Wear the dwiyet with pride

The Dwiyet is one of the forms of National wear for females in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Sadly though, few people wear the Dwiyet outside of the Independence season although it is an elegant formal dress that can be worn for many an occasion.

Even more dismal is the fact that so few Dominican women see the importance of owning the dwiyet. They give every reason under the sun why the do not own a Dwiyet , including ‘it is too hot and it is too expensive to make one’.

These are the same people who do not think twice about spending hundreds of dollars on a dress for a one-time occasion or to join a carnival band.It is high time we educate ourselves on what is ours so we can give it the respect that it deserves.

Why shouldn’t visitors be able to appreciate how stunning the outfit is while we shun what is uniquely ours? I chalk it down to bare ignorance.

Let’s make the effort during this Reunion year to at least own a Jupe or a Dwiyet and wear it at every function where we want to stand out and look spectacular.

Rome was not built in a day but it was built any way. If you start on the outfit now and purchase your materials bit by bit and have the outfit made, you may just strike a dashing pose as a sweet ‘Doudou Matador’ this independence season.

About Delia Cuffy-Weekes

I love traditional things with a passion – I am from Grand Bay and I do my best to educate other people on our culture and preservation of same. I am the President of the Roseau Cultural Group and we continue trying to maintain the things that make us truly Dominican.

In the future (near I hope) we plan to produce a booklet describing the traditional wear through the years and placing it in context so people will better understand our history. Would like to do a video as well to present a well rounded package.

http://www.dominican-diaspora.com/profile/DeliaCuffyWeekes