Roseau, Dominica: Dominica’s presence at the EXPO 2020-Dubai will highlight the country’s efforts at building a sustainable future and demonstrating efforts to become the first climate-resilient nation in the world. From the establishment of the Climate Resilience Executing Agency for Dominica (CREAD) to significant investments in the development of geothermal energy to help reduce the cost of energy, to the banning of single-use plastics and taking measures to enhance the agriculture sector and food security, and making major strides towards improving air access, Dominica’s progress towards a sustainable future for its people and country will be fully demonstrated at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The Expo, which was scheduled for 2020 and was known as “Expo 2020 Dubai”, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will now be held between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
The theme developed for this exposition – “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” – aims to bring together over 190 nations in a common endeavour, requiring countries to use their common humanity, ingenuity, innovativeness, and dynamism to create opportunities to spur innovation, build inclusivity and engender a culture of partnership for the greater good of humanity.
Speaking ahead of the departure of Dominica’s Official Delegation to the EXPO 2020- Dubai, Minister for Tourism, Denise Charles, the Minister tasked with overseeing the planning Committee for the EXPO, states: “We are indeed pleased to be among the global community for this very important event and to come together to solve many of the intractable problems which face our global family. We hope to show the global community our many efforts at using our own resources, leveraging our regional and international partnerships to foster and build a modern society and economy, and the innovative thinking of our people”.
“We are most excited about introducing Nature’s Island as the destination of choice with our many unique attractions. Dominica is fully committed to a sustainable future for its citizens, and we hope that the many efforts being made will redound to the benefit of this and future generations.”
Dominica’s showcase is situated in the Mobility Pavilion at EXPO 2020 – Dubai which highlights global innovation and practices in sustainable development. The country will profile its innovative thinking, its proactive measures for achieving climate resiliency, its aggressive approaches in fostering development in renewable energy and in the development of the blue and green economy, its focus on entrepreneurship and small businesses, its many attributes as a unique tourism destination of choice, and the strides being made in these spheres as a catalyst for development.
The Dubai EXPO 2020 is the world’s first international exposition to be held in an Arab nation and the first to be held in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region. During the six months scheduled for the exposition, visitors will be able to view beautiful works of art from different disciplines and artists from many different cultural backgrounds.
There will be live performances of music and dance and displays of art, sculpture, and cuisine from different countries as well as stunning architectural works to witness. Visitors to the Expo will also be able to explore the unique history and culture of the United Arab Emirates as well as that of the 191 other countries including Dominica expected to be present at the exposition. The Expo will have over 60 live performances each day including pop-up theatres and operas. There will also be flash mobs, sporting events, and celebrations for each country represented.
In addition, there will also be exhibitions on innovative technology to include self-driving cars, robotic technology, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and space technology. The Dominica delegation at EXPO 2020 Dubai which comprises leading technical specialists from the Dominica Export and Import Agency (DEXIA), Invest Dominica Authority, and the Discover Dominica Authority, as well as representatives from the Dominica Manufacturers Association, will showcase much of the island’s development in agri-business, food, tourism, and the cultural industries sectors. Dominica’s exhibits at the EXPO will include products from bottled water to herbal teas, traditional wear, and national cuisine.
The delegation will also include a contingent of artists and performers who are expected to display aspects of the island’s rich culture to audiences at the EXPO. One of Dominica’s most exciting features at the Expo will be its National Day which has been scheduled for Saturday, October 16th, 2021. The day’s programme will start off with a country parade to be led by a flag bearer and followed by members of Dominica’s delegation including the performers. Following the parade, there will be an official ceremony which will begin with the raising of the Dominican and UAE flags and addresses by official representatives from Dominica and the UAE.
After the addresses, there will be a 20-minute cultural presentation that will give a taste of Dominica’s creole culture in the form of dance, drumming, creole music, and carnival and creole costumes. The main features of the cultural presentation will be Dominica’s Kalinago dance and costumes, a bele dance, and bouyon and calypso songs performed by Tasha P. Following the cultural presentation, invited guests and Dominica’s official delegation will be taken on a guided tour of the Dominica EXPO pavilion.
The hope is that by attending and participating in the EXPO 2020 Dubai, Dominica will build greater synergies with its global partners in the technology and innovation fields and take lessons learned to help better shape a future on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability that will be to the benefit of the country and the rest of the global community.
