STAY WELL & SPARKLE: Creole Festival fatal folly

golden eggIndependence 2015 is a time for reflection. We reflect on the passing hardships from Tropical Storm Erika as well as the lasting effects of a spectacular debacle in decision-making.

Together we endured unprecedented tribulation when Erika delivered her deadly surprise blow. Loved ones, whole families, snatched from us in a twinkling of an eye. We mourned with those who mourned; we comforted those in distress. Together, we felt for all those new students, waiting weeks to proudly start their new school year.

Some say Erika set us back twenty years and burdened us with over a billion dollars in damages. However, every cloud has a silver lining. Dominicans – and friends of Dominica – wherever they are, in the great cities and small towns around the globe, really stepped up with an eruption of generosity.

For a while there, the roar of helicopters was as common as that of motorbikes. At every turn, coast guard ships, disaster experts, church and civil society groups were vying to make the biggest impact. It was indeed gratifying to see a parade of heads of state and regional institutions coming forth with much needed assistance in our time of dire need. All of us without exception in this blessed land are truly grateful. Let us enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Thank you, thank you and Thank God!

Adding insult to injury

However, by canceling Creole Festival we inflicted upon ourselves a massive hardship that was indeed quite unnecessary. Granted, many see the decision as perfectly justified. As fellow Dominicans, we not only respect their difference in opinion, but also provide them the opportunity to express it freely.

Occasionally we need a reminder how super-connected our world today is. Even before the true scope of the disaster dawned upon many of us, our donors off island already knew. Already, they were mobilizing to jump in with a massive infusion of relief aid.

I have news for you. The world has moved on with much larger pressing human needs. Consider recent weather disasters Philippines and Mexico for example. So those who did not pledge support in the first couple weeks, don’t hold your breath. Do you really think they out there scratching their heads saying, “Look at them, Whinin’ behin’ woman with a Kubuli in each hand. They don’t look like people who need our help.”

No disrespect to my good friend Ophelia, Gordon Henderson did in fact have last laugh. Call it hubris or call it karma, but most will agree it ended up quite a comedy of errors. The decision process itself was simply capricious and embarrassing. There was not enough consultation with the essential stakeholders – not by a long stretch.

Just ask the hoteliers big and small, the guest house and taxi operators, the vendors of all stripes. They will tell you that they had customers lined up who had reserved rooms with down-payments. For artisans and small agri-processors, this is the season of greatest sales.

Now watch this eh: Discover Dominica just launched a competition to show pictures now, compared to some of graphic scenes of the devastation. Fantastic idea – which proves the very point! Ninety percent of the country is back to normal. People adjusted. They have been going about their usual business for some time now, many others idle and unconcerned. Apart from the devastating loss of Jungle Bay and the battering of Rosalie Resort, the special disaster areas had little to do with festival operations. So why didn’t we think of taking this proactive approach first instead of canceling the festival?

World Creole Festival is our golden egg. It is timed precisely to exploit La Toussaint (All Saint’s), the prime vacation travel time in the French calendar. Regardless of whether one directly participates or not, all Dominicans benefit, to some extent of the other. Unlike cruise ship tourists, festival visitors spend much more time here, injecting precious capital into the Dominican economy.

Many of those are repeat customers. Totally unscathed by Erika, they were eager to come to see for themselves remnants of the devastation. They expected inconveniences, but were still prepared to come for a relief concert and help lift our spirits. They were still prepared to come and personally give a little something extra to help the recovery.  To disappoint them unnecessarily opens the door to elsewhere to spend their money – and any businessman will tell you, once that happens, a percentage never comes back.

According to official figures the country has already lost multiplied millions of dollars by canceling Creole. This took the wind right out of the sails of the businesses that sponsor and donate to charitable causes. Successful business can employ more people and help sustain more families.

This piece of political theater made the country more dependent on aid instead of earning our own money. Consider the amount of resources that go into organizing a political rally. What if only half that energy was exerted in motivating the masses to assist ourselves in the rebuilding Dominica? Instead, that attention was focused on using relief aid for political leverage.

