Plans are underway for what officials say could be the largest gathering of Haitian nationals living in Dominica.
President of the Dominica Haiti Friendship Association Roland Desire said he expects hundreds to turn out in solidarity for a “big mass” on Jan. 12 at the Roseau Cathedral to remember loved ones who were affected by last year’s devastating earthquake.
January 12 marks the first anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island killing over 300,000 people and leaving over one million displaced.
“We want to ask everybody who has Haitians working with them to give them the day off so they could celebrate in that mass because it’s an important day for us. That day will be a Wednesday. We want to use that day to remember our brothers, sisters, neighbors…” he said.
Following the mass, the Haitians are expected to get together for a cocktail to socialize with each other.
“At that gathering we expect to recognize all Haitians who have contributed to the development of Dominica. There are those who have worked hard over the years, the market vendors, those who have been selling across the streets. We expect to give them certificates and gifts just to thank them for contributing to the country,” he said.
Desire wants all Haitians to make an effort to participate in the event which he says is essential to the culture of the Haitian community.
to the president of the association, wouldn’t it have been a good idea to have gone on the radio, a radio station where we all listen, and pass this information? remember is not all of us that is so fortunate to go online, some don’t have or know how to use a computer. lets start to do things in ways that make sense for all of us, don’t give other persons reasons to bad talk us.
well people can say what they want about Haitians, only one thing i know life is not fair but God is good. im a proudly 100% haitian i have been in Dominica for the past 7 years i have worked hard to survive inhere people i have worked for exploited me, you work for them helping them getting rich but they chose not to help you. but i dont really worry about my past experience with Dominican cause i know it is good to make experience in life now im only focusing in having my own business to help those who are in need and after to go back home like everybody does.
Then hurry up and go back home to haiti…
well, well if you were being exploited in dominica and stayed for 7 long years, I really wonder how long you would stay if they treated you nice.You guys stayed because Dominica is not poor as haiti, and u all haitian people leached on us.Dominicans got a heart and most of them so stupid give haitians take over the market place.take your business to haiti, you sound like you want to bring your family down to.
DOMINICA MAYBE full OF bedbugs BECAUSE YOU ALL BRING THAT EVERYWHERE U GUYS GO.take yourself,your business and everyone inneed and put it on the boat and migrate back to haiti.
Do you have to be so insolent and rude? Love .. There are a lot of Dominicans all over the world. How would you feel if the Citizens spoke to them in the very same manner that you are speaking to someone. I am sure you have some relative somewhere in the wide world. Is that so??
i hope that you have informed other haitians who are not so fortunate to use the internet of this mass, don’t u find it strange that most of us don’t have use of the internet and the information is being posted on DNO?, i wonder for who it is there i only just learnt of it and had to search for it, and i am internet wise, much less for those who aren’t
I wish all these haitians would go back to their country.We have help them and their time to depart have long past.I do hope that skeritt would consider sending these people,i mean all even if they married a Dominican fool for their papers.Please Dominicans, we need to srtart demonstrating so that our words are heard.These people taking over our beautiful country and only in dominica u see these things.Go to Jamaica, hell no, they are not welcomed.GO BACK TO HAITI AND LEAVE OUR COUNTRY.Soon it will not be Dominica no more,it will be Haitica.Get out
How would you feel is the same sentiments you just expressed,were said to our Dominicans who are out there in the world all over?
The Haitians are children of our ancestors who were dragged from Africa to the West Indies. Haitians are our brothers and sisters.They are facing some hard times.The Godly thing to
do is to help them.There are more than 50,000 dominicans abroad enjoying the fruits of other countries.So please lets extend some kindness to them
Yes urban maroon, Our people seem to forget how most of our parents emigrated to the UK, US, Antigua, St Thomas and all the islands and sent us the pounds, dollars – US & EC’s, francs.etc.
Remember how it was back then when we did not have castles like Hilton hotel as today. It was houses on stilts and “Boute Chambre” with “Card’ as dividers. They seem to forget the “matlat cooa” and the “bedding (‘Carban” under the big bed” and I can go on and on. We depended heavily on what our overseas relatives sent for us. We enjoyed going “a la poste” to get the registered slips.
We have grown yes we have grown. Non of those things described above does not exist now except in very minor situations. We do have a lot of our people still in those countries still. I would really be interested in knowing how many Dominicans are in those parts out there?
Now what we fail to realise is that we have prospered and now we are like the countries that our grand and parents went to get employment and a better living.. Let us praise the Father for his mercies. Even those of us who stayed back home can say that we are richly blessed.
