‘We need to take back our emancipation village’- Bishop John I. Cline
According to Mr Cline, the Festival Village must be taken back, and he sent a stern warning to Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) to ensure this.
“We invite gun-wielding, drug-promoting, gangster-like characters to be featured as guest artistes on our Emancipation stage, on our emancipation village. The colonisers are not doing that to us, we are doing that to ourselves. Lest we forget,” Bishop Cline stated during his ‘Emancipation Sermon’ at the Emancipation Service hosted by the Virgin Islands Heritage Month Committee at the Sunday Morning Well on Sunday, August 6, 2023.
Bishop Cline highlighted that Government has injected some $1M into the Emancipation celebrations; however, there is much to be desired.
It’s ‘Emancipation Village not a bacchanal’- Bishop Cline
The man of the cloth said the festival village should have pictures of “our heroes” so that the people can be educated about their history.
“And then where are our children? What do we teach them? Coney Island? For real? And making it free? Like that is something really good? We need to teach them their history.
“In that same village is emancipation village not a bacchanal,” Bishop Cline stated.
It was then Bishop Cline said the emancipation village needs to be returned to a respectable standard.
“We need to take back our emancipation village. And you know I could start a riot if I wanted to, so I am sending you [Premier] a good warning. Don’t let us shut you down, because we know where the breaker box is.”
Bishop Cline also asked what happened to the schools putting on skits about emancipation and noted there should also be candlelight vigils.
“Is that not a place where we should come together as families, with thanksgiving to pay homage to this memorial, and our ancestors and give thanks to the God of our salvation? We should never forget their sacrifice,” Bishop Cline implored.
Among those in attendance at the service held under the theme 'Stronger Together' were Premier Wheatley, Governor John J. Rankin, CMG, Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism Hon Luce D. Hodge-Smith (R4), Junior Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Dr the Hon Karl Dawson (R1), and Second District Representative Hon Melvin M. Turnbull.
The Emancipation Service was preceded by a Freedom March that started opposite Government House and ended at the Sunday Morning Well.
Governor Rankin also participated in the Freedom March.
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53 Responses to “‘We need to take back our emancipation village’- Bishop John I. Cline”
nothing against the administration but spending money in certain areas of our economy just for popularity is utter nonsense: 250 thousand for an eight hour event along side one million dollars on other entertainment
look around our country and one could conclude there are more important factors than entertainment: very bad roads; unstable electricity: continuous issues with water: people working and not being paid BUT throwing good tax money down the drain
nothing against entertainment or the government
Stand Firm
Messon tell bishop go hush he ra$$ with he Bullshid!!! We love our culture and we are not running away from the reality of what is out there. The gun wielding artist are exactly what that are,”ARTIST!” You have not heard an artist kill another man, rob another man, fight another man. They just sing what the same public is doing and the thousands who come out to see them know this reality and like their artistry.
Bishop Clown preaching bout being holy and he is not the perfect example of being holy. Non of them are good examples of walking in the Holy Spirit shoes. They are all with their flaws.
Let the people enjoy what their tax paying dollars paid for. At least they get some sort of entertainment from their tax paying dollars and STILL they have to pay. I would rather pay for this than to put any in a plate for the fake pastors and preachers who manipulate the Bible for their lives own Benifit.
A man and the Chair of a certain committee live by the colonial masters holding secret meetings selling out their people with lies to try to get their nephew and son and good friend the government through their actions. It will all soon come out.
Too late has been the cry; too bad for those longing for days past in the VI.
In the succeeding years, our forebears struggle, sacrifice, etc, to bring the BVI from a likle sleepy hollow, poor house of the West Indies , bird sanctuary ,,etc., to today being able to boast having one of the highest standard of living, quality of life and per capita income.. Nevertheless, the BVI is facing some strong social, economic and political head winds and needs strong leadership to get it back on a sustainable and resilient course.. The new leadership team must lead the territory towards a new direction, after critical analysis of the social, economic, and political condition, developing a plan with strategies to take the territory to a better place.
The Festival Committee needs a new direction;it needs a stable team to run it. It is needs a new vision and mission with a focus on the true meaning on culture, etc.,The frequent rotation of the leadership team is costly. “The committee needs direction and stability.,The BVI is one of the few places where locals divorce themselves from Culture and wed to other culture(s). The Emancipation Celebration needs to revamp, putting the purpose, pride back in the celebrations. It is not a bacchanal/carnival; it is a festival. This august event around the first of August must be reserved for Emancipation Festival celebration. Further, there must be a renaissance of BVI culture. Every other country is proud of their culture. BVI can selectively integrate as necessary other culture into own,not replace its own.
Separate the children from the adults have two different communities and focus on getting a festival of some class with ppl to enjoy this half mile thing is so silly and all the big trucks playing music so close you can't understand bull shit from none spread out the judging from so close each other and keep the trucks going these 20 to 50 ppl bands them need sponsors and DJ to play music from all over the Caribbean because BVI can't and don't produce the amount of music Soca to fully entertain the ppl
Get a committee that have some new ideas and have a two week village opening with a DJ clash east vs west vs town and then a finals night school children and teens soca event and other activities that can attract ppl
I don’t think scripture condones threatening violence to get your way.
He must not have read the bible.