Titiwi Festival 2010, Dominica

I went to the first Layou Titiwi Festival in Dominica reunion year 2008 and I remember having a great time and thinking "I hope they do this again next year". The event was jointly organised by the Layou Improvement Committee (LIC) and Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation (WEF) in celebration of World Rivers Day, celebrated in the last weekend of September. Now in it's third year, I think it has rightly earned it's place to be promoted in Dominica's calendar of "must-visit" annual events.

This weekend 25th & 26th, the Layou village was once again transformed into Titiwi village. I was there the Saturday and Sunday, arrived far too early on the Saturday and probably left too early on the Sunday (must listen to the radio more). It looked like Saturday was more of a night time thing and Sunday a more family affair during the day, followed by the requisite "jump up" in the evening.

The activities were pretty similar to last year. The Wacky Rollers crew did a great job, as usual, organising the zip lining for kids of all ages, all sizes, boys and plenty girls too. Only charging a nominal price it meant that for many kids this was a new experience, one they might not otherwise be able to afford. Watching the different expressions coming done the line made me laugh so much. There was also sack racing, football, volleyball, Rodney's Rock boat trips and a new cool addition for this year, the ATV vehicles.

And of course there was LOTS of titiwi. Cute 'n' colourful, palm leaf decorated booths lined the beach and served titiwi in every form imaginable, titiwi pizza, pasta, accra, sancoche, steamed, smoked, pie, lasagne and in some forms I really could not imagine like "Titiwi punch"???
I admit titiwi dishes are not the most attractive and not to everyone's taste so although the spotlight was certainly on this diminutive, translucent gobi fish, you could still get other varieties of fish, breadfruit, provisions, bakes and of course chicken.

The wide beach and river makes an ideal setting and even resident Dominicans, who are not familiar with the area, often comment that they never knew Layou village had such a big beach. Unfortunately the quarry and equipment in the background is a real "blot on the landscape" and ruins the backdrop as well as the environmental message; as does the big barge transporting tarish to wherever.
Overall the environmental aspect and "World Rivers Day" celebration, part of the original festival concept, seemed to have been side-lined this year which was a shame.

I think it's important for residents and visitors to patronise and support "community" events like this one. You don't even have to add the word "tourism" at the end because the way I see it, the benefit and attraction of many of these initiatives, is that they started off as grass roots, "bottom up", community ventures first and foremost, which visitors became interested in often because of their authenticity. They did not start off as disconnected "only aimed at tourist" projects and consequently hopefully stand a greater chance of survival when some crisis or another impacts the numbers of tourists coming to the island.
Mr Lazare and the rest of LIC are doing a great job and I truly hope Titiwi Festival grows from strength to strength and benefits Layou and surrounding communities.
I also hope that as it expands it keeps sight of the key ingredients, (not just the titiwi), that makes it such a popular event for both resident and visitor alike.

For more information click Layou Community Tourism website



Click for Slideshow - A sample from the weekend
Click for Slideshow - All photos from the weekend
Click for Slideshow - All Titiwi festival photos

Waitukubuli National Trail, Segment 5, Dominica

Walking, I think, is one of the best ways to get a real feel for Dominica, giving a more “up-close” experience and encouraging a personal connection not easily obtained from a car or bus.
Dominica already has several great hiking trails but the Waitukubuli National Trail (WNT) is well on the way to becoming the ultimate island hike. Broken up into 14 segments and totalling around 95-115 miles, the trail will traverse the island from top to bottom. It is estimated, that once finished, average hikers can complete the whole trail in around 2 weeks.
The success of the trail to bring tangible economic benefits, relies on community participation and support to provide auxiliary services such as accommodation, transportation, food, beverages, guides etc (that is assuming of course we resolve the issue of actually getting hikers in large enough numbers to come to Dominica in the first place). A full understanding of what the WNT is all about, what is planned and what is required from the communities it passes, is therefore crucial.
On 29th August the WNT project team organised a public awareness activity day with various competitions and challenges for all ages; Kiddies Baton Relay event, Negre Mawon Iron Team Hike, Heritage Photography and Literature Challenge etc.
The photography challenge took place along part of segment 5, Emerald Pool to Pont Casse, not the most dramatic segment but a really pretty hike nonetheless; scenic rainforest paths and river crossings too. I am so thankful that my past, my history is rooted on this island and walking along the trail I was happy to recall childhood stories from my Mum and her siblings. They had walked these very same paths before roads from Castle Bruce to Roseau, lighting their way with flambeaus and scaring themselves with folklore tales of soucouyants and lajabless.
I love hiking; it is one of my passions. I love the physical exertion, the onslaught on all the senses, the primal awe it inspires and everything that goes with hiking in Dominica, including sometimes getting very dirty and wet. As with other hikes around the island, I emerged from this rain forest hike, with a renewed respect for nature and a deepening of my possessive love for Waitukubuli.
The WNT is a great idea and I wish everyone involved the very best of luck with it, from those who came up with the initial concepts, to the teams who have to make it all happen. It is a huge amount of work with some serious challenges to overcome but having walked a few segments already I am really looking forward to its completion.
You never know, it may just make the National Geographic Top Trails list one day.


