Dominica: Celebratory Calendar for Independence events revealed

Dominica: The 2024 Independence calendar has been revealed by the authorities for the celebration of the Dominica's 46th Independence Day on 3rd November. The events according to the calendar have already kicked off and will take place till 5th November. 

The celebration will be held with several events planned that will promote cultural heritage through cultural competitions, Festival Fetes and National observances. The celebration will also include a special dedication to the Kweyol culture through dedicated events.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

The Celebration of the cultural heritage has already begun on 15th September with Kalinago week which will be celebrated till 22nd September.

Following Kalinago Week Patriotism and Heritage Month will be celebrated,  from 1st October to 31st October. This will be led by the Ministry of Education, HR Planning, Vocational Training and National Excellence across all the primary and Secondary schools in the island nation. 

A history week will also be celebrated from 7th October to 11th October under the theme Native Tongues. 

Other events under the celebration of the cultural heritage will include E.O Leblanc Lecture on 10th October, DBS Kweyol Speech Competition on 11th October at UWI Open Campus, National Emblems Week from 14th October to 18th October and Flag Day on 14th October during which a motorcade will also be held at 8:00 am.

CULTURAL COMPETITIONS

The finals and semi-finals for the cultural competitions across the island nation will begin from 4th October and will conclude on 23rd October with the National Miss Wob Dwiyet Pageant. 

·         West & South West Semi-Final- Fri. October 4th in Old Mill Cultural Centre At 5 pm

·         South Semi-Final-Sat, October 5th in Bellevue Chopin Mall At 3 pm

·         North & North East Semi-Final- Sat, October 5th in Wills Strathmore Stevens Primary School At 3 Pm

·         East & South East Semi-Final- Sun, October 6th in Grand Fond At 3 pm

·         Cultural Finals Part 1- Fri, October 11th in Old Mill Cultural Centre At 5 pm

·         Cultural Finals Part 2- Sat, October 12th in Pierre Charles Secondary School At 3 pm

·         Cultural Finals Part 3- Sun, October 13th in Roosevelt Douglas Primary School At 3 pm

·         National Miss Wob Dwiyet Pageant- Wed, October 23rd in Old Mill Cultural Centre At 8 pm

FESTIVAL AND FETES

·         Titiwi Festival- Friday, September 27th to Sunday September 29th in Layou

·         Flavours Of The World - Food & Cultural Festival- Sunday, September 29th at Windsor Park Sports Stadium

·         Independence Art Exhibition- Monday, September 30th at Government Headquarters Groundfloor

·         Creole In The Streets- Friday, October 18th in Roseau 

·         Creole In The North- Saturday, October 19th in Portsmouth

·         Creole By The River- Saturday, October 26th in Rosalie

·         Ti Vilaj Kweyol- October 21st to October 24 in Botanical Gardens

·         World Creole Music Festival- Friday, October 25th to Sunday, October 27th At Windsor Park Sports Stadium 

·         Eat Fish Day- Saturday 2nd November in Bioche

KWEYOL CULTURE

The celebration of the Kweyol Culture will also be celebrated through separate events. These include a celebration of Joune Panyen on October 4th and a Jounne Chapo Pay on 11th October island-wide. 

The Market Day with a Mahaut will be held at the Mahaut Market on 12th October at 8:00 am. One of the interesting events will be Afro Hair Day which will be celebrated on 18th October. 

Another Market Day will be held in Marigot, Portsmouth, and Roseau on the 19th, and 26th of October respectively. A national Dress Parade will also be held on 25th October at the Streets of Roseau which will start at 10:00 am. 

NATIONAL OBSERVANCES

One of the most interesting parts of the independence celebration remains the national observances which will be initiated from 21st September with national days of prayer and thanksgiving. 

The official opening of the Independence Ceremony will take place on 27th September and the official opening of the Parade will take place on 28th September. 

National Heritage Day will then be celebrated on 20th October, following which a national youth rally, observance ceremony, cultural Gala, and day of community service will be held on 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th November.