DANR To Present Film “Dominican Identity and Migrations To Hispaniola” at 11th Annual National Conference in Providence

The Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR) will present the film Dominican Identity and Migrations To Hispaniola during the DANR 11th Annual National Conference taking place October 10-12, 2008 in Providence, RI. The documentary will be shown on Friday, October 10 at 9:00PM at the Westin Providence Downtown Hotel.

“The documentary is a retrospective about the diverse migrations that make up the cultural identities of contemporaneous Dominicans,”

“The documentary is a retrospective about the diverse migrations that make up the cultural identities of contemporaneous Dominicans,” said Victor Capellan, National President of DANR. “We are very proud to present this documentary again as part of our national conference as it provides a wealth of information about who we are as Dominicans. The documentary is a wonderful resource and worth viewing by all Dominicans and those interested in learning about the Dominican culture, people and history.”

The film documents the roots of the “indios” (Tainos, Ciguayos y Caribes), Spanish, Europeans, African, African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Arabic, Jewish, Haitian, Asian and Puerto Rican migrations to Hispaniola and how these groups have contributed to the multicultural richness of the Dominican people. The documentary playing time is 1 hour and 50 minutes and includes English subtitles.

The film documentary was researched and produced by Néstor Montilla, DANR National Conference Co-Chairman and Director of Public Relations at Hostos Community College of The City University of New York. Montilla conducted the research with two professors from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD): Dr. Irma Nicasio, and Dr. Odalis Perez, who recently published a book titled Migrations, Identities and Culture in the Dominican Republic that covers the same historical ground as the film.

The film was commissioned by Ana I. Garcia-Reyes, Director of International Programs for Hostos Community College and the 2002 President of the DANR.

After the screening, Montilla and Dr. Nicasio, who will travel from the Dominican Republic to Providence, RI, will follow-up with an interactive conversation with the audience and Dr. Jocelyn Santana, an author of various books about Dominican identity scholarship.

About the DANR

Established in 1997, The Dominican American National Roundtable is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for the empowerment of Dominicans in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories. Based in Washington, DC, the DANR is the first and only national organization advocating on behalf of the over one million Dominican Americans in areas concerning education, health, economic development, immigration, and civic empowerment at the national level. The DANR National Conference is the only conference in the United States that brings together Dominicans from around the country under one roof for the purpose of community empowerment.

The DANR 11th Annual National Conference will take place Oct. 10-12, 2008 at the Westin Providence Downtown Hotel in Providence, RI.