Families encouraged to do community service at home this year, those outside advised to follow COVID-19 protocols

Community service at Good Hope. Participants island wide are advised to adhere to Covid-19 protocols this year

Local Government Commissioner, Glenroy Toussaint has announced that due to the spike in Covid-19 cases, there will be no collection of white goods for National Day of Community Service, 2021.

Toussaint said in a video statement, that in an effort to create a culture of cleanliness, the government has made adjustments on that day and is therefore encouraging families to clean their yards, plant exotic plants and flowers and keep their surroundings clean.

Community day of service will be held island wide on November 4th 2021.

“Since Hurricane Maria, we’ve been placing a heavy emphasis on cleanup and beautification as we seek to build resilience at the community and national level. The ultimate goal is making Dominica the first climate resilient country in the world and so, the emphasis, as I said, has been on beautification And environmental enhancement and projects,” Toussaint explained.

In addition, the Commissioner has called on the local authorities -councils, development committees or improvement committees – to identify open spaces within the communities, even inside and close to public buildings, where exotic plants and flowers can be planted.

“I want to encourage everyone to get involved, but be mindful of Covid-19. We have to ensure that we adhere to the health protocols in terms of wearing your mask at all times, sanitizing your hands [and] physical distancing,” Toussaint advised.

Meanwhile, Independence activities have taken a different but interesting twist for 2021, due to the pandemic as staple events like the district competitions and the pageants have been omitted from the calendar.

According to the Acting Chief Cultural Officer, Earlson Matthew, the Cultural Division and the Independence Committee took the “glass half full” approach and tried to be innovative, using the resources available to them, not just financially, but using technology.

He stated in an interview with DNO that apart from being simply virtual, they are using the opportunity to better produce the events and the fact that they get to operate in a more controlled environment eliminates many factors that would otherwise compromise the quality of the offerings.

“Thus far, all of the activities have gone according to plan. The opening ceremony was well received and featured a production format similar to what will be done for the National Cultural Gala, which will seek to showcase the perfect blend between the traditional and contemporary aspects of our culture,” Matthew remarked.

He said the opening ceremony was closely followed by the National Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving which again saw great appreciation from the general public.

“Apart from the normal activity within the church community, the division aired a video featuring words of prayer and inspiration from various people of different ethnic backgrounds, who we share our island with,” The Chief Cultural Officer reported. “This was followed by History Week. The theme was “floral traditions” and we featured various revered florists from around the island, educating us on types of plants and their applications.”

This week is National Emblems Week and it started off with Flag Day. Matthew said there was a tremendous display of patriotism, as hundreds of Dominicans took to social media to represent with the “Nou tout sé Donmnitjen” photo frame.

The Division is also publishing daily videos, featuring emblems like the National Flag, the National Anthem, the National Dish, the Coat of Arms, the National Flower, the National Bird and the National Pledge.

“Remember that every Friday leading up to creole day is Had Kwéyòl, where we encourage creativity with the madras. On Joune Kwéyòl, we are promoting the National Wear, so it was only fitting that we announce the winner of Chic – Konpétisyon Had Kwéyòl on that very day. This competition seeks to promote the national wear, as well as various attractions around the island and is done in collaboration with the Discover Dominica Authority,” Matthew said.

He further encouraged the public to take part in all of the activities in whatever way they can as well as to view, like and share activities and events on social media and to make this independence celebration “memorable for all the right reasons.”

Other upcoming events are: World Food Day, Jounen Kwéyòl, DAPD Dollar Day, National Market Day, the National Day Observance Ceremony, the National Cultural Gala and the National Day of Community Service.

Below are links to previous cultural events held in October of this year;

https://www.facebook.com/divisionofcultureDominica/videos/406853117713830/ – Official Opening Ceremony of 2021 Independence Celebration

https://www.facebook.com/divisionofcultureDominica/videos/555094975728065/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C – National Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving

https://www.facebook.com/divisionofcultureDominica/videos/611022326581135/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing – Had Kweyol and Chic competition Advert

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