HOA to approve Territorial dress & song at next sitting
This morning, July 11, 2012, Mrs. Brenda Lettsome-Tye, the Acting Director of Culture and Chairman of the Territorial Dress Ad Hoc Committee Eileen Parsons unveiled the new designs to members of the media.
Mrs. Parsons, who saw the two options for the first time today, was extremely pleased with the final product. The next step is for the dress and three Territorial songs to get House of Assembly (HOA) stamp of approval.
“Everyone will turn off their televisions and radios to hear the pros and cons from the 13 [House of Assembly members] and then that afternoon we will have a final decision and it will be on them to say what they want,” Mrs. Parsons told journalists.
Kristin Frazer and Florence Christian-Phillips collaborated to come up with the new designs. Both finalists had welcomed the constructive criticism following the showcasing of their original pieces on June 10, 2012 at a programmed hosted by Government titled, "Defining Ourselves: The Virgin Islands Story in Song and Dress."
HOA’s decision is final
The public will not be able to give their input once the dress is approved by the HOA.
In explaining the reason Mrs. Lettsome-Tye said, “What you see in front of you was actually based on suggestions and criticisms given by the public. Literally, we were very much aware of what they did not like about the previous designs….I think at this point we are very much on the right track of what was expressed to us by the public.”
Furthermore, Mrs. Parsons pointed out there is approximately 34,500 residents living in the VI and it would take “as Sparrow says in his song the whole of the year next summer” if the designs were to be presented to the public, and get a decision from them.
“While we don’t want to be autocratic we want to really have a cut off point that this will be it, and so many of the blogs said why don’t they copy or do something like the Heritage Dancers and this is close we can come and still maintain the originality,” the Ad Hoc Committee Chairman said.
To highlight the dresses, large banners will be placed at high traffic locations, Mrs. Lettsome-Tye said. The Breezeway, Riteway at Pasea, and UP’s Cineplex are the areas identified with the committee toying with placing one at the West End Ferry Dock. Other areas will be identified on the sister islands.
Unfortunately, the VI Olympic team will not be outfitted with the dress because the athletes and delegation are traveling next week, which is before the HOA’s approval.
Meanwhile, Kieron Harry, a talented Virgin Islander, created the print and included the VI sloop, soursop, sugar apple, hibiscus, oleander, the turtle dove and islands of the VI that will be on all the dresses.
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