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Gyrating & Vulgarity, new VI culture?

The turnout at last night’s culture event was very poor. Photo: Javon Liburd/VINO
Xtreme Band brought the house down for the culture night. Photo: Javon Liburd/VINO
Xtreme Band brought the house down for the culture night. Photo: Javon Liburd/VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - The poor turnout out at last night's Culture Night, August 1 2012, caught the attention of the few who attended, with questions surfacing as to whether the new culture of the Virgin Islands is about the youths gyrating and promoting vulgarity.

At last night's Culture Concert held at the Claudette ‘Boopie” Smith Festiville grounds in Road Town, this news site was told by attendees that the turnout of the concert were both "shameful and disrespectful to the VI culture".

The night before for the Youth Night of July 31, 2012, many youths turned up for an event that was full of flavour and excitement with several young performers taking to the stage with the event ending in the wee hours of the morning.

One attendee said, "I am not from here, but I love culture, no matter where I am. Culture is what creates and defines a community and a country, but obviously the BVI is adopting a whole new culture."

Last night's culture concert had only two performances, which were from the Razor Blades and the Xtreme Band.

Speaking in relation to past festivals and culture concerts, the Virgin Islander told this news site that "this is the way it always was and still is".

She added, "on the nights with the bands and other artists who promote so much wrong, the place is full, but when it comes to anything to do with culture, not a sole is in the place."

They both concluded on the same note by saying the committee needs to find more constructive ways to keep the culture of the Virgin Islands alive, where they both suggested that culture performances be mixed on the nights with the bands and international artists.

Virgin Islands News Online tried to get a comment from Chairman of the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee and other committee members but they refused to comment.

The night concluded with Xtreme band bringing the house down.

