Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) leading the Torchlight Procession, which started at the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park and made its way to the Prime Time Festival Village on July 26, 2019. Photo: Facebook

Persons flock the ticket booth for the various fun rides at the Prime Time Festival Village on July 26, 2019. Photo: VINO

Heritage Dancers in action at the Prime Time Festival Village, Tortola, on July 26, 2019. Photo: Facebook

This was spoken by Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) who noted; however, that the observance of Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival can’t all be about entertainment.

“It has to be about preserving our culture, it has to be about preserving our history, our heritage. It has to be about celebrating from whence we came. It has to be about remembering the struggles and sacrifices of our ancestors,” Hon Wheatley said at the opening of the Prime Time Festival Village in Road Town, Tortola, on July 26, 2019.

‘Keep the fire burning’

The evening’s activities for the 65^th Emancipation Festival began with a torchlight procession from the Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park to the Prime Time Festival Village.

Dr Wheatley described the procession as a “very profound way” to start off the celebrations.  “And that was very symbolic for me because I believe, brothers and sisters, we have to keep the fire burning here in the Virgin Islands.

“We can’t let the fire go out. We have a great responsibility to keep the fire burning for our culture. And as we dance to that fungi music, prancing down the road, I reflected on some of the people who told me they don’t feel the spirit of festival. They say there are not enough decorations in the town or they don’t like how the booths are and they don’t like this and they don’t like that.”

According to the Culture Minister, the spirit of festival has to be in the heart. “If the spirit is not in your heart nothing else will satisfy you. You have to have the spirit of your culture inside. It has to be burning strongly inside of you.”

‘Gratitude is a must’

Dr Wheatley urged persons to remember the struggles of their ancestors to develop a meaningful appreciation for the festival. “If you can’t reflect on the struggles of our ancestors fighting against that vicious institution of slavery, and let me tell you slavery wasn’t no joke. We take it for granted today, but they couldn’t control where they were going, what they were doing, who were their husbands or who were their wives…The master could just come and take your woman and go to bed with her and you couldn’t do a thing about it.

“They couldn’t eat how we eat today. They didn’t have those comfortable houses that we live in today. That artiste Coffee says ‘gratitude is a must’ but many of us, we woke up in our right minds we have our arms and our limbs and still we can’t praise God and say thank you.”

Dr Wheatley reiterated that persons must have a grateful heart for the blessings the territory enjoys and remember how that became possible. “It can’t be all about who is coming to sing. It can’t be all about which artiste is coming.”

The Minister then expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee, Mr Carnel D. Clyne and all the persons who have volunteered their service towards the 65^th Virgin Islands Emancipation Festival.

“It’s not perfect and it’s not going to be perfect but like I said these persons are volunteering and I have a spirit of gratitude for their sacrifices. We will improve on what it is today. We are going to have a good festival but we will improve on it as we go.

“You spend your money, come in here and have a good time, and don’t be like statues watching everybody on the stage. Be like me and tek a wukkup for God and heaven sake like Claude Cline said.”