Nicolo Syllacio, a writer who
traveled with Columbus when they came across Dominica on Sunday November 03,
1493 in the faint light of dawn wrote. “Dominica is remarkable for the beauty
of its mountains and the amenity of its verdure, and must be seen to be
believed.” She stands surrounded by her luscious green mountains, with her
crystal clear fresh waterfalls pouring onto her virgin lands.
Her
clean rivers, 366 of them flow quietly into her warm blue seas; one part the
Atlantic ocean the other part the Caribbean sea separated by a small strip of
land at the lower tip of her small frame. She is only 289 square miles. One of
her lakes boils ravenously releasing the smell of sulphur into the air; the
others lay quietly humming a soothing sound, fresh and inviting. She is a sight
to behold!
Her
unique black sand beaches shine like black silver under her burning sun; Her
parrots sing a sweet harmonious symphony of peace and tranquility in her
jungles. Her beautiful exotic plants and flowers bloom graciously, discharging
a sweet aroma into the air. Wildlife roam her forests freely, whales find
sanctuary in her waters. The captivating smiles and kindness of her children
complement her beauty. She stands majestically among her sister islands. She is
not the Dominican Republic, She is Waitukubuli, she is Dominique, and she is
Dominica distinct and proud.
She is
the mother of Caribs, Arawak--- Karinas and Karifunas. And they were not
cannibals as the Europeans who invaded their land claimed. They called their
motherland Waitukubuli (meaning tall is her body) and they fought fiercely to
keep the invaders away from her.
The Spanish, the French, and the British, oh how they fought to own this gem. For
centuries she exchanged hands among them. The French named her Dominique, and
renamed her villages; The British named her Dominica and, renamed her villages
to; her children had named her Waitukubuli. The invaders brought African slaves
and Waitukubuli embraced them all as her own children. The proud mother of
Caribs, Arawaks and blacks. She became a melting pot of cultures.
She
taught her children to live in peace and harmony with each other, to hold on to
their culture and their heritage, to unite against the oppressors and drive
them from their land. It took a while, but they eventually won. The last battle
started in a little village, which the French had named Laplaine in
1893. The brave village warriors with sticks and
stones as their only weapons drove the British away never to return. Oh how
they raped her and enslaved her children for centuries. Waitukubuli’s children
had reclaimed their motherland at last!
One of
the great daughters of Dominica, Phyliss Shand Alfrey left this message with
us. “Love for an Island is the sternest passion pulsing beyond the blood
through roots and loam, it overflows the boundary of bedrooms and courses past
the fragile walls of home” and to this I add it contracts distance. Even though
we are thousands of miles away from our beloved Dominica, distance should not
diminish our love for her.
Every
Dominican abroad should assign him/herself as an ambassador, a tourist officer,
and a marketing representative for our beloved country. She stands like a gem
in the sun shinning brightly even in her dark gloomy days, she is resilient and
strong, She is inspired by the hope that her sons and daughters will not forget her.
She has every right to expect that of
us, and we owe it to her. Dominica has been a good mother to us, she has not
let us down though her resources have been limited, and she feed us and
protected us and taught us the value of education. She sent us out into the
world and gave us her blessings to gather knowledge and skills; She smiles to
see the progress her children are making, that makes her proud. All she asks of
us is that we give something back to her. She has only her fertility, her
beauty and her courageous and brilliant sons and daughters; she has conceived
many of them and she is depending on them to save her from economic
disaster now. How can we let her down? She has no minerals, no white sandy beaches,
her terrain is not conducive (fortunately) to big industrial projects, and her
oil has not surfaced, her gold has not been discovered.
Colonialists came and raped her, Politicians have
abused her, Hurricanes have ravaged her, but she remains standing tall and
proud, knowing that she was blessed with fertile soil and brilliant sons and
daughters. She waits patiently.
She begs her children to hold on to their culture,
the Bele, the quadrille, the mazook, and the folk songs. She wants us to show
the world our beautiful national dress sometimes. Wear it with pride! I hear
her saying. Waitukubuli instilled some great values in her children. Look out
for your own, help your brother and sisters up, and hold each other along the
way. Lets buy Dominican products, promote Dominican artists, Dominican
musicians. Lift up our people! And please let us never forget Dominica.
We are one powerful force, and we have the
resources. All we need is unity and determination. Let’s make Dominica our
motherland even prouder of her sons and daughters!
Greetings
to all my Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
This one-day historic event is significant in the
life of Dominica not only because we come together as God’s people but because
we come together in a spirit of Justice and Peace for the development of our
nation.
Justice
is about Relationship to God, others and nature. The free association of
individuals under the direction of the Rosie Douglas Foundation epitomizes
Justice to its fullest extent. If we take a moment to ponder, we shall
recognize our relationship to God through each other while we take care of the
Nature Isle.
May we
all be reminded that God is leading us. We ask for his Wisdom, guidance, direction and mercy during our nation
building efforts, as we deal with the political and economic realities of our
tiny island state. The Psalmist captures it beautifully when he says, “O God,
your march of triumph is seen by all, the procession of God, my king, into his
sanctuary. The singers are in front, the musicians are behind, in between are
the girls beating the tambourines. Praise God in the meeting of his people;
praise the Lord, all you descendents of Jacob”. (Ps. 68).
May your
quest for justice bring us to a future of Peace. Long is the road before us but
we are a people of courage. Please be assured of the prayerful support of the
Dominican Church during the symposium.
May the
Grace and Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Fr. Reginald Lafleur
Diocesan Administrator
Diocese of Roseau
Fall 2001, and the world faces a war on terrorism, creeping recession
and the continued diminution in bargaining power of the people of the
developing world.
It’s the moment
you have waited for. Your bags are packed and your expectations are high. You
are finally returning home to your island. But more than simply a return home
to enjoy the sharp, clean air, its warm and picturesque environment, you are
returning with a stronger sense of purpose. You are returning to confidently
contribute to your island’s development.
