Tourism Minister, Senator Robert Tonge is calling on the public to refrain from violence during this year’s Carnival celebrations, especially during the two days of street jump up on Monday and Tuesday.
He made that statement while addressing the final Carnival press conference held at the Dominica Festivals Committee (DFC) office on Wednesday.
Tonge said he wants Dominicans and visitors alike to have a fantastic time during Mas Domnik 2017.
“We want to ensure that persons don’t use this time to do anything that they should not do in terms of violence against others,” he said. “Sometimes people use this time as a way to retaliate for grudges that they had over many years, so we are hoping that this will not be done.”
Tonge continued, “We know that the police are doing a fantastic job, I know they have great plans in terms of ensuring that all persons in Dominica will be safe and secure and ensuring that all trucks has proper lightings.”
He mentioned also that cameras will be placed throughout the city which will make it easy to recognize culprits of crime.
He called on persons to join as many bands as possible to have a great time.
“Watching the band is one thing but being part of the band makes a major difference in terms of experience,” he stated.
Tonge said that he is pleased and happy with the work that has been done in regards to promotion and preparation of Carnival.
Meantime, he called on the public to ensure that Dominica is kept as clean as possible during the festivities.
“Our intention is to have more bins around the city, and let us try to throw garbage in the bins to reduce the amount of work that is created for the employees,” he stated. “We are actually putting things in place to see how we can reduce the amount of garbage in the City, even during our lunchtime especially when people take pictures to promote Dominica and to expose Dominica, we don’t see more garbage than we see people. So we are asking everyone to reduce throwing garbage…”
He also advised the public to use the portable toilets that the Roseau City Council is providing.
“Let us use them, don’t go behind them and use them, so that the city will be a much cleaner and enjoyable city, especially after Carnival,” he warned. “We can do a lot in terms of trying to clean, but sometimes all the pee smells and stuff like that is really hard to wash away.”
He continued, “If we can reduce that we can make the city a much better and clean place.”
The two days of Carnival Street Jump-up will be held on Monday 27th February and Tuesday 28th February.
I heard nothing from you about the Glenworth Emmanuel case. That was violent too.
Garcon please be quiet. Where was your voice when the gas station in Newtown was robbed at gun point? Where was your voice when the candy shop in Goodwill was robbed at gun point? Carnival is here again and the moo-moo talking again.
Get off it Anthony! You are rude and disrespectful. This is uncalled for.
You swayed from the reason for this article. Your comment is out of place. You know very well it is Carnival. Stick to the issue.
Be respectful. Whenever you open your mouth in that manner, putting your fingers to the keyboard and pressing the Sent button, you condemn yourself. This one is typical.
Today Dominicans are very much divided by the colours red and blue, jealousy and hatred. Carnival is a season people use for vengeance. We have forgotten the real reason for carnival. It is a celebration of the emancipation of slavery. It is about the sacrifices our ancestors made, humbling before their white human traffickers so they would not die by a bullet. It is the celebration of freedom from working in the blazing sun cutting sugarcane which we would never get to taste. It is the sacrifice the black man made of watching his wife being raped and having to father mullatto babies. Our ancestors succumbed to their humanity being stolen from them so we could have the better life which we enjoy today. Remember it is not a time to drink yourself stupid and pass out on the roadside. And those costumes. Ladies, never forget we are Queens, please protect your kingdom and dress with honour.
Christine I do not know who put that myth in the world that carnival originates from the emancipation of slavery. All slaves in all British colonies were freed in 1838 and in Brasil not till 1888, fifty years later but they celebrate carnival like us at the same time and did so long before 1888. They also celebrate that same carnival in many parts of Europe like Germany, Venice, the south of France and Spain, not related to our emancipation. Even the catholic church can not claim it as its own and it goes back in time even before the Roman empire. if you do not agree you can argue with Dr. Lennox Honeychurch who wrote “a history of carnival”, a very interesting study of the subject. Enjoy carnival anyway.
By the way the Catholic Church will never claim it as its own for good reasons. It is a Church. Its members reside in the country and so they celebrate Carnival. They are not prohibited from celebrating it and having fun. They are always cautioned to conduct themselves morally and respectfully.
Carnival has come a long way from the days of slavery.
It is factual that slavery was abolished by the British colonies under the reign of King William the 4th, but blacks suffered under the hand of their human traffickers until the early 1900’s when they began migrating for work and when tourism started in the neighbouring islands. They suffered and endured many hardships. In Europe there were white slaves too. So let them enjoy the carnival, in Louisiana the blacks call the jump up mardi gras. People were enslaved all around the world because of wars, piracy and because of debts. Four years ago I encountered a group of slaves in Nepal called the Kamalas, they refuse their freedom. They depend on their master’s for their livelihoods. Enjoy the emancipation.
i am Not into using public toilets Mr. Minister.
Garcon, what are you, an animal? I truly hope they arrest wild pissers like you. Roseau smells enough already.
I will stay at my home
Best advice so far!
Fellow Dominicans, you know Carnival is a wonderful time which all of you look forward to. It is a time of enjoyment, seeing and meeting relatives and friends, especially those who reside overseas. Therefore, have clean fun.
Pay heed to the Dominican Authorities’ advice. If everyone adheres to this advice, you will surely have an enjoyable time.
Have a happy and peaceful Carnival. As you enjoy yourselves, may God bless all of you and protect you.
Know that God loves His children to also have fun, enjoy themselves and show love and concern for one another. However, it is not what you do but how you do it.
May His Divine Light shine on all of you and that those two days will be free of problems.
May He grant you bright sunny and beautiful days.
Make Mas Domnik 2017, a unique and enjoyable time that when you look back on these days, it will be with happiness that all went peacefully well.
All will be well with those who obey. Make the Carnival days safe ones.
O.K. Hon. Tonge, I shall heed your advice and take no risk. I shall stay at home.
Who will miss you?
I sincerely hope that people behave themselves! Time will tell. The police system is not good at gathering evidence or charging people, There is no real deterant to stop fools from creating havoc in such a small but beautiful island. I will stay positive that the carnival will be a peaceful one.Please dont get me vex. Thanks in advance.
Pee smell ?, Roseau already smell like pee, what are you talking about? by the way where is the mayor for Roseau? is he hiding under a rock? , just asking , during his campaign for mayor he promise a rose garden now all we have is rubbish , pirro and pee smell, nothing has change while they live in mansions , and drive nice cars, welcome to Dominica politic.
The mayor is a HE? typical lennox followers just blurt out anything that comes to their mouth
Well, we don’t know do we, especially at carnival and transgender being so fashionable these days. I think I will go dressed as a transformer myself with ac/dc current conversion and multiple three-pin sockets.
I thought the Mayor was a “she.”
My advice to those who are not supporting Skerrit corruption and to my families in Dominica, please stay away from canival, be it it Roseau or in the villages, please stay away, too many malicious and stage stuff taking place in DA today. All fires in DA are being blamed on the oppositions and suppoters, fire in airport Skerrit know who put it and was mot taken in for questioning, Skerrit document out in the public Skerrit and tony blamed it on Linton, Fire in Roseau on the 7th February, Skerrit, tony, Charlie and supporters blamed it on Linton and supporters, Wondering why they did not blame the Emanuel fire on Linton and supporters, Skerrit said that his intelligence gave him info saying that WUP planned to overthrow his government and the plan was to us the truck etc. Some years ago fire claimed the lives of some Dominicans in carnival, before Labour party cronies and supporters set their fire to blame it on Linton and supporters, stay away from carnival,