STAY WELL & SPARKLE: Dominican Sunrise

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away…

‘Antigonish,’ an 1899 work by American educator and poet Hughes Mearns, exquisitely captures the fascinating cocmar conversation my readers and I last weekend.

When I was a boy, we raised chickens. I chose an egg laid on Good Friday and put it in my armpit… Aha! Got you!  I only teased with this ‘moose’ story because DNO this week broke with the news of a ti bolom was caught on a selfie photograph in St. Lucia. Sounds like stuff one hears in New Orleans as well. Oh, our colourful, creole cultures! Certainly well worth celebrating…

However, as our independence approaches, my two-part series points forward and upward. This weekend’s ‘Dominican Sunrise’ addresses how to engage children in the Diaspora born off-island. Next week’s ‘Slipping into the Sunset,’ promotes the prospects for retirees considering returning to the land of their birth.

Gaibu and I, our kids have been nurtured on a healthy diet of Bouyon and Soca, Reggai and Calypso at home and West Indian functions. (World classical stuff too, of course). When our families visited to the homeland several years ago, we arranged for them to become honorary cadets for a day. Along with their local peers, they visited the district clinic and toured the historic exhibits in the Kalinago territory. They sucked the pulp of the beans fresh from the cocoa pod as they learned where chocolate come from. They swung from vines, made a pui-pui from bamboo and floated down from the ‘basin-chaud’ on the Layou River. They explored Soufriere’s sulphur springs, caught lizards with a noose made from the central vein of blade of grass, guzzled cool, refreshing coconut water and so forth. Suffice it to say, they had a blast!

Most of all they initiated application for Dominican citizenship. Israel you know, has only a population of 8 million, small by world standards. However, it has a far larger effective population and carries a bigger stick because children of Jews around the world are encouraged to visit, plant a tree, get citizenship and support the state of Israel. Gaibu and I had the privilege of taking all that in when we visited the Holy Land. Many Jews having spent all their lives in New York for example, choose to be buried in Israel, their ancestral home. (This not to disregard the legitimate rights of the resident Palestinian people). However the purpose of this article to explore the ways can Dominicans emulate Israelis in fostering a love for and commitment to the homeland.

Dominica’s numbers had been shrinking http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=do&v=21. Thanks to an infusion of new nationalities, the population trends now show signs of health. Economies need new warm bodies in order to thrive. However, unlike Israel, we lack a clearly defined program to constructively engage children of the Diaspora in order increase our effective net population.

It is no secret that Dominican-born students generally outperform big-country students wherever they go. Not so when it comes to the children of Dominicans born overseas. Universally, the performance of second generation students tends to sink to the level of their big-country peers. By immersing them into values and struggles of Dominican nationhood, we reverse that trend. Suddenly, they derive a sense of purpose. They realize they are special, a people set apart for success. They cannot afford to mess up like other kids.

More than just a vacation and a cultural break, a purpose-driven Dominican vacation strengthens their identity. For them, it’s no longer just about some small island out there that Mom and/or Dad talks fondly about “in the good old days.” Now they have experienced it for themselves in its fullness. They feel they belong; a place where they are valued and appreciated; a place where they will not be discriminated against; a place where they have a sense of ownership – even if they only get to visit once in a while.

All Dominicans in the Diaspora are proud to bring their children home. Yes, they get to meet family whom they may have only talk to on the phone and whose pictures they have seen. Once here, they do all the fun things. They make their own friends with whom they later Skype and communicate with on Facebook. If however we transform them into citizens, these new Dominicans are more likely to encourage their English and North American friends to come to Dominica for a destination wedding. They can encourage them to hike the famous Waitikubuli Trail or to enjoy among the finest scuba dive sites in the world and lots more.

Check this out: After completing the Massacre to Bay-Front leg of the recent Cancer Walk, I joined the fired-up throng proceeding en masse to the stadium for the ceremony. I sent some video clips to my family back in the States. My sons remarked, “Oh great! Mikel Henderson – our favorite! We love that song!” (Their words, not mine). They could have preferred Rihana or Kanye, Pit Bull or that Gangman Style guy. Instead they favored a Dominican artist! I was so proud I could have died and gone to heaven! What did I do to deserve such a blessing?

We are a warm and welcoming people for strangers within our gates. Dominica has become a vibrant little cosmopolitan society in its own right; people of different races living together in harmony and respect. Economic citizenship is a good thing. (Even the US has a form of economic citizenship). But citizenship for children of the Diaspora is equally important. I want to hear your ideas on how we can effectively pursue this goal in a robust and systematic manner.

Picture this: Diaspora youth interested in becoming citizens could be required to visit to a specified number cultural attractions and pass a simple test about Dominican history and constitution. Jewish soldiers take their oath at the Masada, sacred because of Jewish bravery and sacrifice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masada

In like manner our new Diaspora citizens could take the oath at Fort Shirley. A senior cadet or police officer could officiate; a magistrate or even the President. (I am no legal or constitutional expert, but it all depends on how much importance we would ascribe to the process). Erected there is a hallowed plaque commemorating the little known 1802 rebellion by the 8th West India Regiment. According to historian-emeritus Dr. Lennox Honychurch, the heroic and self-sacrificing actions by these Dominicans precipitated the first mass emancipation in British Empire. Amazing! I didn’t even know that. Did you?  http://www.africasounds.com/dominica_travel_north.htm (Scroll down 4 pics). The immaculately renovated site is simply fabulous – and quite moving! The park rangers look outstanding in their uniforms. They are quite well-informed and exhibit a level of customer service that equals or exceeds any national park, anywhere in the world. Fort Shirley is a must-see for any Dominican at heart.

(On that note, I have a dear patient, Guyanese by birth, married to a Dominican pastor. She is not doing well. She urgently desires to be a Dominican citizen. What a tribute to our country! I have been frustrated in my efforts to get her naturalized as quickly as possible. I can’t conceive how it could be that hard. Any suggestions on how we can prayerfully and promptly accomplish that would be most welcome. Dominica needs more people, good people – and they don’t come any better than her).

Dominica was Columbus’ first stop on his 2nd and most successful voyage. From his subsequent conversations with Queen Isabella, one can conclude that he pronounced a special blessing on this land. I believe that blessing is about to break through. At present, Dominica’s economy may not exactly be on life support, but it would not be fair to say it is booming either.

While definitely interesting, let’s not be too distracted by the ‘man upon a stair who isn’t there’. Too many of us still see a demon behind every bush. Trim that bush or cut it down and let’s focus our attention like a laser beam on nation-building. To this end, let us firmly harness the talents and energy of ALL our young people – both at home and abroad. They are the ones taking us to the next level for Dominica to truly sparkle. Make them citizens now!

Dr. Sam Christian is an American-trained surgeon general practitioner who runs the newly medical office on 137 Bath Road. It offers urgent care (general), minor surgery, acupuncture and microdermabrasion. To schedule your free wellness visit and tour of the facility, call 440-9133 or write [email protected].