{"id":160456,"date":"2016-04-20T08:47:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T12:47:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=160456"},"modified":"2016-04-20T08:47:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T12:47:54","slug":"commentary-a-call-for-a-renaissance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/features\/commentary\/commentary-a-call-for-a-renaissance\/","title":{"rendered":"COMMENTARY: A call for a Renaissance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A
A section of Roseau<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although the recently announced Physical Development Plan for Dominica is a step in the right direction, the bigger picture calls for nothing short of a Renaissance.<\/p>\n

Fourteen years ago I was involved in one of the largest regeneration projects ever attempted in the UK. It involved five depressed northern towns with a population and land mass much greater than Dominica. The lessons from that initiative are relevant to us here today, especially in our recovery from Tropical Storm Erika.<\/p>\n

To get the idea across, I can do no better than quote from the conclusion I wrote for a publication that records the project\u2019s first year. Although the location and place names are different, the challenges are the same and the vision can equally apply to our own towns and villages. Here is my submission:<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been asked to dip my pen in a bottle of Scotch and come up with something lyrical. So let me tell you what I believe the spirit of the Renaissance is all about. But be warned: like alcohol, it\u2019s addictive!<\/em><\/p>\n

Renaissance is all about new ideas, new initiatives, new alliances and new beginnings. It is about shaping a better future, a future that isn\u2019t dependent on a run-of-the-mill five-year plan, but on a bold and imaginative, fifty-year vision. As with Rome, the Upper Calder Valley Renaissance cannot be built in a day. Aptly, my <\/em>twelve-month old son helped to launch the “Bringing It All Together Weekend” in June. Renaissance is an investment for our children\u2019s future and the real fruits of the project will be reaped by their generation, not ours.<\/em><\/p>\n

We were told from the outset that the Renaissance process would be “Vision Led Not Funding Fed”. I\u2019ve no problem with that. In recent <\/em>years I\u2019ve seen too much public money go towards too many ill-conceived schemes. White elephants are not a native species of this valley. Also, we have been told by the Deputy Prime Minister that, “Our policies, programmes and structures of governance are based on engaging local people in partnerships for change\u201d. I\u2019ve no problem with that either. In this first year of <\/em>this Renaissance the people of the Upper Calder Valley have subscribed to that strategy in their thousands.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the Government must stay with the daring initiative that they have set in motion. And in doing so, they must understand that creativity \u2013 for that is what we\u2019re engaged in, be it through housing, farming, industry, tourism, or any other form of human activity \u2013 by its very nature, involves doing things differently. Creative thinking does not easily fit into regimented tick boxes, nor does it rigidly adhere to prescribed rules and regulations.<\/em><\/p>\n

Already the people of the Upper Calder Valley have begun to move mountains. Nine months ago I was hardly aware of farming in the valley, but I am certainly aware of it now! The farmer\u2019s Action Plan sets a benchmark for all other Action Groups to aspire to. Their contribution alone will go a long way towards creating a sustainable future for this region. In Mytholmroyd, the Community Association is intent on creating a twenty-first century Market Town from scratch and, into the bargain, celebrating the life and work of their native poet, Ted Hughes. The people of Sowerby Bridge have vowed that if the authorities cannot re-route the busy road that runs through their town center, they\u2019ll move the town!<\/em><\/p>\n

Five hundred years ago Michelangelo impoverished himself by making the first Renaissance happen and I\u2019ve just blown my family\u2019s Tax Credit in doing the same. That is what it takes in commitment and passion. As we come to the end of this first year, on the hill tops and in the five towns, there\u2019s elation coupled with exhaustion. The people of this valley will scream if asked to attend yet another <\/em>brain-storming session, but they\u2019ll be damned to let the initiative die!<\/em><\/p>\n

Dated: 1st December 2003<\/em><\/p>\n

As an afterword to the above, let me say that, if together we can promote a Dominican Renaissance, I will contribute all that my 73 years of experience can muster and promise that in a year\u2019s time I will dip my pen in a bottle of Macoucheri Rum and wax even more lyrical!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Although the recently announced Physical Development Plan for Dominica is a step in the right direction, the bigger picture calls for nothing short of a Renaissance. Fourteen years ago I was involved in one of the largest regeneration projects ever…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":160457,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCOMMENTARY: A call for a Renaissance - Dominica News Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/features\/commentary\/commentary-a-call-for-a-renaissance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"COMMENTARY: A call for a Renaissance - Dominica News Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Although the recently announced Physical Development Plan for Dominica is a step in the right direction, the bigger picture calls for nothing short of a Renaissance. 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