Dominica’s 37th Independence anniversary celebrated in Boston

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After working tirelessly on Tropical Storm relief efforts, Dominicans and friends of Dominica came together on November 15, 2015 to celebrate Dominica 37th year of Independence and to showcase its culture.

The Dominica Independence Assoc., Inc. of Boston, MA sponsors this annual family event with a focus on bringing the cultural aspects of the independence celebration to those who are not able to be physically in Dominica at this time of year. The association also focuses on bridging the gap between the two cultures, Dominican and American, which is being experienced by American born children of Dominican parentage. The keynote speaker, Dr. Latoya Tavernier shared her personal experience of the disconnect with the audience.

In order to keep the youth connected to Dominica’s customs and traditions, the Children Cultural Dancers are very much a part of the celebration. They performed in a spiritual dance choreographed by Allison Peltier and Alexia Etienne to the music of “We Shall Rise Again” by Hon. Ronald Charles. The children are trained under the direction of Martha George from Paix Bouche. The audience was blown away by their performances and that of some very young gifted musicians related to the Christmas family of Castle Bruce. The musicians entertained the audience by playing traditional songs with a fusion of music from their genre.

This year’s event was emceed by our own Cultural Lady, Ms. Justina Henderson. She looked regal in her Wob Dwiyet as she introduced one of the most anticipated performances for the evening, the Dominica Boston Cultural Dancers under the leadership of Terri-Anne Olivacee Marie. Their eye-catching head pieces were made and shipped from Dominica. They complemented the yellow and green skirts as the dancers moved gracefully on stage performing the popular traditional dances. These traditional dances were narrated by Dr. Laurel Royer while Rev. Cuthbert Joseph provided the beat of the lapeau cabrit.

Guest entertainers for the evening were members of the Lugay family who traveled from different states, with their guitars and melodious voices to woo the crowd as they played and sang traditional songs.

The event would not be complete without a red carpet fashion show to include a modern traditional outfit which was worn at the Petite Savanne First Communion after Tropical Storm Erika. The highlight of the fashion show was a spectacular wear designed by Rita Labad. The “Proud Peacock” was created by the designer and Yolanda Shillingford. It was elegantly modeled by Samirah Joseph.

The Dominica Independence Association (DIA) was formed in 1998 with the main purpose of promoting the culture of Dominica. DIA has focused on a Literacy program in which barrels of books were collected and shipped to the Roseau Public Library.

In recent years, it has purchased and shipped school supplies and age appropriate books to selected schools in Dominica. The executive members are Edmund Tavernier, President; Yolanda Mason Shillingford, Treasurer; Wilma Bellot Thomas, Secretary; Martha George, Public Relations; Rita Labad, Theo Drigo and Shakespeare Christmas.

See photos below.

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4 Comments

  1. Not a herd follower
    November 20, 2015

    The head pieces and green waistcoats are fantastic . I love the creative touch. Big up to the Dominican Diaspora in Boston!

  2. unknown767
    November 20, 2015

    lovely!

  3. delicesinboston
    November 19, 2015

    We had a blast! My son surely enjoyed dancing with the group even if he was born in the US. Next year if God spares out life let’s make it bigger. Cheers to the committee. I remember when this group first started with just a few people singing at the Aspires club. Today, there are so many people who look forward to attending this event. Continue the good work guys.

  4. Tony
    November 19, 2015

    Hello and good evening my people . I want to say thank you to all the participants in keep our culture a live. Also cousin I see you.

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