We have our homes and some of us even have got a vehicle whether it is a small buggy. Now inspite of this, we have some of our bros who are facing some hard time in their own country. We have to embrace other persons since we do not know when we are embracing angels or when it will be our turn. We seem to forget 1979 – Hurrican David and so many came to our assisance.. Our Father has commanded us to love one another and I would really like to get an accurate figure as to how many of our own people are enjoying the fruits of other nations.
Let us treat others as the Father would want us to treat others and did not the golden rule say “treat others as you would like them treat you?
Mr Desire and your team congratulations on your initiative and people, the Association is rcognisign those who contributed to the development of Dominica.
Blessings to you and we wish your association the best in your endeavours.
kudoos to the haitian community
“MASS” is joke
hheeeellllooooo i’m getting concerned bout dem haitians enno,,,,my problem is them people populate very fast since they have a vast amount of people back home and non the less they’ll take over dominica,,,,everywhere u bounce in town a haitian knocking u wii as if u in port-au-prince,,,,,doh talk for some of dem d.a women,,,,they sayin oh haitian man better bcuz they cooking n doing house work,,,as if d.a man doesn’t do it lol,,,,see how one of dem scam young bull,,,,n escape with his niece lol
First of all, great idea. I hope it is well supported. Secondly, I’m always upset when people in one Caribbean country treat our Caribbean brothers and sisters like they don’t belong. In one breath we talk about Caribbean integration and CARICOM and in the next breath we say things like this about our brothers and sisters who are in Dominica to do nothing but make a decent living. Let’s welcome the Haitians as if they were born Dominicans of Dominican parentage. Our country and region will be better off for it.
True. I’ve already witnessed an incident where a Haitian lady ‘brainwashed’ and took a married man out of Dominica away from his wife and kid. Very Sad.
Is this comment about taking a married man from his wife and children meant to be a joke? Do Haitians have the monopoly on this? Weren’t Dominican men leaving their wives for other women long before Haitians ever came to Dominica? Weren’t Dominican women leaving their husbands for other men long before Haitians ever set foot here?
So many Dcan women who go overseas and take people’s husbands??
Mouth of the South is more like Mouth of Poopoo…talking crap all day on DNO
Garcon, when are you going to grow up…what does have the Haitian Prayer Day in observance of the worst natural disaster in the Western Hemisphere have to do with the nonsense you wrote?
You should be ashamed of yourself (as a black man…as you so frequently claim)
Do you remember this song by the Great David Rudder…sing along for Haiti Mouth of the South
Toussaint was a mighty man
And to make matters worse he was black
Black and back in the days when black men knew
Their place was in the back
But this rebel, he walked through Napoleon
Who thought it wasn’t very nice
And so today my brothers in Haiti
They still pay the price…yeah, yeah…
Chorus:
Haiti, I’m sorry
We misunderstood you
One day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti, I’m sorry. Haiti, I’m sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory.
Many hands reach out to St. George’s
And are still reaching out
To those frightened,
Foolish men of Pretoria
We still scream and shout
We came together in song
To steady the Horn of Africa
But the papaloa come and the babyloa go
And still, we don’t seem to care…No, no…
Chorus:
Haiti, I’m sorry
We misunderstood you
But one day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti, I’m sorry. Haiti, I’m sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory.
When there is anguish in Port au Prince
It’s still Africa crying
We are outing fires in far away places
When our neighbours are just burning.
They say the Middle Passage is gone
So how come overcrowded boats still haunt our lives
I refuse to believe that we good people
Will forever turn our hearts
And our eyes…away…
Chorus:
Haiti, I’m sorry
We misunderstood you
One day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti, I’m sorry. Haiti, I’m sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory.
Haiti, I’m sorry, sorry…
o good
I think that this is a good idea. Thou I feel that Dominicans take some issue with Haitians and some may be justified while most not. I hope they use it as a time for pray and reflection as it is uncomfortable to see all this catastrophic incidents rain upon Haiti and Santo Domingo go virtually untouched, yet they are one physical space.
It’s true. The Haitians have something going on with them, I don’t think all those horrible things that have been happening to them is mere co-incidence. Uh Uh.
this is a good idea, but we must let them know that they are not encharge of dominicans but appreaciate the fact that we helped them in their trying time and we still continue to support them in watever way we can and so must have respect for dominicans.
America, England, Canada, Barbados, every Caribbean island, I have met Dominicans in Africa, those countries should let Dominicans know that they are not in charge also. What I am trying to say is that for a country that more of its citizens live outside of the country that within its borders we sure do not like foreigners. We can go to our people country to better ourselves and make a living but nobody can come to our country and do the same. DOMINICANS ARE XENOPHOBIC. Look up the meaning of the word.
Nicely said Neutral .
what are you talking about,.tyey are doing the jobs that we do not want to do and make an honest living give me a break.
well let us sit and let them run da nuh