Black Immigrant Daily News

Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 12, 2022 (SKNTA) — Summer in St. Kitts combines compelling travel experiences, exciting events, and exceptional hospitality for all types of travelers and it has been a successful summer, to date. In June, St. Kitts received more than 9,000 passengers by air as well as more than 17,000 cruise ship passengers. The destination also successfully hosted its 24th annual Music Festival after a two-year hiatus, featuring international musicians and bringing more than 4,000 international visitors to the destination. The Music Festival contributed significantly to the local economy, bringing in an estimated $14 million dollars and creating more than 2,000 jobs.

In addition to the successes amassed through Music Festival, the destination is proud to announce a new lodging option now available for booking: the luxury boutique hotel Sunset Reef St. Kitts is open and welcoming guests. Along with gorgeous Caribbean views and beautifully appointed suites, Sunset Reef utilizes sustainable practices throughout the resort, including a state-of-the-art geothermal system and eco-friendly sewage treatment plant. This property also encourages guests to leave footprints in the sand, not the environment, by providing environmentally friendly products and local cuisine.

“The opening of this new sustainable hotel comes at an opportune time as St. Kitts celebrates its fifth annual ‘Plastic Free July’. We are proud to expand our eco-tourism options in response to the increasing demand for more sustainable options from international travelers.” said Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.

St. Kitts was encouraged to become more environmentally responsible during the summer, owing to several sustainable initiatives hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority during ‘Plastic Free July’. Sustainable Travel International (STI) recently partnered with the Ministry of Tourism to bring awareness to sustainable initiatives practiced in St. Kitts. STI demonstrated significant interest in documenting sustainability impact areas on the island, ranging from ongoing sustainable projects to local businesses and personal residents’ initiatives. This project was covered by Zinc Media who was assisted by local filmmaker Trucapo.  Zinc Media is an established and award-winning television and content company primarily specializing in branded content and corporate films.

“I think St. Kitts is a fantastic place. The people we’ve met have so much passion for what they’re doing. They’re changing the way their island is now from what it was and what it could be. It really gives me hope for the future because if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere,” said Director of Photography at Zinc Media, David Crute as he spoke about the sustainable projects on the island.

Children in the rural area of St. Kitts also practiced sustainability this summer, having participated in the Ministry of Tourism’s yearly summer program—Green Tourism Camp, under the theme “Protecting our People, Plants, and Planet.” The week-long camp was held from 25-29 July and focused on green tourism and sustainability. Highlights of the camp included a fruit-picking opportunity at Armstrong farms and a recycling competition with the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The children impressively collected a total of 244.45lbs of recyclables.

“To ensure that we sustain a healthy and protected environment as a tourist destination, we need to expose our children to the harsh realities of pollution and the effects it can have on the environment and wildlife,” said Mrs. Carlene Morton, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism.

“Culinary tourism is also a focus this summer, especially during our annual St. Kitts-Nevis Restaurant Week which occurred 14-24 July,” added CEO Thompson. “This year’s Restaurant Week placed a spotlight on Kittitian and Nevisian farmers by incorporating sweet potatoes, a homegrown ingredient, into each menu. Local chefs showcased the ingredient alongside other flavours of our island in a variety of ways, for a truly distinctive array of dining offerings.”

“Restaurant Week is just one example of the types of immersive experiences that make St. Kitts an exceptional destination,” said Melnecia Marshall, Deputy CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “We are grateful to our local partners whose distinctive and attractive experiences appeal to potential travellers and drive international air and cruise visitation.”

July’s Restaurant Week included more than 50 participating restaurants, along with key events such as the St. Kitts Tasting Show, St. Christopher Children’s Home Fundraising Dinner at Serendipity and the Final Celebration at Park Hyatt St. Kitts. Additional events and special menus drew a successful turnout from both Kittitians and visitors who were able to experience the traditional cuisine and culture of St. Kitts.Over the past two months, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority has actively hosted top-tier U.S. media to experience the destination, and has co-hosted a trip with Park Hyatt, in return for coverage.  Media from Travel Noire and Thrillist were invited to attend the St. Kitts Music Festival, resulting in three articles to date. During Restaurant Week, the destination invited DeAnna Taylor, a freelancer to notable publications such as Conde Nast Traveler, Ebony and Fodor’s Travel, to taste her way through the culinary scene of the island. The Tourism Authority also hosted the critically acclaimed production team “The Points Guy” for their new adventure video series, which will highlight key locations that can offer potential travellers top-quality destination experiences.

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority is determined to produce results through increased travel to the destination with the partnership of all stakeholders. One critical element of this strategy was the implementation of quarterly meetings with various stakeholders to collectively align goals and objectives. In early July, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism met with stakeholders (hoteliers and destination management companies) to discuss upcoming promotional strategies, product development opportunities, hurricane preparedness plans, airlift changes, and advancement opportunities for local students.

