Dominica: Heritage Day was celebrated at La Plaine on Sunday, October 21, 2024 with the honouring of Cultural Elder – Hilda Prosper. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit honoured her with the sashe. It was a regular feature of Independence celebrations, held this year.
The major highlight of the annual Heritage Day celebrations was when PM Skerrit rewarded the cultural elder Prosper. This year, in 2024 La Plaine’s choice is former leader of the La Plaine Bele Group, sportswoman and community leader.
Considering this, PM Roosevelt Skerrit advised the residents from the community of La Plaine that their heritage is not to be used for entertainment purposes but to be viewed from the perspective of potential economic benefit to the area.
His comments came while addressing the Heritage Day Celebrations of this year. To which he stated that they are here to celebrate the culture of Dominica and PM Skerrit himself wants to say to them that they should not only use the heritage or the culture to entertain each other, as they have began looking it at from an economic standpoint as well.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit further mentioned that to promote the heritage tourism in La Plaine and the South-East they have used various measures. He added that people there holds a very rich history of indigenous presence of European in La Plaine in this constituency, including Delices and Boetica that they have it as a very strong tradition of the runaway slave culture.
Moreover, Prime Minister Skerrit encouraged the residents of La Plaine and its surroundings to promote heritage tourism during the Independence season. He stated further that he believes that they have an opportunity to make money from the heritage in this part.
Following this, Culture Minister – Gretta Roberts conveyed the message of PM Roosevelt Skerrit by urging the residents to take pride in their traditions, as they connect them all to their ancestors and guide the youth who are the future of this nation.
Roberts further referred to the traditional foods and culinary methods, considering the ways they prepare the dishes that have been cherished and acknowledged for generations.
These recipes are the result of practicing traditional farming techniques, growing the same crops that the great grandparents cultivated, the flavours of the local dishes, the bakes, the smoked fish. She said that the language carries the essence of Dominica’s culture.