25 Responses to “Gyrating & Vulgarity, new VI culture? ”

  • ooooo (02/08/2012, 08:39) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    where was the culture minister? i didn't see him there
    • Locally made (02/08/2012, 11:01) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      This man must give you headache. It's either you are delusional or downright stupid. Just get over it dog. There is nothinG YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Election is finish fool
      • FISH MARKET (02/08/2012, 15:25) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        election over ??? you could have fool me 'locally made" please tell that to the ndp AS DEM TOO POLITICAL
    • ooops (02/08/2012, 12:54) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I guess you're like one of those horses at the downs, or you simply did't know where to look as he was right there in the mix as I exited the festivlle at 11:45pm last night. sometimes if we don't have anything good to say, we need not say nothing at all
  • bam see (02/08/2012, 08:41) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    now look at this....waste of time
  • ausar (02/08/2012, 08:46) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The majority population right now in the country is the young people. If we are serious about attracting the young to these events, there has to be a mix of culture and gyration. That is all our young people know. Even the well-to-do middle-aged are not interested in attending these events. So it's obvious that while we want to preserve "culture", we must be mindful of the environment that we're in and the the majority population that now represents our country and learn effective ways to cater to them.
  • english man (02/08/2012, 08:47) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    but we boycotting Myron you all seems not to understand what is going on here...
  • Cultural display? (02/08/2012, 09:17) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    As the song goes, "supposing, now we only supposing." Suppose there was a crowd, there were only two performances. Are you ........ serious?
    • persia (02/08/2012, 23:02) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      this issue of BVI culture is really more complicated than it seems....
  • Random (02/08/2012, 09:19) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I was there last night, took my kids to Coney Islands and to see the cultural show, but there was none so don’t blame the people for not coming out, blame the festival committee for poor organization and advertising of the event.
  • Culture??? Ah Whe it Dea?! (02/08/2012, 09:59) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Culture night was to have more than Razor Blades & Xtreme ACCORDING to the Festival Line-up(Schedule). What happened to troupe performances? King & Queen of the Band? What happen to the other aspects of culture (heritage dancers, local artists, school and more)? This culture night was shotty, shotty, shotty!!! The culture depends on the PEOPLE and the PEOPLE are mainly the youth in society but not entirely the only prospect of persons. The older generation either condemn the festival or just say why bother. People of the BVI need to look INTO their culture more and if even, get a glimpse of other Caribbean islands and see how they celebrate their CULTURE during the emancipation proclamation and build the BVI's own from there and attract more...... Most the people only concern about who is in the line-up and if you aint that popular everyone suffers (committee, booths, media, BVI) #Just saying............
  • yellow (02/08/2012, 13:06) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    WELL ME BOUY PEOPLE DEM JUST BROKE
  • BVEye (02/08/2012, 13:12) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Is there anything that isn't "shameful and disrespectful" to BVIslanders according to these people? Some BVIslanders are sensitive its a joke. It's not up to the people to show up. Its up the organizers to make it a must-see event. Truth is, BVI culture is lacking. Look how we just had to make up a "national dress". Out of nowhere. You think young people today getting excited about that kind of thing? Not most. Maybe because we never had an independence moment, we never had a chance to look at and define who we are like other Caribbean islands. And maybe the wired world we live in means the youth are too busy seeing what's going on all over the world to get excited about BVI Festival. It is up to us parents to make our youth aware of how important culture is, but since it seems most of us don't care much anyway, the youth dem long gone. Abolition is something we should surely celebrate. Most of us do it by going carnival at times that suit us and times that look like a lot of fun. If the Festival committee don't make culture night into a big ting, don't blame the people, blame the organizers. Same people who put so much effort in raising Lime, Cruzan and Heineken flags, but forgot to put up a single BVI flag or Union Jack – then take it out on some poor booth owner from down islands. Please, stop blaming the average man/woman on the street for all these things.
  • Lisa Lisa (02/08/2012, 14:11) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    The BVI is full of Many Countries and Culture why not have culture night as they did once before and let each country put on something on Culture night that would bring out the crowd as each country would have its people coming out to cheer on. By the way am not from here. But something they could look to and debate.
    • Random (10/08/2012, 09:09) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      This use to work well, up until the year the woman started dancing to hairy bank and every mother started blocking their children eyes.
  • SMH (02/08/2012, 14:39) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    we need to admit, our culture has dried up. i remember in the 90's cultural nite in the village. various islands represented their quadrile, headwears, quilbay and other folklure. Places like santo domingo, st lucia, jamaica, guyana and the other caribbeans come out in their national dresses, queen or king of the band at their carnival. it was exciting to see. Mrs. P and the heritage dancer did quadrile, heel & toe dances, fungi band played. Every cultures that were on displayed had story to tell, explained their colours, what it meant, their head band and what is symbolize, etc. Cultural nite was free, went on for hours and it used to be packed!!! Later that nite jam band always closed that evening/morning. Other nites, there were peas and rice competition, johnny cake competition between the booths (rite way/ uncle ben rice and robin hood flour use to sponsor this event) People came out for this!!! Late Mrs Ishma Frett was the queen of peas n rice. There were steel pan & brass competition. At the time we our own steel pan and played again st thomas, st vincent, etc. The brass competition use to be between local bands. Those was fun times. You could pass Nibbs Auto and hear steel pan playing almost 365 days. Those people played for hours!!! Couple yrs ago i passed and heard anglican church hall filled with steel pan (no sure if those kids still play) Kids was taughted/learned plat pole (shown london olympics), school had quadrile dancers, kids were taught the BVI national dish, bird, flower, tree, pot fish, guavaberry and so much more. We were taught our historical sites: dungeons, rum distillery, mt healthy, house down pleasant valley, wreck of the rhone, etc. Our flag and the meaning behind the lamps on it. What BVI is known as fat virgin, land of the turtle dove, drowning island? We was taken on field trips and if you wasnt on the trips, your parents had to take you to see the sites because you had to write book report, essay or paragraph(s). We dont even have a market and i mean a MARKET you can go from mon-sunday for local produce or tarts, stews, cassava bread, peppermint candies, sugar cakes, canes, thymes, the round and pate tarts, local juices: guava, mauby, soursop, tamrind, passion, etc all squeeze and made fresh. Tourist meet you on the street asking for the market. I went st vincent, st lucia, barbados and other islands and i like to hit their markets. Markets open from morning til later afternoon and weekends. You ask any child-young adult and i dont think they can tell you whats our dish, flower, islands nick names, or where is our market, etc. The BVI culture is dying out and it can be resurrected!! Look at st thomas/st croix their culture strong you have stanley and the 12 sleepless knights, you have their quadrile dancers, their ruins, etc. Its a real crying shame!! We trying to be modern and losing our core foundation. We need to get with the program!
    • SMH (02/08/2012, 14:44) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I think its Ms frett/brewley from long trench who was the queen of peas n rice. (my bad)
    • . (03/08/2012, 12:25) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      This was the best post ever. They need to bring back these things in the schools. When I used to go Tortola weekend, the best part was early Saturday morning get up and go market go get seasoning, fruits and best of all tart, then go Sunrise Bakery for some raisiin roll. You mean they don't have that market anymore? That is a dam shame. No wonder kids don't know who they are anymore, full speed trying to imitate American or other islands culture. I miss plait pole and all those other cultural demonstrations and competitions that made for good clean fun and jokes for the community. I guess now if no one cocking up foot or showing pum, no one bothers to show up. This is what they need to focus on from inventing national dress and national song.
      • SMH (03/08/2012, 16:33) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        your rite, trying to imitate the american culture!! sure not the other caribbean islands, because if they was we would be filthy rich of culture. Yes sunrise bakery used to make the BEST raisin rolls and sweet buns. If you wasnt able to go purcell you had the bakery outlet down mainstreet across from post office/jewellery place. As for the market, jus say you move late and get town saturday morning there is nothing there to see/buy. Those days have left us!!
    • grace (04/08/2012, 10:45) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      @SMH There is nothing more to add to this comment. You have laid it out very well. I hope that all read this piece and realize how we have allowed our Customs, Traditions, Values and Mores to be swallowed up by us adopting other. Cultures that have no relevance to us. Excellent Comment.
    • Random (10/08/2012, 09:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Wow you just took me down memory lane. I remember going to the market every Saturday with my Mom to by fresh local provision and local seasons and then go to the butcher shop by Mr. Freeman to get fresh meat to make meat soup. I use to look forward to getting up 5:30 every Saturday. WOW!!!!
  • ta ta (02/08/2012, 22:43) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Next year just bring 50 cents so book from now if it's not too late!!!
  • BRAD BOYNES (09/08/2012, 15:55) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    AH LEARN TO GYRATE FROM MOMMY AND DADDY BECAUSE WHEN THEY WERE IN THE JAM THE ONE IN FRONT PUSH BACK BAM BAM


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