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‘We’re losing the essence of who we are as a people’- Hon Turnbull

- Said the reason for celebrating emancipation needs to be passed on
District 2 Representative and Opposition Member Hon Melvin M. Turnbull has said Virgin Islanders are losing the essence of who they are as a people. Photo: YouTube
Scenes from the Torchlight Procession for the 71st Emancipation Festival. Photo: Facebook/GIS
Scenes from the Torchlight Procession for the 71st Emancipation Festival. Photo: Facebook/GIS
An artiste performs at the Forever Young Night at Charlie Neil Frett Festiville on July 30, 2025. Photo: VI Festival
An artiste performs at the Forever Young Night at Charlie Neil Frett Festiville on July 30, 2025. Photo: VI Festival
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- District 2 Representative and Opposition Member Hon Melvin M. Turnbull has said Virgin Islanders are losing their identity as a people.

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.”

15 Responses to “‘We’re losing the essence of who we are as a people’- Hon Turnbull”

  • Yup (31/07/2025, 16:33) Like (11) Dislike (1) Reply
    Village was terrible last night.. we’ve truly lost our way because this season is not about what was on display at last nights festivities.
    • HMMM (01/08/2025, 07:02) Like (14) Dislike (1) Reply
      Get real, we are a fake and greedy people. If you are truthful, you would agree, the evidence is there, near and clear
  • Wicked (31/07/2025, 17:05) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    You you you...you're a wicked and selfish person. I'm driving out of courtesy car rental this morning. You behave like the road is yours, you driving a small small car and wouldn't let me pass. When you could of well pass. You have me backing up for no reason. When I see it's you, I lose all respect for you.
  • Strupes (31/07/2025, 17:54) Like (5) Dislike (2) Reply
    Boy move you power hungry backside!!
  • DON Q (31/07/2025, 18:05) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    Poor fella at least he showed up to support his boss Myron
  • you know (31/07/2025, 19:15) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    I recently was engaging with two locals and those two locals said stated that they are ashamed to refer to themselves as locals from Tortola. Just look at the nastiness that was on display at the village last night.
  • Karnage (31/07/2025, 19:23) Like (4) Dislike (1) Reply
    We are outnumbered 10 to 1. What you expect? its you all responsible for this!
  • Who does that? (31/07/2025, 21:02) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    But is he spend taxpayer money to bring Kartel when he could have invested in local groups and our culture.
  • ed (31/07/2025, 21:08) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Who is The "We" you are talking about...
    • @ed (31/07/2025, 23:53) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      Exactly, who is the we? We means everyone and I am not in any we club.
  • Quietly Watching (31/07/2025, 23:59) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    Don't worry, that idiot that the Festival Committee had on stage last night must be from a slum somewhere to be on our emancipation festival stage singing about backshots and vagin# and West Bank. Not to mention put up your gun finger, pow pow, pow. You said that without persons from the Caribbean we would be a slum, but I would love to see that slum with more of us and less strangers. The influences from outside, some of it, is really, really terrible. Virgin Islands people has always been respectful and kind and caring of what persons thought about us and trying to live pleasing to God, for the majority. The big difference is that this place is filled with outsiders and they are bringing their morales and abad behaviour with them and it is quite difficult to look at and I feel like I am in a strange place. Even the police officers who are from these Caribbean islands think that it is normal what they are seeing and doing. Children naked and smoking weed, in the Village, which is still illegal in this country and they say nothing and do nothing. They just walk around. That is telling in and of itself. Slum with, not without. God help us.
  • have mercy on them (01/08/2025, 10:08) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    AH yes i heard police was getting a lot of push back and the festival wanted zero police presence this year..... i wonder why....




    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


  • True (01/08/2025, 11:21) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    BVI descendants lost their 'essence' a century ago during the 1920's when the nearby USVI islands were bought by the USA from Denmark. The foreign US dolllar currency took over then and now rules the greedy BVI!
  • hello (01/08/2025, 11:26) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    I still trying to figure out how this boy got elected - I guess based on him father's name
    No solutions just a empty vessel trying to hold on to a job


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