#MissingWCMF

Straight forward, witty and timeless. #TellItLikeItIs, is a blog for our generation 

Well, It’s official. There’s no W.C.M.F (Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival) this year… again.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the announcement in September but did leave the population with a glimmer of hope as he explained that $400,000 had been set aside to host a show with local artistes.

While this has not yet been finalized, we assume that’s due to recent updates with the current COVID-19 pandemic and the possible reallocation of finances, we just have to wait and see.

This is the second consecutive year Dominica will not have a W.C.M.F due to the pandemic, and by now we know there are people itching for the festival.

But what does it really mean to miss The W.C.M.F this year more than missing one of the most dynamic festivals in the Caribbean?

The impact of no Festival for two years in a row is far reaching and affects just about every sector of the economy.

 The tourism and hospitality sector is deeply impacted and will miss the Festival the most. In the hospitality sector things are already on the rocks since the pandemic forced the international movement of people to come to a standstill in 2020. This resulted in several hospitality and tourism employees losing their livelihoods. And although to date the numbers are picking up, we are nowhere close to what they used to be. So you can just imagine how much they particularly miss the festival.

Farmers and fisherfolk are also in the category of those who miss the Festival.  The weekend-long event resulted in increased crowds on the island from all over the Caribbean and the world. Masses of people mean more food, which means more produce being purchased from those in the agriculture sector. No festival means that anticipated spikes in these sales are no longer expected for the farmers and fisherfolk.

What about the various business owners? The list goes on of the number of businesses who profit from the event. From clothing stores (got to get those outfits right) to hair and nail salons, the absence of the W.C.M.F hits home. The crowds which were drawn to the island by the festival as well as locals would, in turn, cause more activity at the various stores around the country. Another year of no festival means that these same businesses have no rise in revenue to look forward to.

Self employed individuals, or those who work multiple jobs to make ends meet will also miss out on the benefits of the Festival. Those who pick up extra shifts doing security work, liaison work, or even preparing food at the Festival won’t profit from that additional source of income this year.

In the spirit of optimism, some are still looking at the very microscopic bright side.The at surface level party goer may think that he or she may have wasted lots of money purchasing three outfits for that weekend (It’s go big or go home for this event). And a patron may think that he saved hundreds of dollars in the absence of the Festival. But for us World Creole Music Festival – Aholics the bright sides are very dim (or non- existent). 

While we understand the reason for canceling the Festival once more, we must admit it does have extensive effects on the people of Dominica. Nonetheless, we remain committed citizens knowing that the health of the population comes first.  

Still… #missingWCMF and looking forward to greater expectations and those notorious ‘3 nights of pulsating rhythms’ for 2022.

Written by: AndreaLouis

For: Generation Y Dominica