Click on the following links to find out more about the WNT.
Waitukubuli National Trail Website
Waitukubuli National Trail Feasibility Study
Waitukubuli National Trail Segment 5 Photo Slideshow

Rabbit Festival 2010 at Cochrane, Dominica

Rabbit Festival 2010 at Cochrane, Dominica
Originally uploaded by Tropical Ties Dominica

The Cochrane rabbit festival is normally dominated by the 3 R's. Rabbits, Rain and Roads. This year the rabbits were definitely the main attraction. Not only the cute little bunnies in the cages but those served as the main dish as well. Curried, BBQ, Grilled, Hot n Spicy, Colombo, Rotisserie etc.
Although it did rain again this year, the planning committee seemed to have been better prepared, crates were laid out in front of the food stalls and there was some shelter too.
As for the roads, I did not see anywhere near the chaos of last year and the one way system of coming up from River Estate entrance and leaving via the Sylvania exit seemed to have worked fine despite the "No Entry" sign being initially positioned at the wrong road entrance.
In addition to lots of rabbit eating and drinking, entertainment was in the form of the Venezualan dance troup and the Venezualan cuatro band, sack and rabbit races. I don't know what happened after 6.00pm but I felt there could have been a little more day time entertainment as there's only so much rabbit I can eat.
But all in all I think the festival is a welcome addition to the summer activity calendar for Dominica and a nice Community Tourism initiative. Thanks to the organising committee for all the improvements.
Click link for photo slideshow
flickr.com/tropicallytied/Cochrane Rabbit Festival 2010

Bellevue chopin organic farm tour, Dominica

Bellevue chopin organic farm tour, Dominica
Originally uploaded by TropicallyTied

Growing up in Dominica, whenever I was sick, there was always someone around who knew the best herbal remedy. Grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles were experts on teas, baths, potions and poltices to cure any problem. As our knowledge of herbal medicines seems to be diminishing, ironically the same remedies, fruits, herbs etc are being announced as the latest miracle cures or wonder drugs; noni, mangosteen, soursop, sorrel etc etc; you name it, most likely it is something our parents or grandparents already knew about. That knowledge may also account for our high percentage of centenarians.
Dominica's agricultural landscape, the climate and our way of life have certainly changed over the years and I find I am more often lamenting I cannot find this fruit or that plant remembered from childhood.
Luckily for us, there are a growing number of people trying to restore some of this knowledge and replanting the herbs, fruits and plants that seem to be getting rarer and rarer.
One such group are the Bellevue Chopin Organic Farmers Group. (http://bellevueorganicfarmers.communitytourism.dm)
I recently went on a tour of their herbal organic farm belonging to the very knowledgeable organic farmer Roy Ormond and his wife Cheryl.
What a fantastic trip down memory lane and also a fascinating and informative insight into the vast array of herbal remedies available to us in Dominica.
After the walk around the farm, packed with so many different plants, herbs, trees and flowers, I sucked on cocoa pods, tasted juicy shaddock and drank delicious herbal tea...ahhhh
I am a big fan of realistic, sustainable community tourism efforts that incorporate the local community and can appeal to both resident and visitor. Although the tour is an agrotourism product, the farm is an exisiting working farm, which can function in it's own right and has not been artificially created just for tourists. It is the "real deal" and that authenticity is what made the tour especially enjoyable for me.
The group hope to eventually have 4 farm tours available: anthuriums, creole, composts and herbs and the reception centre should be completed soon. I think it's a great initiative and really wish them every success with it.

Photos from farm tour:

Copyright Celia Sorhaindo