Coconut Art & Craft Exhibition, held at the Old Mill Cultural Centre in Dominica

Growing up in Dominica, coconut and a variety of coconut products were part of everyday life. Not only refreshing coconut water and the succulent flesh on Sunday outings to the village of Castle Bruce and an assortment of tasty sweets like coconut tablet and cheese on the way home from school, but also items from all the other parts of the coconut tree; like sweeping with cocoyea brooms, making kites with cocoyea sticks, playing cricket with bats made from the branch of the tree and a young coconut (well several actually) for the ball, hats, cigarettes in coconut shell ashtrays, bangles, earrings and the inevitable, uniquely Caribbean cocoyea stick "licks" for misbehaviour - ouch!!!. I won't even go into the various recipes using coconut, milk, cream, oil etc.
These memories were once again rekindled by the Coconut Art & Craft Exhibition, held at the Old Mill Cultural Centre; an inspired addition to the Independence Celebrations by the Division of Culture. Many of the craft items displayed were made by artisans belonging to the Dominica Arts & Crafts Producers Association (DACPA) - listed below.
It's the first time I have seen an exhibition solely focusing on coconut and it would be great if it expanded into a larger annual "Coconut Fest" event, featuring a wider variety of coconut food dishes and beverages, maybe even a series of workshops and guest coconut craft designers and artisans from other Caribbean islands. Maybe a coconut producing village could host it.
Although a very good exhibition, especially the large selection of beautiful coconut jewellery, and a showcase of some of our gifted artisans, I would have liked to have seen a wider variety of new, innovatively designed coconut craft products; especially products using the stem which I hardly ever see.
I do hope that skilled craftspeople and local craft do not become terminal casualties of the modern age, replaced by machines spewing out cheaper, quicker to produce, souless, mass produced items; but I worryingly often hear artisans lament that it's getting increasingly harder for them to make a living from their craft and the number of people willing and able to pay a fair price for what they produce is diminishing each year. They need all the support they can get so check out the exhibition if you can. It closes on Friday October 22.

Click to view pictures from the exhibition
Click to view slideshow from the exhibition


There is so much which can be done with this amazingly versatile material. A search on the internet can open up a wealth of inspiration to artisans who work with any part of the coconut tree and nut.
These are a few I noticed.
http://www.coconutcraft.com/

http://www.jedicreations.com/coconut-shell-handbags.php

http://www.newyorkhousemagazine.com/view/full_story/6440431/article-Eco-Chic-Walls

http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/Emilov/images/coconuts/index.html

http://www.ausieolive.com.au/_listtype.php?id=00054

http://www.indianetzone.com/1/coconut_craft.htm

Some of the DACPA Coconut Craft Exhibitors
Agatha Carbon, Anita Watty, Cecelia George, Henrietta Seraphine, Julien James, Lincoln St. Rose, Vanessa Winston

Update 31/10/2010
I saw these bags at Creole in the park which was just what I was talking about.
Handbag photo 1
Handbag photo 2

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

Take a Hike in Dominica

One of best ways to truly get a feel for Dominica, the landscape, culture and it's people is to WALK. Local hiking groups like the Dwivayez and the DHTA organised Hike Fests are a good way if you want to hike with a group.
On Saturday for the first of three "Hike Fest" hikes, we walked Segment 6: The Kalinago Territory, Salybia to Pagua Bay, passing along the old Kalinago Trails and ending up at Silks Boutique Hotel.
It was a really nice hike with our Kalinago guide Prosper Paris, passing through Kalinago villages that you would normally just drive through and taking the time to appreciate some of their culture, history and how they live today.
However if one of the aims of Hike Fest is to get the average Dominican out to experience the various sites they may not ordinarily get to see and to appreciate the hiking potential of the island, it would have been nice to see more locals participate, especially school children and it may be that the pricing needs to be reviewed.
I am eagerly awaiting the Waitukubuli National trail to be finished so I can walk and truly "see" my island from top to bottom.
Click Hike Fest slide show to view a slideshow.

Dominica Stamps

Stamp collecting has never been the most trendiest of hobbies hence my slight hesitation in confessing to collecting Dominica stamps when I was younger.
Always drawn to colour I loved the beautiful vibrant designs on many of our stamps, but often wondered why some of the subjects featured, had nothing to do with the country.
e.g Dominica Honors David Copperfield

Dominican artist David wilson recently raised a discussion question "How can we use our art to create cultural visibility for our country" and one of the suggestions from Glenford John was to have images of artists work on Dominica stamps.
I thought that would be a great idea so am now on a mission to find out who decides Dominica stamp design and how possible is their idea.
I have some information from the Post Office to but if anyone has any information, let me know.

Other possible design ideas:
- Kalinago people & culture
- Dominican muscians & singers
- Dominica culture, dance etc (It looks like creole wear has already been done)
- Creole cuisine
- Traditional Fishing Boats
- Past Prime Ministers
- The Real Mas
etc etc

These are a selection of the stamps I have
Dominica Stamps slideshow

Here are some past Dominica stamp designs
store.coolstamps.com - Dominica
birdtheme.org - Dominica
Dominica Stamps
knowyoursto.com - Dominica
trussel.com - Dominica1
trussel.com - Dominica2
trussel.com - Dominica3

Miracle Lake (Lake Matthieu), Dominica

Miracle Lake (Lake Matthieu), Dominica

Miracle Lake (Lake Matthieu) at Layou I think is an underrated attraction and is an impressively large, beautiful, emerald lake set in another lush Dominican valley.
Only 13 years old, the lake was formed after a massive landslide blocked up a river opening.
The saftey of the site is still being investigated so stand well back from edges and contact the owner of the land on or before your visit.
The risk of actually going down to the lake needs to considered because no-one really knows how well set the dam is. I guess the same goes for river tubing down the Layou river below.
Nature can be unpredictable anywhere in the world so caution is always advised especially in inclement weather conditions.
If you haven't been, then take a drive up there and blow your horn when you get to the end so that the land owner Christborn Shillingford (AKA Rambo) can give you a guided tour.
If the area is going to be attract more visitors then it would be good if there were better edge barriers and information on how the site was formed and proper investigation into how stable the ridge is.
I think it's well worth seeing this amazing body of water and demonstration of the awesome power of nature.

Click here for more photos of the lake

Some more information about the lake formation:
layou.communitytourism.dm
Lennox Honychurch
nature-island-dominica
Public Seismic Network - Lakes of Dominica
CDERA Report of the landslide