Roosevelt Skerrit, who is the Prime Minister of Dominica, said on Monday that Alwin Bully’s funeral will be an official one.
Alwin Bully died on Friday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was a well-known cultural administrator, artist, and playwright. He was 74.
People respect him because he designed Dominica’s flag and helped promote the island’s arts and culture when he was Chief Cultural Officer at the Division of Culture, which he started in 1978.
“To honor his proud legacy and show appreciation for what he did for our country, the Government of Dominica will give him an official funeral.
“All flags will be flown at half-staff for two days: the day before his burial and the day of his burial,” Prime Minister Skerrit said at his twice-monthly press conference.
The Prime Minister said that Alwin Bully was a great example of a citizen. He was kind and humble, and he cared deeply about Dominica, its people, and its culture.
“Through his work as a cultural administrator in Dominica and the surrounding area, he helped our customs and traditions become very important to us.”
He said that Bully’s legacy was the national flag he made in 1978, which showed Dominica’s natural features as well as the people’s spirit, character, and values.
“It is in the Cultural Division he set up, which provides a structured way to promote and develop our cultural arts. It is also in the many national organizations he started, such as the National Cultural Council, the Dominica Artists’ Guild, the Writers’ Guild, the Carnival Organising Committee, and the Komité Pou Etid Kwéyl, many of which are still going strong today,” the Prime Minister said.
He also praised Bully for being a mentor to young playwrights, actors, directors, writers, costume designers, and other creative people. These people now talk proudly about how Bully affected their lives and work.
