‘We’re losing the essence of who we are as a people’- Hon Turnbull
He said this today, Thursday, July 31, 2025, during the Continuation of the Seventh Sitting of the Second Session of the Fifth House of Assembly (HoA).
Hon Turnbull wished everyone a happy emancipation celebration, saying, “It is a time where we celebrate our freedom, it is a time where we remember those who would have paved the way for us and sacrificed too their lives, their commitment, their blood to allow us to have the privileges we have here in these Virgin Islands.”
This year, the Virgin Islands are celebrating the 71st Emancipation Festival. A wide range of activities aimed at all residents has been ongoing.
‘We’re losing the essence of who we are as a people’- Hon Turnbull
Despite the yearly recognition of emancipation, Hon Turnbull said it seems a lot is being taken for granted when it comes to the freedom we have and the emancipation that’s celebrated.
“It is almost as if it’s just another opportunity to go through a season…it seems that we are just on a season now of acknowledging of what we have, but there is no real reverence paid to the sacrifice, the appreciation of what we have and how we were able to achieve.”
He said the VI’s rich history and richness of its culture are not passed on to the next generation, for them to have more appreciation for the season.
“We are losing the essence of who we are as a people in this season.”
Hon Turnbull added that he hopes his small contributions, the knowledge that he has, will impact generations to come.
“I continue to seek from those that are before me, the elders of our communities, that we can pass on and understand that the Virgin Islands didn’t just come to be.”
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17 Responses to “‘We’re losing the essence of who we are as a people’- Hon Turnbull”
Mali don night: set of smoking, thugs, criminals. half naked minors and gang members flocked the festival grounds....
now another night we hear seeing a fight that police try to breakup only to get stabbed...
so imagine if it had zero police presence? yall would of been like a set of wild animals in there.
i hope yall wish come true and you start to see the significance of order, self respect, morals, laws, and police presence
to all the young people that upset and giving push back against the older generation who are calling out yall lack of morals, self respect and vulgar behaviour.... i guess this is what yall want right?
this is wah yall like to embrace? attacking on another and stabbing police... smoking your brains out with 12yr olds? dry humping one another and having 12yr girls walk around half naked? .. young people yall truly dont see ntn wrong with this?
having minors get drunk and watch yall young adults do all kinda nonsense in their presence for them to copy and be influenced? you can argue well dont send your kids to festival...true but the younger youths still look to yall as role models not the older generation. the festival committee is to blame as well yall got artist coming here singing about sex,drugs,gangs,violence etc and one even big up a well known criminal who dies recently...
mind you there is no sex offender list while all of this is going down... imagine all the offenders that attend these nights....
young people and the younger youths you guys are straight up glorifying criminality and see ntn wrong with it.... but when crime start to surge again....when 13yrs old with ak47 break into your homes... when you start to see a huge number of highschool drop outs... when you start to see surge in domestic violence and single mothers...when you start see more gangs like the young money boys gang this affects all of us old generation and new.
all I can now to everyone who see ntn wrong with what takes place during festival is:
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil
No solutions just a empty vessel trying to hold on to a job