The Government and People of Dominica are mourning the passing of Alwin Bully, a distinguished playwright, artist, and cultural administrator; and the designer of the country’s national flag.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a Facebook post on Saturday morning that the late Alwin Bully established and developed the Department of Culture (Division of Culture) and was its first Director, setting the foundation for the promotion of our country’s cultural art forms.
“As Chief Cultural Officer from 1983 to 1987, he spearheaded the establishment of the National Cultural Council, the Dominica Artists’ Guild, the Writers’ Guild, the Dominica National Pan Association, the Carnival Organising Committee, and the Komité Pou Etid Kwéyòl,” he said.
The Prime Minister continued, “He is credited for leading a vibrant theatre culture in the 1970s, launching the People’s Action Theatre which inspired a long-running theatre movement in Dominica.”
He stated that Bully was also a teacher and Acting Principal at the Dominica Grammar School (1977-78), the Acting Manager of the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation, DBS Radio (1982-83), and Advisor to the Minister of Culture from 2008-2010.
“He was equally impactful at the regional level, serving for over 20 years as UNESCO’s Caribbean Culture Advisor, assisting the Cultural Departments in CARICOM member states to develop their programmes and policies,” Prime Minister Skerrit stated.
For his sterling contribution to cultural preservation and promotion in Dominica and the region, Alwin Bully was awarded the Sisserou Award of Honour, the Golden Drum Award, and the UWI Sixtieth Anniversary Award for Outstanding Contribution to Culture in Dominica and the Caribbean, among many other accolades.
Upon his passing, we honour him for his deep, unending love for Dominica; his efforts to impart tradition, knowledge, culture, and values; and for teaching us to appreciate and revel in the richness of our Dominican heritage.
The late Alwin Bully was a national icon of the highest class, a true patriot and hero who represented the people of Dominica with pride and distinction.
“We will treasure his memory, always,” Skerrit said. “On behalf of the Government and People of Dominica, I express heartfelt condolences to his wife, Anita, his children Brent and Sade, and all who mourn his passing.”
❤️ always Uncle Alwin.. miss you .. still remember the plays you scripted and your meaningful impact on the Commonwealth of Dominica
Mr Alwyn Bully was one of the nicest masters at the Dominica Grammar School during1971 to 1976 and 1977 to 1979 when I attended the sixth Form College. If a teacher sent you to Alwyn, he never caned you, unlike Mr Levy. Alwyn never liked inflicting punishment. Instead he just talked nicely to you. I did not know that he learned under Uncle Joffre John Robinson all this acting and Shakespere.
His relationship with Anita Astaphan and his first cousin Miss Claudette Cools-Latigue, who were has favourite acting partners, is well recorded from his UK trip. Young teachers came back from UWI and tried their best for us students.
We will never see his like again. We all loved him and wish him well on his heavenly return to God. I think Mrs Anita Bully will miss him badly. He was her life partner, and I am sure that they enjoyed many years together.
He kept our island culture alive and made us happy. Many of his team remained in Dominica and will miss him dearly. I was not part of the…
Truth Be Told,you seem to forget the Dominica you and your ignorant supporters are living in today was built by Roosevelt Skerrit after hurricane Maria.After the hurricane Skerrit went to the UN for help.You and yours rejoiced at Dominica’s destruction.You kept parties and said 30,000 people had left and Dominica could never be back on the map before 20 years.All you lazy lying crooks and traitors want to tell Skerrit what to name airport?Shameless cursed sons and daughters of Satan.It is a cursed that have all you walking every Wednesday like headless chicken,no ambition.Because Skerrit has made you and yours look so foolish over the years,the airport should be named FANCHOO MOON.I agree with Lucas and Zara, great idea,Mr.Bully was indeed a great man.
Mr Bully! Headmaster of Dominica Grammar School, staff sponsor of BJ house, art teacher, these are the ways he impacted my life and those of my DGS classmates in the late seventies. He brought class, dignity and excellence to everything he touched, we all loved him. Deeply sorry to hear of his passing. May God grant him mercy and grace.
Sincerest condolences to his family. A remarkable national icon and nations builder in every sense of the word.. May our Heavenly Father grant them strength at this time of loss and grief.
De PM wrote this about Alwin Bully? This smells more like Lennox Honeychurch fingers to me. Stop fooling de people, nuh!!
Stop Pulling down the PM.
Respect whoever is in office.
If he makes then airport work for Dominica, then he would have defied many before him. Our job is to support the PM as much as we can.
The Old Mill Cultural Centre should be renamed the Alwin Bully Cultural Centre.
“The Old Mill Cultural Centre should be renamed the Alwin Bully Cultural Centre”
Kudos to you Lucas for that brilliant thought, the name sounds classy.
I am right on board. Good suggestion.
R.I.P. Maybe the new international airport should be named after him, “The Alwin Bully International Airport”. I think that has a good ring to it. It makes sense for a Dominican icon & designer of the flag of Dominica to be the name for the new airport (that’s if it really exists
). In a way, he’s the father of our nation so it’s only right, so it makes sense for the first thing people see when they enter/exit the country to be his name.
Unfortunately, knowing The Honourable Dr. Dr. Dictator Ayatollah Skerrit, the name will be “the Dominica-China Friendship International Airport”
The airport will be name Kong Fu Xing Airfield.
Makes no sense to name the airport after him, stupid. What meaning does it carry? There is no correlation between the two. Stop being political.
Who knows?
Let us see it built first.
Then we have to pay for it.
The name is the last thing.
Roland
Lessons from the life of Dr. Alwin Bully to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit:
“Upon his passing, we honour him for his deep, unending love for Dominica; his efforts to impart tradition, knowledge, culture, and values; and for teaching us to appreciate and revel in the richness of our Dominican heritage,” says Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
What about you Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, what are you imparting to Dominicans? Think about it. You are the exact opposite of what Dr. Alwin Bully represents. He was selfless, You are selfish. He was honest. You are dishonest. He was giving. You are grabbing. He was humble. You are egotistical narcissist. He was charitable. You are materialistic. He was enterprising and empowered others. You humiliate and encourage dependency in others. He was a uniting figure who brought Dominicans together. You are divisive and treacherous. Most importantly, he taught us to love ourselves, all Dominicans. You taught Dominicans to hate each other!
Very good comment. Right on!