During the session, SKTA announced the upcoming launch of a new brand campaign in September, created to further drive international tourism to St. Kitts. The new campaign is part of a rigorous effort to expand and improve marketing and promotional strategies in key source markets. The content will spotlight the distinctive qualities that differentiate St. Kitts apart from other islands, while simultaneously emphasizing the meaningful expansion of engaging experiences available for travelers.

CEO Thompson delivered an industry update, shared the tourism outlook for the remainder of the year, and facilitated dialogue with stakeholders. “Meeting with our key partners to ideate and identify opportunities for St. Kitts to stand out in the tourism space is paramount, and we’ve had productive conversations around future tourism developments,” said CEO Thompson. “The feedback from our stakeholders on our destination marketing and promotional strategy is especially beneficial as we finalize plans to significantly increase our presence in our source markets.”

Stay up to date on upcoming events in St. Kitts and save the dates for the 2023 Music Festival, scheduled 22-24 June, and Restaurant Week that will be held July 2023!

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Black Immigrant Daily News

says agency awaiting further information

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is still in the process of determining the level of liability coverage that ExxonMobil through its subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) will put up, with the US$2 billion proposal still up in the air.

This was explained by EPA Executive Director Kemraj Parsram, who informed Inews that his agency is still awaiting information from the oil company on what the real credible cost would be in the hypothetical case of an oil spill.

“We are awaiting the estimates required… of the real credible cost for a worst-case scenario spill, to determine whether that proposal of $2 billion is adequate or whether we need to review it further for liability coverage,” he explained.

“So that is still ongoing. We’re awaiting that estimate to be provided to us. Once I get that, we’ll determine if the terms are acceptable,” Parsram further explained in an exclusive interview.

EPA Head Kemraj Parsram

The Guyana Government has been negotiating an insurance coverage of up to US$2 billion with ExxonMobil in the case of any oil spill or disaster event offshore, where the United States oil giant and its co-venturers are producing oil and conducting exploration activities.

Last month, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had referred to these negotiations in his programme, “Issues in The News”, after the National Assembly dismissed a motion tabled by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition, proposing “full unlimited coverage for oil spills and other disasters related to the petroleum sector”.

Speaking about the motion, which was tabled by Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson, the Attorney General pointed out that the concept of unlimited insurance can only be a theoretical construct, and does not exist in the real world.

While the motion was eventually thrown out by a majority vote from the Government’s side against it, Nandlall had noted that such a proposal is unpragmatic.

“Practicality and pragmatism do not support this concept of unlimited insurance. The concept is repulsive to reality… No insurance company would issue a policy that has no limit. What is the ceiling? How much are they going to pay? An insurance policy is grounded in the law of contract; contract, by its very nature, must be precise.”

“It must have terms and conditions that are precise so that people can know what they are agreeing to. Who will agree to a contract that has limitless liability? Which insurance company will agree to a contract that has no ceiling on the limit?” he had argued.

It had previously been pointed out by EEPGL’s Vice President and Business Services Manager, Phillip Rietema, who facilitated a sit-down with the media, that the affiliate was established in 1998, and had, as of year-end 2020, approximately US$5 billion in assets.

These assets are considered a primary form of financial assurance and are separate from the assets of the other Stabroek Block co-venturers. In fact, Exxon noted that these other co-venturers also have substantial assets and share any liability for response activities.

The company had also noted that in Guyana, it adhered to an internationally-accepted, tiered response system used to determine the requirements of response personnel and equipment in the case of an oil spill.

This system, it had noted, is aligned with the principles of the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation (OPRC), the Caribbean Island Oil Pollution Preparedness Response and Cooperation and the National Oil Spill Response Plan of Guyana that was implemented in 2021.

All of this combines to provide an efficient framework to build preparedness and response capabilities matching the oil spill risks from any of its operations.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

One determined businessman from Canada has taken the irrevocably bold step of packing up his belongings and heading to Dominica to pursue his passion.

Jesse Hoffman, born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, came to Dominica for the very first time in November 2021 to join his business partner Sutherland Haskell and run their first restaurant.

Hoffman, who holds a Master’s degree in cinematography pivoted to professional cooking when at a crossroads in his career.

He told The Sun he had never visited Dominica but followed his dream and good advice.

“My business partner Sutherland Haskell lived here before,” Hoffman said. “During a visit in 2020, he heard about the renovation taking place at Melrose House.”

Photos were shared, a business plan fleshed out, and the vision came into sharper focus. The decision was made to grab on to this opportunity.

“We had known each other from cooking school and we had talked about pursuing a business venture; opening a restaurant together. So when this break came along and we decided to jump on it,” he said.

Hoffman admits he did his best to not develop any preconceived notion of the island as he spoke with people who had visited or lived in Dominica previously. Upon moving to the country in November, he spent considerable time getting to know the island and its people.

