As a symbol of appreciation by the Carnival Committee and other private sectors that contributed to its success, the Carnival 2013 Prize-giving Ceremony was held on Wednesday 17, 2013.
Representatives from sponsors including the Dominica Festivals Committee, the Discover Dominica Authority, LIME Dominica and the National Bank of Dominica were in attendance at the Arawak house of culture for this event.
Honorable Ian Douglas, Minister for Tourism, stated in his address, that carnival is a time when everyone temporarily sets aside their differences; however, a way should be found to make it permanent.
He said, “Carnival in Dominica is a time when all differences are put aside and although these differences are out aside temporarily I think we should find a way to ensure that carnival allows us to put away all of our differences permanently. We should continue to work together as a country for the development of Dominica.”
According to the Minister carnival is not just two days but all the cultural activities leading up to the main event.
He stated that he is in full support of rural carnival celebrated in the villages and hopes that at some point; all of the unique carnival art forms will be displayed and packaged in the capital, in an effort to further the tourism product.
“Carnival continues to be one of the most beautiful and unifying experiences in Dominica’s culture. This year it brought together thousands of people over the seasons of fete and cultural events all leading up to the two days of wild celebrations ad parades across the country. Communities have had as much fun and excitement in the staging of carnival activities in their locality similar to those held in the capital.”
Colin piper the CEO/Director of Tourism, Discover Dominica Authority and Chairman of the Dominica Festivals Committee made note that nature, culture and adventure are Dominica’s main source of promotion and in the area of culture carnival plays a big role.
Piper stated that the main purpose of these cultural activities were, “To be noteworthy so that they are carried by the local and foreign press, so that the event or festival that is carnival increases the awareness of the destination through the Caribbean and further afield. Secondly, to host an attractive line-up of activities so that people are enticed to travel to Dominica to enjoy the carnival period.”
Along with brining in foreign exchange carnival tells the story of Dominica’s ancestors, showcases Dominica’s heritage and affords local artists various opportunities said piper.
Marketing Manager of LIME Dominica Kareem Guiste listed many of the activates sponsored by lime during the carnival season.
He also stressed the fact that lime’s support is rooted in their commitment to the advancement of Dominica’s unique culture and traditions.
“As a headline sponsor we continue to devote significant resources to the cultural activities in Dominica. The approximately half a million dollars invested in carnival every year include support to the overall carnival celebrations; calypso, miss teen, junior monarch and carnival tee-shirt bands. Important to note is the valuable partnership between lime the Discover Dominica Authority, the Dominica Festivals Committee and the Government by extension which has grown and strengthened year after year.”
Marketing and Public Relations Officer for the National Bank of Dominica, Amanda Scotland, listed many activities which the bank has and continues to sponsor and encouraged participants to aim even higher for next year.
She said, “We National Bank are a proud partner for the past few years for carnival. We do sponsor the various areas of carnival such as the Portsmouth Carnival, the NBD flag wavers as well as various pageants. However, our contribution for the past few years has been focused on the art of costume building. We feel very strongly about the art of costume building because for us that art needs to continue growing to make the carnival product an attractive product to our visitors. We have seen a number of schools participate this year and we would like to encourage a lot more schools to participate in the future so that we can have a better product and a larger carnival parade.”
A tribute was paid in the memory of Grandbay local, Mr. Samuel ‘key’ Blaize, who was the manager of the ‘sakis’ lapo kabwitz group.