Relief aid legislation needed

Shortly after Erika, we were delivering aid through local officials in a devastated west coast village. Residents were busy shoveling wheelbarrows full of la-bou out of their homes and tediously scrubbing their furniture in the river. Folks dropped everything and clamoured around for the limited supplies. Suddenly, a barebacked, mud-stained senior citizen suddenly exploded in rage. “I’m go going to get my gun and shoot somebody.” He shouted, shaking like a leaf. I rushed over, introduced myself and tried to calm down his shocking threats. “Only one set dat getting,” he screamed, “Everytime, everytime every time. After all man…!”

Indeed, here’s the ugly truth: phone messages go out to select people to “come and get.” By the time words filters to the general population or the slower, weaker ones without transportation arrive, the show is over. And yet these abusers are brazen enough to rub it in by taunting, “You only vex because you didn’t get!” Legislation is needed now making it a special crime to hoard, sell and otherwise misuse relief supplies. Which is not to say that a large amount of aid has not been distributed fairly, but your job and mine is to make this the rule rather than the exception.

Nevertheless, let me assure you the time draws nearer when all of this will be corrected. So keep the faith and stay positive. Let us not fail to offer heartfelt congratulations to our health care workers, our police fire & rescue services as well as our young, disciplined and energetic cadets. Shower kudos on our brave heavy equipment operators. In quick time, they cleared dangerous landslides and cut new roads into challenging mountainsides. All credit to our tireless utility workers who restored water, electricity, phone, cable and Internet service. Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen. Your performance was golden! Your exemplary work and sparkling sense of duty makes us proud. Dominica celebrates YOU this hard Independence!

Thanks so much for your service.

Listen below for a brief summary of this article.

Dr. Sam Christian runs the Urgent Care on 137 Bath Road. For more information, please call 767 440-9133 or click on the Urgent Care website urgentcareda.weebly.com

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18 Comments

  1. just saying
    October 27, 2015

    I would have to agree with you a 100 percent on this one doc. Well said.

  2. Doctor Sensible
    October 26, 2015

    Dr Christian is a sensible man. A true teacher he heals by providing balanced analysis on health and society. He volunteers to help and is in front when some doctors are deaf and dumb because they lack courage. He is tight in his reasoning and calls a spade – Versace shirt took a typical dictatorial decision and consulted none of the taxicab, bakes and ackra laborers, hoteliers or shop keepers. And Like Sheep we Are Led To SLAUGHTER By deceit.

  3. Shaka zulu
    October 26, 2015

    I concur. It just shows you the deceptions used by our leaders. Simple minds take the easy and lazy route. Some would love to see us in the gutter so they will use for their own good. The longer we stay looking miserable the better we play into the narrative that Roosevelt skerrit has employed for the last 15 yrs to full fill his agenda. Keep those idiots poor give them lil bit every now and then and blame on recession. As I have said before wisdom is a gift from God.
    Dr. Christian keep up the good work and keep writing. The greatest disaster to me is the silence of the ones who know better and do or say nothing while an entire nation is dragged down the gutter by selfish, vindictive, dishonest politicians for fear of loosing a little position or job. Let them fire everyone let me see what happens.

  4. just saying
    October 26, 2015

    I would have to agree with you a 100 percent on this one doc.

  5. Deeone
    October 26, 2015

    90% back to normal? People still displaced and Delices and Boetica and Delices still crossing a gorge and you say it’s back to normal? It’s easy as humans to lose sensitivity to an issue when it’s in the press or in pictures. Drive around the island and see Petite Savanne, Delices, Coulibistrie and while you are at it, ask the people if they feel like partying. Our mental state is not yet there. I know because I live it.
    Don’t get me wrong. I agree we should still have the festival but you should justify it without saying we are past Ericka.
    Your assessment is also very shallow. It’s not like the Festival suddenly pops up into thin air come October. From the launching of the festival the airwaves are dominated by ads and events of festival. You have to admit that we were not ready for that. The festival promotion would either be watered down or the Erika recovery would be slowed down. What you are doing is a classic “hindsight is 20/20”.
    But like you said, we can agree to…

    • Carry On!
      October 26, 2015

      Good comment. Decisions have to be made and were made. Clearly, criticism would come either way.

