The Arawak House of Culture which is our only and premier theatre for artistic and cultural performances in Dominica has not been functioning since the passage of hurricane Maria in 2017. Every country in the world needs a proper theatre or proper theatres with adequate facilities for the staging of shows and other various events and also for the hosting and staging of events by visiting overseas groups. The fact that the Arawak has not been restored, revitalised and made functional since hurricane Maria is a very concerning matter for Dominica’s cultural community and the general public at large.
There are many groups in Dominica which are in urgent need of a suitable space to be able to produce artistic and cultural events. Cultural groups and performing artistes need to perform and showcase their work and Dominica needs to provide our artists with appropriate spaces where they can showcase their talents and skills, provide much needed entertainment to the general public, including visitors, and help to build and enhance our culture and its various products.
There are certain kinds of shows which require indoor spaces for more effective and efficient execution. The quality of the work performed by groups and artists can be greatly enhanced by performing these works in a theatre like the Arawak House of Culture. And staging shows in the Arawak is also more cost effective for organisers because Arawak would provide a theatre with a roof, lights and sound, a proper stage, backstage and wings, adequate and suitable seating and an attractive lobby, bar and reception area among other requirements. Anytime one attempts to do shows outdoors there are always the high costs of renting a stage, tents, chairs, sound and lighting systems, among other expenses. Groups like the Sisserou Singers, New Dimension Theatre, Waitukubuli Dance Theatre Company, UMOJA CHS, the Alwin Bully Foundation and so many other groups and organisations in Dominica have been scrambling and struggling to find suitable venues to put on their productions and have either had to settle for outdoor venues or auditoriums, many of which do not have proper backstage and dressing facilities, lights and sound and appropriate seating. Sometimes it is wrongly assumed that a lecture auditorium is a full-fledged theatre, but most times auditoriums do not have backstage and proper dressing facilities and adequate spaces on the sides of the stage called the wings.
The Arawak House of Culture should once again become a very suitable and prominent venue for artistic and cultural events, and as in the past the Arawak can also become a very good venue for the hosting of various other types of events like graduations and school festivals and competitions. Without the Arawak, groups are not getting the proper kind of space where all their technical requirements for the staging of shows are already in place and where the setting and ambience are suitable for the showcasing of theatre productions to various audiences.
Arts, culture and sports are among areas which can help address crime, violence and drug problems in any country in that they provide more creative and healthy pursuits in which young people can be engaged and in which they can find avenues for the further development of their talents and skills and also for employment. When the youth are involved in positive activities they have less of a tendency to get involved in social ills and negative activities which lead them to get into trouble with the law. The more we can provide young people with facilities and opportunities which can encourage them to use their talents in constructive and meaningful ways the more our society as a whole can produce more well-balanced and mature individuals. The Arawak House of Culture therefore can most certainly play a very important role in being a home and a vital centre for artistic excellence and creative upliftment of our society.
The Arawak is more than just a building, it has become part of our identity and our legacy. It is a place where culture lives and evolves. It echoes our country’s values and shapes our future. The venue brings people together regardless of background, age or status. It is a place where we can gather and enjoy the shared experience of artistic expression. These shared moments build social cohesion and foster a sense of belonging and civic pride. When we invest in the Arawak we are saying that the Arts matter, that community matters.
I am therefore appealing for urgent attention to be paid to restoring the Arawak immediately so that once again Dominica can have a performing arts centre where groups can stage their shows at a more professional level and where visiting groups can also be hosted.
Many cultural groups in Roseau and the rest of Dominica are suffering as a result of the non-availability of Arawak and I am strongly suggesting that the necessary financial resources and attention be provided to expedite the completion of this very important national institution.
I agree with you especially the last sentence. It is the unvarnished truth. Today I listened to a THROWBACK on Facebook this morning from yesteryear where Roosevelt, in a public meeting, cursed out one of his political opponent, stating in the presence of man, woman and children, how the man lay idle all day in his boxer shorts scratching his balls. How gross! Is this the kind of character we want to lead our country in these times of moral depravity and decadence.
in my most humble opinion, the now faded shell of the Arawak House of culture stands conspicuously as a relic of a by gone era of cultural glory.. A better option would be a more modern and newly redesigned theatre built on a alternative site which would be more spacious and away from an already congested city.
Given the scarcity of land in Roseau however, such an ideal could as well be wishful thinking. In that case a restored Arawak is inevitable.
Can we revise the color when the building renovation is completed? This color does not stand out in a good way
This call for renovation of the arawak theatre is calling on government to do this as they do with tax payers money as they do throwing millions of tax dollars at this creol music festival while boasting of an international airport which is to be completed in 2025 then 2027.This is a disgrace that land owners are not being paid for their property.The biggest shame is some victims are in their late eighties a being disregarded.There is one .minister whose grand mother was my school mate in elementary schools during world war two and I k know he should be ashame
Based on this story, one would think that Raymond does not know the state of ongoing efforts to restore the building.
He knows. So, was he pushed to write this? By whom?
Are you a contortionist? You twist yourself in unbelievable shapes to try to justify the wrongdoings and gross incompetence of your godawful, pathetic, stuttering dictator and his docile disciples.
Too late shall be the cry. Dominica’s young men, an entire generation, lost, unemployed and high on drugs and nasty business.
Dominica’s young women, an entire generation without values and morals selling themselves to survive.
There is no Dominican society anymore, just thieves, hustlers and vagabonds occupying high office.