Portsmouth 
Beach 
Hotel 
Located on a peaceful, unspoiled 
golden sand beach & offering a 
host of amentities including: 
Swimming pool 
❖ Restaurant & bar 
Beach restaurant & bar 
♦> Dive centre & watersports 
❖ Birdwatching, hiking, & more 
We feature a wide range of 
affordable tour packages designed 
for your enjoyment & the opportu¬ 
nity to experience all our island has 
to offer. Transfers are included. 
Conference facilities available. 
Tel: (809) 44-55142 
Fax: (809) 44-55599 
P.O. Box 34, Roseau, Dominica, W.l. 
Wykie's 
La Tropical 
Guest House 
Located in the heart of 
Roseau 
Close to all amenities 
Affordable rates 
Restaurant & Bar 
Join us for our everyday 
Happy (Cut-price) Hours 
12 pm-2 pm & 4 pm-6 pm 
51 Old Street, Roseau 
Commonwealth of Dominica 
Tel: (809) 44-88015 
Fax: (809) 44-87665 
Jing Ping Band 
musical performances. It is also the time 
when ladies bring out their prized garb, the 
grand robe and jupe, their ornate petticoats, 
jewelry and madras headties to display the 
finery of Dominica’s national dress. The 
festivals, the language and the folklore asso¬ 
ciated with it, all reflect the colorful diversity 
of the island’s people and their history. 
The Friday before Independence Day is 
usually observed as Creole Day. School chil¬ 
dren, office workers and the public put on 
the National Costume or variations thereof. 
This recent introduction is observed mostly 
in Roseau and the bright flashes of madras 
cloth, sparkling bangles, bracelets and ear¬ 
rings give the streets of the capital a festive 
air. 
On Creole Day hotels and restaurants 
advertise local cuisine and community groups 
use the day for fund-raising by offering spe¬ 
cial Creole lunches and snacks at venues 
around town. The national radio station 
broadcasts in Creole for the entire day and in 
theory everyone should go about their busi¬ 
ness in Creole, although in practice, after a 
few jovial Creole salutations, just to make the 
point, most people lapse into English for 
more complex business transactions. 
The music for these festivities is provided 
by the traditional ‘jing-ping’ of ‘shack-shack’ 
bands. Each band is usually composed of 
four instruments; the boom-boom, the 
tambou, the gwage or shack-shack and the 
accordion. Sometimes violins and banjos are 
added for extra effect. The jing-ping accom¬ 
panies the traditional dances such as qua¬ 
drille, lancers, polka and flirtations. 
68 
:v '- •‘VC'-.w.f,; 
‘Windward I stands Aloe Ltd. 
From the farm to finished products 
.introducing an exciting, innovative line of Aloe Vera products 
• Beauty and skin care 
• Sun care 
• Aloe Vera health drinks 
THE FORMULA: 
_ _ _ . a revolution in beauty 
Nature -f Science — anc [ ^g^^ products 
Take advantage of the nature healing properties of aloe vera. 
Let us take care of you, naturally. 
Manufactured by Windward Processors Ltd. 
P.O. Box 331 • Roseau • Commonwealth of Dominica. 
Tel: (809) 44 92117 • Fax: (809) 44 85992 
69 