“We visited a lot of different natural spots and places to eat,” he said. “So right away I was able to get a taste of the different qualities the island had to offer. It didn’t really take long for me to be quite enchanted with everything here.”

The co-owner of Lacou Restaurant, who was staying in Belfast initially, moved to Roseau when the restaurant opened in early 2022.

“That is when real day-to-day life started and I was getting to know the city, finding my way around, adapting to local customs, and getting a feel of the people,” Hoffman said.

In his mere nine months on the island, Jesse already has a deep appreciation for Dominica, its residents, and more.

“The country itself, I always felt what an incredibly beautiful and well preserved, natural habitat it is,” he said. “The people have been very welcoming, very kind, and generous overall.”

The chef confesses one of the major adaptations of the big move, was to Dominica’s culinary culture.

“There is an adjustment that comes with moving to a small island in terms of access to products and the different kinds of amenities and things that are available to you versus in bigger cities where you can go out and experience any type of food you want,” Hoffman said.

From the business point of view, he says it has been quite a motivational learning experience to introduce new cooking techniques to the local cuisine.

“It has been very interesting to bring our style of cooking – which is more European style – here and see how the locals enjoy it and react to it because there is a very strong food culture in Dominica. And from the perspective of a restaurant owner, it is a totally different system of sourcing products here,” he said.

The business partners, who plan to take a break in August, vow to be back in September with more grand ideas for their restaurant.

“We are going to be working on Lacou 2.0 so to speak by continuing to put some of the vision we had since the beginning,” he said. “So yeah, it is a long-term process.”

Hoffman remains forever grateful for the chance to continue on his newfound path in his newfound home and help influence the palate of the Dominican people.

“This has been a really amazing learning experience for me to come here. I have worked in restaurants in the past but I never owned one and to do it in a totally new country, it has been challenging but really rewarding. So, I am very happy to be here,” he said.

-By Andrea Louis

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Black Immigrant Daily News

A focused, determined, multi-talented young woman, who Dominica has embraced as one of its own, is committed to giving back to church, community, and country for as long as this is where she calls home.

Marie Pascale Affana from Cameroon, West Africa, came to Dominica in 2009 to pursue a degree at the All Saints University School of Medicine. She successfully completed her studies and is now a doctor of physiology and employed as a lecturer in the same subject.

Because she loves teaching, saying ‘yes’ to the job offer from All Saints was a no-brainer. However, Affana shared with The Sun that there was something else that made her stay.

“Being a Catholic Christian I firmly believe that we all have a mission,” she said. “I pray a lot to understand what my next step will be, I listen to the Holy Spirit and I feel that God has directed me to stay in Dominica for my mission.”

During her stint as a student, Marie got a better understanding of the country’s residents.

“The people are generally very honest, kind, and look out for others. I remember the first time we went grocery shopping we forgot some items on a bus. The driver came back to our place to give us those items,” Marie said. “We were so surprised.”

She made sure to engage herself in the community and give of her time and talent, to have a deeper appreciation of life in Dominica.

“I am involved in church ministry, youth groups, and choirs. I am also the Director of the Sixth Form Sisserou Singers,” she said.

Marie enjoys experiencing Dominica’s culture as it is reminiscent of her Cameroonian heritage.

“Dominica is so rich with culture and I like the fact that culture is not too far from what I know back home,” Affana said. “When you come here you see how the culture which has left the continent has been integrated and it is so beautiful to see.”

Online information about Dominica was difficult to find while researching back in 2009. Marie revealed that one of the biggest adjustments, of moving here was the lifestyle.

“I would say it is closer to the western world and the diet consisting of a lot of meat and pies, whereas I am accustomed to more fish and ground provision,” she said.

Another adaptation was leaving a large population of over fifteen million (at the time) and coming to a population of 70,000.

“The fact is many people know you. There is a lot of crossing in circles. It was different in a good way where most people would look out for you,” Affana stated.
Dominica is famous for its natural beauty and terrain, which Marie came to realize is a source of pride for the people.

“Of course, the landscape of the country. Cameroon has mountains and all that but Dominica, you have special mountains and a lot of activities are hiking,” she said.

In her 13 years living in Dominica and making many good friends who have welcomed her into their families, Affana’s impression of Dominica has changed for the better.

“It has been a very beautiful experience when you’re in a place for all that time,” she said. If you don’t like the place you really wouldn’t stay.”

Her plan is to continue giving back to the country until she feels she has completed her work here.

“I will always be grateful for the fact that Dominica gave a lot to me and I feel giving back to Dominica is the least I can do. I want to keep pushing with the youth ministry at church,” she said. “I am planning to push for a music education programme in my church that is going to launch this summer.”

This vocal powerhouse, known for her hit songs ‘My Baby Oh,’ ‘Bucket list’, and ‘African Prince’, has also collaborated with the local Kompas band Xtasy and says music continues to be a strong part of her future and she only sees herself growing as a recording artiste.

-By Andrea Louis

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Black Immigrant Daily News

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