DIASPORA COLLABORATION
The challenge is to configure the Reunion 2008 Guest Site in a way that would allow folks in Dominica and the Diaspora to:
- Encourage nationals to consider and in appropriate ways to relate to the Vision of the Reunion 2008 exercise,
- Plan for the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Independence during 2008
- Encourage visits to the homeland - not only to renew acquaintances and celebrate, but to CONTRIBUTE, and most importantly,
- Provide information on activities they plan to implement and contributions they wish to make in the context of the Reunion 2008.
From the point of view of the Reunion 2008 Committee, we will be only too pleased to feed you with information so that Dominicans on island and in the Diaspora know what is abroad.
To some extent, this will go some way in responding to the question you asked earlier as to the role of the Diaspora in planning and implementing the Reunion Programme.
I see us having several levels of programme activity:
- Officially sanctioned National Activities. These are activities (like the Economics Conference) that would be seen as 'national' - at least co-sponsored by the Reunion 2008 Committee. The forestry activity, the Agricultural exhibition, the culinary exhibition, the rehabilitation of the Botanical Gardens, the Literary Conference/Workshop/Exhibition, the Caribbean Week Programme ... all fall within this category.
- There are activities on the draft programme which will be co-sponsored by partner entities (business entities, Social Security, National Bank, DAAS, DUKA, etc.) These may be funded by partners or executed by partners. Since a key issue will be the conceptualization and delivery of these programmes, I see partners playing a key role in implementation.
- Activities sponsored by Government Ministries and which are interpreted as being Ministry contributions to the Reunion 2008 Programme. The Road Construction Programme, the rehabilitation of the Airport is another - areas you and I have little control over but in which we are interested. As you can imagine, the Committee is keenly interested in the completion of the airport.
- Another category would involve activities decided on and implemented at village level. These are not national but the Committee is interested in time-tabling and supporting to the extent that it can, all village "reunions" even though we expect that the people of these villages will be doing the work and delivering the product.
In essence, DAAS, DUKA and the other Diaspora bodies have the opportunities to define the type of engagement that they deem appropriate. The focus is on engagement and contribution.
Hubert Charles,
Chair, Reunion 2008 Committee
