The National Cultural Council and the Division of Culture in collaboration with the Discover Dominica Authority and The Portsmouth Town Council are hosting the annual Old Mas and Sennse (Sensay) Festival in Portsmouth on Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 from 7:00 p.m.
The festival will feature a variety of traditional carnival bands including sennse, bann mauve, stilt walkers and lapo kabwit.
The bands include Afrikulture Stilt Walkers, Gutter Lapo Kabwit, Mahaut Sensay, Mahaut Bouyon Lapo Kabwit, Kalinago Traditional Mas, Good Hope Black Devils, Sugar Fyah, Sensay Masters, Sakis Lapeau Kabwit, Colihaut Ban Mauve, Will Strathmore Primary School, St. Joseph Sensay, Delice Lapo Kabwit, Castle Bruce Neg Mawon, Montine Lapo Kabwit, Cassava Piece Sensay and the St Joseph Sensay.
The festival programme includes a parade of bands, an official ceremony and stage performances. The various bands will gather at Burroughs Square from 7.00 p.m. and they will parade along the main road leading to the Benjamin’s Park.
On arrival at the Benjamin’s Park, there will be an official ceremony to include remarks from officials of the Division of Culture and the Portsmouth Village Council. Following the ceremony, the bands will then perform on the main stage.
The Festival is hosted in a different community each year in order to expose the host community to diverse carnival traditions, bands and costumes from around Dominica. The Festival also revives and strengthens traditional carnival bands in the host community.
The Division of Culture would like to thank The Ross University School of Medicine and Josephine Gabriel and Co for sponsoring this event.
That’s so lovely but because of the uneasiness of the people in Dominica at this time I do believe that all those taking part or are in costume bands should not have their faces cover up, that should be for all persons in every band on the road. That will not take away that picturesque beauty of the costumes we just want to make sure that every one enjoy the carnival safely.
And to the public I encourage that every one follow all guide lines set out by the organizers because we all want peace and justice for all. We Dominicans love out carnival and we also love peace and harmony with each other.
The police must do their job and we should all adhered to what they tell us, respect on both side is necessary I love carnival and I love my people too so PEACE and enjoy yourselves all.