Dominica will celebrate 43 years of independence under the theme ‘United in Purpose: Our Health, Our Heritage, Our Future,’ as the 2021 independence celebrations were officially launched on Friday October 1, 2021.
This year Dominica is celebrating forty-three years of independence and amidst the Covid-19 pandemic Dominicans continue to demonstrate their rich heritage and culture.
Minister for Sports, Culture and Community Development, Hon. Roslyn Paul, says the coordination of the 2021 independence celebrations was done with a lot of thought against the challenges.
She explained that “in the final analysis, the Government recognized that the interest of our people comes first, and the need for striking a balance between safety and our mental health as well as the recognition that our traditions and our cultural expressions play a therapeutic role in trying times.”
“Against this backdrop, Dominica will observe Independence 2021 surrounding them theme ‘United in Purpose: Our Health, Our Heritage, Our Future.’ This theme speaks to being like-minded without losing sight of our uniqueness; of who we are as a people as we work towards regaining some form of normalcy,’ Hon. Paul stated.
Minister Paul noted that this year’s independence theme reminds Dominicans of their strong heritage of looking out for each other.
“It speaks to our collective Christian actions of finding solutions together to address our common issues and challenges. Indeed we are a people with faith that God is at the centre of our lives and will continue to help us overcome our many challenges; we as a people of defined refuge in varying ways and different aspects of life,” Minister Paul stated.
The Culture Minister urged the public to take the necessary preventative measures “as we as a nation try our best to curb the spread of this deadly coronavirus in the hope of returning to a state that resembles what we once knew and loved.”
“Dear Dominicans we must unite together. We need to do it for ourselves and for our families, our community, our frontline workers, and country as a whole and the various small and medium enterprises in Dominica,” Hon. Paul went on to say.
Some of the activities which will be held leading up to independence include National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving, History Week, National Emblem Week, Flag Day, National tree Planting Day, World Food Day, and an Online Exhibition of Arts and Craft among others.
Minister Paul encouraged the public to play their part in making this year’s independence celebration a success saying “continue to support the activities in whatever way that you can. Contribute when prompted to do so. Share Dominica and our culture at every opportunity that you are given but most importantly please remain safe as always.”
The Independence Day celebration will take place with the highlight being the address by Prime Minister Hon Roosevelt Skerrit on November 3, followed by the National Day of Community Service where citizens are encouraged to plant flowers and clean their communities while social distancing.