The stage is set for the 4th edition of the Waraka Séwinal Festival in Atkinson on December 18-19, 2015.
The festival, which is organized by the Atkinson Village Council and the Séwinal Festival Committee, kicks off on Friday evening, December 18th at 7.00 p.m. with the Miss Noel Show hosted by the Atkinson Primary School.
Five students of the school will vie for the title of Miss Noel. They will compete in speech, talent, casual wear and evening wear rounds. The show includes performances by school drama group, Ethan Laurent, Layla and Company Dance Group and Bann AKayo Sewinal Band.
The festival continues on Saturday December 19th with the Sewinal Concert and Street Party next to the Atkinson Resource Centre from 7.00 p.m. Performances are expected from Bann Akayo Sewinal Band, Karina Cultural Group, Tosh and Combo, Gregory Rabess, Atkinson Primary School Drama Group, Sabrina Desbonnes among others. The winner of the Miss Noel competition will also make an appearance.
This year’s Festival Award will go to Alice La Ronde, recently retired principal of the Atkinson Primary School, for her outstanding contribution to the community in the field of education and culture. This award will be presented to her at the Festival Concert on Saturday evening.
The evening will conclude with music by DJ Flip and DJ Bugz featuring popular Christmas and contemporary music.
Support for this year’s Sewinal Festival thus far has come from the Embassy of China, AID Bank, Scotia Bank, Discover Dominica Authority, National Development Foundation of Dominica, Department of Local Government and Community Development, Dominica Air and Seaports Authority, National Cooperative Credit Union, Marigot Cooperative Credit Union, Jolly’s Pharmacy, Green’s Wholesale, Big Edge Financial, Ready Credit, Jean Bois, and Andrea Coipel.
Séwinal is derived from the French word serenade. It is a Christmas tradition in which a band of musicians and singers known as Bann Séwinal go from house to house during the weeks in the lead up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve, playing and singing traditional Christmas songs and carols.
While the Séwinal tradition has been in decline over the years, it has remained fairly strong in Atkinson.
The Waraka Séwinal Festival is an annual event aimed at preserving and promoting the Séwinal tradition and attracting local and overseas visitors to the community of Atkinson and Antrizle.
Waraka is the Kalinago name for the village of Atkinson.
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