Talk Show host Donald de Castro felt VI society lacks pride, identity; displays excessive vulgarity in celebrating festival. Photo: VINO/File

"This past Festival was another disaster," deCastro said, "just as bad as last year," he declared on his show, “Straight Talk”, aired on a local radio station last evening, September 5, 2012. 

Expressing that everyone had a different perception of success, the host said, “some people have a big house and a big car and a big salary and they call it success." 

"I tried to get both the Chairman and the Acting Culture Officer to come on the show because I wanted to discuss some issues... for whatever reason... they did not appear on any of my shows," he complained, adding that "The disaster came and went."

"One of my major concerns for the 2012 emancipation... [was that] I want[ed] this festival... this Emancipation to be a Virgin Islands Festival... and I was I concerned [whether it would continue to be] be a Road Town celebration or a Virgin Islands celebration." 

deCastro said he had mentioned his concerns about Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and other villages of Tortola that participated and  wanted to talk to the culture officer about this… “but the minister would not let them come, so I guess they had to have their reasons for not wanting to come because it's a hard hitting show, I ask hard questions.” 

He declared that, "I find it ironic... and disrespectful and unacceptable that we can find thousands of dollars to bring in artists and others of Jamaica, Trinidad and other Caribbean islands," and we cannot find money to pay locals to perform. 

True Virgin Islanders will "continue to boycott the festival as long as this kind of behaviour continues,” the host felt. 

He thought that of the first things he found unacceptable was when they asked for a slogan and a theme. 

“I give great praise to the Minister for Education and Culture for his consistency in referring to us as the Virgin Islands instead of British Virgin Islands, the others don't care... they continue to disrespect our name"

“I think the slogan said BVI and the theme said Virgin Islands. How shameful can it be?” he lamented regarding the lack of consistency. "We talk about pride… our name, our identity." 

"We do not have enough pride to accept our name." 

de Castro continued by addressing the example set to youngsters in society, "I don't think they really care… when we continue to do things like that how [do] we expect our younger people [to learn by example]?” “I keep saying we have to set an example." 

He related that in the past we may not have known what we were celebrating but "today we do know, and that makes the big difference." 

"When you know better you do better," he continued. 

"This year's celebrations can be classified as one of the worst in my book," deCastro declared. 

The host also mentioned that there was a lack of dignity in the parade for this year's festival. "...naked women and young folks just ‘wuking’’ up on each other...it's amazing and we accept that." This he noted was a poor example to the youngsters looking on at the festival parade. 

"Our Emancipation celebration is supposed to be a place where we can take the entire family without having to cover the eyes of the children from all the vulgarity." 

He voiced further concerns about the calypsos being vulgar especially since they carried a message, "we need to be able to have an Emancipation celebration with a message." Something, he said that expressed the pride and the culture in everything pertaining to the Virgin Islands' past and present. 

"Our Emancipation celebration is not designed as a big money making event," the host stated. 

He subsequently questioned why outsiders needed to perform to express our own culture, "Why do we have to pay an outsider [to perform] at our cultural night? Tell me!" 

He suggested that we needed to have pride and the right leadership and the right attitude to execute cultural events.

de Castro touched again on the themes of pride, identity and respect that he felt were lacking in the VI society, "National Pride is not a phrase but a serious commitment. Once we understand these things and practices, we will then begin to develop unity among ourselves; it is then, and only then that, those who come to live and work among us will have respect for us and unite with us to fight our struggles to maintain a decent country which will make us all proud." 

He concluded that there was an urgent need for persons to be informed and educated in society in order for us to move forward.