BVITB resignation a bad sign for 70th Festival
Dirk Walters’ recent resignation as the Events Manager of the BVI Tourist Board (BVITB) has raised concerns about the upcoming 70th Anniversary Festival celebrations.
Hot Seat radio show hosts Walwyn Brewley and Julian Gordon described the news as a bad sign ahead of the highly anticipated event.
Walters’ resignation letter was reportedly submitted on July 16, raising questions about the timing of his departure. While some reports suggested that Walters’ resignation was effective immediately, others suggested this may not have been the case.
Gordon expressed frustration about the lack of clear communication from BVITB. “This is the 70th year that you’re planning for, and a few days before the moon rises and sets for the event to take place, you’re losing one of the critical persons in the equation,” Gordon said. “This is not a good message.”
In January this year, the government announced that it had dissolved the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs (VIF&F) Committee and transferred its functions to the BVI Tourist Board. Walters, who previously served as the VIF&F Committee Chair, was appointed Events Manager at the Tourist Board sometime in 2023.
According to the show’s hosts, Walters’ departure’s timing is particularly troubling given the event’s importance.
“Now, this is a difficult time to have something like that happening, and I understand that they’re very quickly scrambling to make sure to find someone to fill the slot,” Gordon said.
Gordon pointed out that the VIF&F Committee previously had transitional persons who understood and knew what was taking place and lamented that this was no longer the case.
Brewley and Gordon called for more transparency and communication from the Tourist Board to the public, indicating that stakeholders and the community deserved clarity on how the board planned to proceed with the Festival’s organisation.
BVI News’ efforts to get an official comment and information from the BVITB on the resignation were unsuccessful up to publication time.
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Confusion
Not a good sign. We could do worse and have Natalio organise it. I guess that is what we will choose to do then. Who is the consultant on this? Ah. National Security issue. OK. Just asking.
Festival should not be under the tourist board. Our clueless population accepts anything that is dictated to them. With this packaging it says “Oh master look how happy we are that you have removed our chains.” Festival should not be promoted as a tourist event its an insult to the Caribbean population why are we prostituting our heritage. Festival needs to be returned to the Festival and Fairs Committee and promoted as an expression of Virgin Islands Culture and Talent for the benefit of Virgin Islanders. The tourism aspect should be secondary and stand on it’s own. From every angle that I see our people are being had.
Then all the talent playing that come from outside the Virgin Islands shouldn’t come?
The problem in the BVI is we like to act dumb. When it’s the UK/White People/Island People, we have ALL THE ENERGY to call them out. When it’s our own people we make excuses. We all know who the capable people around here are, we know who the confusion makers are, we know who the attention seekers are, we know who the dictators are. Yet, when they are appointed in certain positions we say nothing and pretend to be shocked at the results. The BVI is a f**king cesspool!
Festival should not have been under the Tourist Board in the first olace. We are too f**cking complacent in this place. Whatever is pushed down our throats we swallow. So that is why the wrong people is in fill positions that they are not qualified for and our beloved Nature’s Little Secret is going straight to hell.
The Tourist Board Ordinance, 1968 (and subsequent amendments) gives the board no authority to spend public funds on an event beyond promotion. This is unlawful, along with the recent Waste of Money Fest / MusicFest.
The Festival and Fairs Committee Act, 2005 does, but they disbanded that committee.
So which body is spending these monies on the public’s behalf, under what form of governance? The Tourist Board is illegally appropriating our tax money, and mismanaging it at the same time. Someone needs to go to jail.
ITS BVI FESTIVAL , THEN IT SHOULD BE A BVILANDERS CULTURAL EVENT AND SHOULD POTRAY THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE’S CULTURE THE MUSIC / THE FOOD AND WHATEVER ELSE SHOULD BE KEPT NATURALLY CULTURAL / ( THE MUSIC FEST ) ,THATS A DIFFERENT STORY , INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS CAN BE BROUGHT IN IT NECESSARY FOR THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT
just postpone Festival 2024 to next year and sort out all these problems before July 2025.
Why on earth r u people dont hold slowander responsible for his idiotic actions,number he has no call there so long . Cant u see bvi have theworst worst govt leaders set a waste of time
If it ain’t broken, why try fix it? The bvi emancipation festival isn’t a tourism event. I remember asking why was the board dissolve. Now we are here 2 weeks from festival and the stage hasn’t even been set up. Mr premier fix the mess you made