The Division of Culture of the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Constituency Empowerment in collaboration with several partners including the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, the Ministry of Kalinago Affairs, Alliance Francaise, Discover Dominica Authority and the Association Gwajeka of Guadeloupe among others is hosting a Festival Jwé Twadisyonnèl Domnik, a festival of traditional games and toys, on March 4-6, 2015.
The main highlights include a regional forum on Traditional Games and Toys at the Alliance Francaise building on March 4 and 5 and an exhibition of local toys and traditional games day in Benjamin’s Park, Portsmouth and Botanical Gardens, Roseau on March 5 and 6 respectively.
A street parade is also planned for kicking off the day’s activities in Portsmouth and Roseau respectively.
The exhibitions will display various traditional toys and games submitted by schools and other individuals.
Students and the general public will have the opportunity to participate in various games and playing with traditional toys.
Traditional drumming, dance and kite-making workshops as well as various forms of entertainment and sale of traditional foods will complement the various activities.
The forum, which is being coordinated by the Association Gwajeka of Guadeloupe, will finalize a charter and by-laws for a Caribbean Federation of Traditional Games and Toys.
The forum will also explore the links between traditional game and toys, culture and the economy.
In this regard, presentations will be made on traditional games and Kweyol (“Jwé twadisyonnel é kwéyol”), actions in relation to the traditional games and toys industry and the label “jwé twadisyonnèl karayib” and the 3rd Brazilian Conference on Traditional Games in September this year.
The Forum will also agree on key programmes and actions of the Federation to be implemented within the next five years and elect a Steering Committee to take the process forward.
The festival will be attended by a delegation of the Association Gwajeka of Guadeloupe which is collaborating in the staging of the Festival.
The Festival is aimed at promoting and revitalizing traditional games and the making of local toys and targets the school population as well as the general public.
A planning committee is responsible for the overall planning of the festival.
The Division of Culture is playing the main executing role with Cultural Projects Officer Gregory Rabess as coordinator.
I had many of these growing up, but they were never this fancy.
We should build factories to make local craft and toys to export like the chinese do , that would help solve some of our problems.
May the tradition live on. This is history in the making. Reminds me of my childhood. Great creativity for the children.
ONE LOVE