? Perhaps, the victory would just lie in the delivery. The judges would decide.

Showmanship is the tactical method of Caressah. To get lost in the theatrics is to get lost in the song. Not this time! On both counts, the stage seemed to feel strangely empty by Caressah’s standards, with few props and even less actors. Nonetheless, the plight of the poor and underprivileged as well as reversed domestic abuse would be the sounding call of his administration if appointed King. His proposals were deserving of further thought.

New to the coronation process, a rather restrained Checko took the stage to speak on behalf of citizen Marcella who feared that prominent people were bugging her. Weak in mask, but explosive in controversy. He continued on with the randomly laced but immensely enjoyable am-pm concept. But the fire and drive which had propelled him to the Round Table was doused and tempered. Could it be the overwhelming reality of finals or the discomforts of daring lyrics inhibiting him?

Closing the auditions was the dogged, persistent and often overlooked Sye–tenacious in his hope for recognition and approval. As he belted out his belief that he would overcome one day, his mountain prop stood tauntingly in the background with an elusive crown on top. Was the fact that he never reached the crown by the song’s end foreshadowing of the night’s end? Consistent in his quest for justice and order in society, the long arm of the law man bemoaned the unsettling consequences of unsolved crimes. Yet, he too seemed defeated. Neither the honor of being the final competitor nor the knowledge that his contribution was a crowd favorite moved Sye beyond the mere expected, into the resonating challenger he has been before. Burn Burn Burn, already desperate in lyrics, became shy in delivery.

The coronation ceremony was announced and we assembled to find that Dice, again, would be king. The announcement was made to thunderous, fanatical applause. He would be flanked by Caressah, Webb and Bobb. A Queen is Gone, Long Live the King! The exclusion of Soul Puss left the judges unloved by many people. But the discontent will be short. As calypso patrons move on to the streets, and calypsonians regroup for next season, this latest excerpt in our country’s history and tradition is sealed into a time capsule. We will wait patiently, expectantly for the next installment, the next coronation. And just as it has always been, we will gather again in large numbers next year for what can easily be considered Dominica’s Super bowl, her Grammy’s, her Vocal Olympics. The disappointments, the amusements, the arguments, the controversies, the new comers, the stalwarts, the band and the fans, all combine to make the magic, the theater, that is calypso. So, we will keep coming back!!!