      I think you missed the good doctors point. The country needed income more than it needed more memorials and remembrances. He addressed all those painful things in the first part if the article. But dialogue itself is therapeutic. How the decision was made had more to do with everybody knowing who was the boss than listening to important stakeholders.

      I dont think you will stop people from discussing these matters by simply branding them as shallow – especially when the truth is staring us all in the face

      • Deeone
        October 28, 2015

        I never called the man “shallow”. He’s a good man and that would be rude. I think that his ARGUMENT was shallow and wasn’t thorough enough. I don’t think that we have recovered as he claims and I also believe the festival needs far more focus than we could afford to give in that time frame.
        You do realize I said we should have held the festival right? I got the point about the finances but it’s not cancelled forever and I could care less about the “boss” you refer to.

  6. tru d bino q la
    October 26, 2015

    Smart leaders have the philosophy, “don’t let a disaster go to waste.” Others run away talking about the good things we had and the food things to come.

  7. Miss perfect hair
    October 26, 2015

    Superb article Dr. Christian. I hope that in future we will make informed decisions and not put our ego and positions ahead of the well being of the country. Well done sir.

    • browneyesgirl
      October 26, 2015

      i must say the same. well done.

    • Hmm...
      October 26, 2015

      “Miss perfect hair” my foot. The name you gave yourself speaks volume of you. You sound like you have a humility and ego problem. I wonder if you put people well being before yours?

  8. ZUMA
    October 26, 2015

    all the depots in dominica should be checked to find out if any remaining rations are still there , and if its true these supplies should be shared among the dominican public as soon as possible
    all the depots, red cross, schools and any other areas where supplies my be in stock

  9. October 26, 2015

    Look at the Bright side.Every thing there`s balance, truth, untruth, for and against jelousy, and envey, RED, Grren, Blue, yellow,ect, intelegence and not so inteligent, But we all have to strive for happyness, living and allowing our neighbors to live on as well. In my opinion, when i look around, compare, experiences, both at home and in other third world countries, and more Develop countries,i see in Dominica, the scense that if you not for me thaen you must be against me” premitive, and childness, we have not matured inspite of all the BLA,BLA, The beating of our chest every time we eat Breadfruit, Dasheen, Fig, or tablet. Unless we a serious about really brining all our stake holders, local and foriegn, Blue, Red, Green Black,ect, to the table Called Dominica, we can sing till the Cows comes home and nothing positive will be achieve. We are suffering from our insanity, and the only way to fix some of our self inflicted problems is to be real first with ourselves and with ohers.

  10. I didn't get
    October 26, 2015

    Anybody who know me know I not afraid to praise the government when they do something good or criticise them when they mess up.

    Like plenty other people, I had Erika damage and can hardly make an income. Is just as the doctor say. Is only afterward I hearing they giving things. I know they complain about that on talk shows but I hope this article make people realize we have to do something. about it.

    • Zuma
      October 27, 2015

      There is no one by this name in Dominica I did’nt get that, so nobody knows you

  11. Bon Dieu
    October 26, 2015

    Excellent assessment about the situation in Dominica post-Erika. There is simply no excuse for cancelling the main tourism generating activity at a time when funds were so severely needed.

    Tourism was supposed to be everyone’s business, but it seems the government is actually acting against the interests of the country. We have insufficient foreign investment, so the few home-grown activities we have require as much support as possible. In many ways WCMF should have been the biggest relief concert ever. Instead we have all these small activities going on around the world and as usual Dominica looks like the biggest fool in the region.

    There is a reason why countries enact term limits. They review history and see what happens after a certain period of time in office. The prime minister must feel invincible at this stage. He does whatever he wants with no regard for the effect on the country b/c a few drinks, bribes, and threats will cause most poor people to submit to his…

  12. Joan
    October 26, 2015

    Well spoken Dr.Christain.

  13. negremaron
    October 26, 2015

    I agree

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