Straight forward, witty and timeless. #Tell it like it is, a blog for our generation
Dominica, our home island, is a nation overflowing with resources. The land has rich and fertile soil which nurtures an abundance of produce such as ground provision, fruits, and other crops. Our beautiful island is also home to its greatest resource, the people. Our numerous artists and musicians have been making a name for themselves on the regional and international scenes.
Dominica has delved into the manufacturing and agro processing industry to get creative with local produce and experiment with the variety of manufactured goods which can come from the island’s natural resources. Artists have also been pushing themselves to get Dominican music out there and garner more foreign support. Despite these efforts and rave reviews of local goods from the regional and international communities, there is an ongoing call for Dominicans themselves to ‘support local.’
Why supporting local is unpopular
Let’s look at the agro processing and manufacturing industry. Dominicans have gone the route of transforming produce such as plantain, banana, cassava, and dasheen into items such as chips, drinks, and flour (especially for those looking for healthy alternatives to white flour). Unfortunately, you would more easily find a Dominican buying plantain and banana chips produced by a foreign company than that produced by a local company. If you venture to ask why this is so, the top answer would be ‘the cost’, as compared to the alternative.
Another reason would be the packaging, which doesn’t seem to be as attractive as that of the off island companies. While it is the content that matters, you can’t deny that packaging plays an important role in the purchase; it definitely counts and is only natural for persons to gravitate towards that which catches the eye. Over the years though, Dominicans have been making strides in packaging products. Just take a look at items like Big G’s pepper sauce (boasting diverse flavors like coffee), or Shaw Life Saver seasoning, you will admit they give international products a ‘run for their money.’
Other concerns which can be raised in ‘supporting local’ are volume and quality. In some areas, the quality needs a little more work to compare to international standards. And when it comes to value for money, if you were to get six candles (from a foreign manufacturer) for $12.00 wouldn’t you purchase that faster than three (locally) produced candles for the same price?
According to local producers, manufacturing items locally is a costly initiative. Hence the reason that the end product is more pricey than that of a product manufactured overseas. Factors which contribute to the high cost of manufacturing and agro processing in the country include: cost of raw material, cost of importing packaging material, and the effort & labor used to create the end product, as they have not yet achieved economies of scale.
Benefits of supporting local productions
Efforts are continually being made to improve local products and to give them wider exposure to the Dominican public. A few initiatives include the ‘Strictly Local Christmas Village’, organized by DEXIA, and ‘Creole In The Streets’, organized by the NDFD. With these attempts, small inroads are being made to boost the popularity of local products among the population and increase local acceptance.
One of the main benefits of purchasing locally manufactured goods is that it contributes to job creation. Another benefit to buying local is that it can help reduce the country’s import bill. However, we understand that people look out for their pockets and try to be practical in their purchases, working with limited incomes & salaries. So while ground is being gained, it is still an uphill battle and there are still other economic actions (such as an increase in minimum wage for instance *just a suggestion*) that can be implemented to make more spending money available to consumers.
The struggle of the artists
Another similar, though less tangible challenge exists for supporting local musicians and artists. These individuals work tirelessly to put out quality material, not just for local consumption but for international audiences (and many out of their own pockets and with limited assistance or resources) but do not receive the adequate amount of support needed. It has been revealed over the years that Dominicans aren’t well versed on copyright laws, royalties and how to monetize their work outside of local show performances, which are all key elements of success in the music industry worldwide. Other concerns of artists have been the treatment at local shows, the pay they get for performing, and lack of support from relevant stakeholders.
The saying: ‘a prophet has no honor in his hometown’, can speak volumes for those in the local entertainment industry as they constantly compare the treatment they receive in other countries to that of Dominica. Also the treatment and compensation of international artists who perform at our music festivals, compared to what they receive is another major issue. Luckily the Association of Music Professionals (AMP), has recently elected a new executive which has vowed to work in the best interest of local artists so they too can see true local support.
Benefits of supporting local artists
Generally, the support level by the general public toward local artists has transformed over time. Although it may have started off rocky, we can proudly say that public support has grown tremendously over the last decade. Not only are the original pioneers of Dominican Music and those who came after like TK International being embraced, but new generation artists like The Signal Band, Colton – T, Kalihi, Navy (formerly called Mel) and Tasha P to name a few, who have been ‘putting in the work’ for about a decade or so now are finally being embraced. This is also evident in the support lent by the private sector through sponsorship of various events. Even the government is beginning to play their part a little more by offering stage time to these artists at our renowned ‘ World Creole Music Festival’ . The Discover Dominica Authority, our local Tourism hub must especially be mentioned and commended for its key role in helping and supporting the artists of our time. Supporting our local artists who produce quality work and put in the time and the effort, is something that we highly recommend. Not only does it put our island and culture on the map, it shows a true unity of our island’s people. Their success should be celebrated and uplifted as we proudly boast them as products of Dominica.
Although support for the artist is not yet absolutely perfect or sometimes seems to come full circle, it continues to make these small successful steps; also largely owed to collaboration among the artists themselves to strengthen their industry.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that all goes well for those in the entertainment and manufacturing industries and as well play our role. Because while international based support is great, local support should always be what propels and sustains any locally based field of creativity.
Signing off with this last phrase,‘ Support de local!’
Written by Andrea Louis
For: Generation Y Dominica
Generation Y Dominica 