Dominica Country Conference to focus on 'Creole as Cultural Heritage'

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture via Kommité pou Etid Kwéyòl (KEK), the UWI Open Campus, the University of Bedfordshire, UK and the Arts & Humanities Research Council will host the Dominica Country Conference 2019 on Thursday 15 and Friday, 16 August 2019 at the UWI Open Campus.

The theme of the conference is “Creole as Cultural Heritage: Framing, Strengthening and Advocating”.

The event, which will take place from 8:30 to 4:00 p.m. daily will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, leaders and students exploring Creole issues and the public to collaborate in an effort at building resiliency in Creole-speaking countries and indigenous communities. The Conference will aim to bring issues of preservation and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of Creole-speaking countries to the fore.

On Day One, the Conference will focus on investigative work from researchers from Dominica, the French West Indies and Seychelles. On Day Two, the Conference will focus on presentations from practitioners in various fields like education, performing arts, media and tourism, and explore both current practice and the vision that they have for the use of Dominica’s Creole languages within their various fields. These interactive sessions will encourage members of the public to participate in the Working Group activities aimed at suggestions for documenting draft policy items.

All sessions are free, and members of the public can choose their sessions or participate in the entire Conference.