Talented, award winning musician, Flavour has been stopped from attending the 18th edition of the World Creole Music Festival due to Ebola scare, which has gripped West Africa.
Flavour’s band was billed to sing at the event.
However, a temporary ban placed on citizens of West Africa most especially Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia which have recorded cases of Ebola by Dominican Republic, where the event is holding, means citizens of affected countries are not allowed to travel into the Caribbean nation.
Before the event became news, organizers of the had petition the Prime Minister of Dominican Republic to interfere and grant Flavour special entry privilege.
However, an announcement made by prime minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, on Thursday afternoon dashed that hope.
Skerrit described Flavour as a “talented band” which he would love to see in Dominica at some point said:
“Indeed, I would love if, by this time next year, the Ebola virus could have been brought under control, if not eradicated; regions around the world cleared of the threat of the virus, and entertainers, such as Flavour, could visit and perform in Dominica. This indeed would be my wish for the outcome of the discussions that will be entered into,” he noted. “But, for the time being, I have advised the organizers of the World Creole Music Festival that the Government of Dominica would not be prepared at this time to sponsor or embrace the visit of persons from a universally recognized Zone One area of the dreaded Ebola virus.”
Skerrit noted that this is a lot of money “but in my view it pales into insignificance when matched against the consequences of exposing the people of this region to the risk of the Ebola virus.”
“Until a firm grip is secured on this Ebola virus, the world has to pay special attention to region of its predominance,” he stated. “West Africa, as I said previously, is once such region. I have reviewed the file with respect to the contractual arrangements entered into with the Flavour band out of Nigeria. To date a total of EC$147,000 has been expended on professional fees and international travel by this group.”
“Indeed its eight members are booked to travel from Paris, Montreal and New York,” he stated. “I am also informed that members of this band, Soukous Stars, have not travel within recent times to regions severely impacted by the Ebola virus. Given the heightened nature of screening in their country of residence, they can be characterized as low risk in the context of the emerging global threat of Ebola. That group therefore is not of special concern to me or my government in the context of the Ebola threat at this time.”
The Prime Minister says his government’s decision is final.