Festival means different things to different people

Culture minister Myron Walwyn has acknowledged that the annual emancipation festival means different things to different people.

Over the years, there have been complaints that persons are drifting from the true meaning of the event.

During the launch of the festivities at a press briefing this week, Walwyn however stated that there is one true meaning among the many meanings ascribed to the festival celebration.

“It is no secret that festival celebrations mean different things to different people. For some, it may mean the enjoyment of long holidays and merriment.”

“Others may observe the true meaning of the celebrations by recounting the life of our forefathers, their struggles and their fight for freedom, which is the true meaning of the celebrations,” the minster said.

“For persons like the chairman and members of the Virgin Islands Festivals and Fairs Committee [that organize the events], it is a time when some of the toughest back-breaking work to ensure the staging of our national festival takes place.”

“The organization of our festival is not easy. It is a mammoth task saddled to those whose hearts often swell with national pride as they work to make the celebrations a success,” Walwyn further said.