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History Revisited: CBC news travels to Dominica in 1978 to interview Roosie Douglas

Rosie Douglas : From Activist to Head of State (1978)

Toronto, Canada (TDN) In this amazing archival video Adrienne Clarkson of the Canadian news network CBC traveled to Dominica in 1978 to profile Roosevelt ‘Rosie’ Douglas.

He was deported from Canada for his involvement in 1969 student riots at Sir George Williams (now Concordia) University in Montreal. Douglas would later become Dominica’s prime minister in May 2000 before his untimely death in October of that year.

The video captures several facets of Dominican life including the women who carried banana boxes to the small boats for 2 cents a trip, the famed Gramacks band, belaire dancing in Grandbay and children playing on Dominican beaches.

More importantly, it captures candid conversations with Rosie Douglas, his brother Mike Douglas and Henckel Chistian. In addition, there are reflections from Rosie’s mother on her feelings about her husband fathering ten outside children.

This fascinating record captures the mood of a country on the verge of independence and raises the specter of communism and a country struggling to find its way in the world.

A must see for those interested in a critical period in Dominica’s history.