Local entertainers still not paid for Festival 2015
This was confirmed to this news site by members of a number of top bands in the territory, including Showtime and OMG.
“Festival 2015 payments are still outstanding,” said Eustace ‘Boss’ Freeman, lead vocalist for multiple Road March champions Showtime Band.
However, Freeman said he was not apprised of the latest situation regarding payment and asked that we speak to the band’s manager Kensley R. Samuel.
When we contacted Samuel, he confirmed that not only his band but just about every local band that performed had not been paid.
“Generally nobody has been paid. And nobody is hearing anything. The last thing we heard was what the Minister had said.”
“That’s basically it. Nobody calling us to say nothing. We are kinda lost like the general public too,” Samuel said.
The band manager said Showtime was paid for performing at the festiville in Carrot Bay but are owed for its services in Road Town and East End.
Ricky E. Conner, owner and manager of one of the newest bands on the Virgin Islands scene OMG, also confirmed that his band, which made a number of appearances at the various Festivilles, had not yet been paid.
Conner said his band has not been paid a cent for any of its performances.
According to reports reaching Virgin Islands News Online, all foreign entertainers were paid for their performances.
'Time longer than twine'
Local entertainer Tishaun Glasgow Aka Selecta Taz, writing on his Facebook page recently said, “This NDP Government looks like they think it don’t have another election coming but time longer than twine. No Festival money and is a New Year…”
This news site called Chairman of the VI Festival and Fairs Committee Kishma A. Baronville for a comment. However, she said that at the time she could not respond to this news site’s inquiries as she was “at work” and asked that we call her later that afternoon. When we tried her phone again there was no response.
Text and WhatsApp messages to Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Myron V. Walwyn went unanswered up to post time.
In late August 2015, the Minister had apologised to persons still to receive their money for work done during the Emancipation celebrations.
The Minister at that time committed to having the issue resolved and said that it was his aim to have persons paid before the Christmas season of 2015.
“I want to first apologise to those persons who have given their service to festival and to the country. They haven’t been paid in the month and I assure them that they will be paid,” he was quoted as saying in another section of the media.
The Minister explained that there is usually an annual shortfall of about $400,000 and this cannot be addressed until supplementary appropriations are brought to the House of Assembly later down in the year 2015.
30 Responses to “Local entertainers still not paid for Festival 2015”
Myrun full of sh*t how come dem pay sister j to keep her teap shut?
I am one of them. Myron disappointed me so badly. Then to put someone who is a failure who doesn't care about people should make sure we get paid in charge of our health care is scarey
Ayo see how deh b*r**n**e woman aine studying nobody aine paying the musican them. Ayo wait till yo gotta file claims down NHI whey she is. It going be the same ting. Ah scorpion say so!