Premier criticises “reckless” Festival vulgarity
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has raised concern about reckless and vulgar behaviour at this year’s Emancipation Festival, warning that the event has lost focus on its true meaning.
Appearing on the Honestly Speaking radio programme, the Premier said the community needed to reflect on whether the festival was still celebrating emancipation or something entirely different.
“We have to ask ourselves a question as a society. You know, are we celebrating our emancipation or are we doing, you know, something else?” he stated.
His comments followed complaints about vulgar lyrics and behaviour at some of the shows. Dr Wheatley said the issue went beyond one performance.
“It speaks about how you conduct yourself in the parade. It speaks to how you might conduct yourself in the rise and shine tramp, how you go about the whole thing, whether you’re just drinking and getting drunk every night, behaving however you behave,” he explained.
The Premier argued that as a society, the Virgin Islands had “lost focus on emancipation” and needed to have an open discussion about values and culture.
“Do we as leaders have a responsibility to lead and steer persons in a particular direction? Absolutely, by all means, but not necessarily just by censoring or prohibiting, but having a conversation with the people,” he said.
He added that government alone could not be blamed for the situation.
“We are allowing licences to sell it, we are allowing it to be sold in the stores, we are allowing all of it. Let’s not confuse ourselves as parents, we’re allowing it into our homes. We are doing this collectively. So we are sanctioning it as a society,” he stated.
Dr Wheatley urged the community to look beyond entertainment and think about the wider social challenges. “I want to challenge our society, our entire community… to reflect on how we celebrate our emancipation and how we conduct our lives and how we think about things like mental slavery, decolonisation, how we think about the erosion of our society,” he said.
He called for a united effort to restore focus to the festival’s purpose.
“We as a people, we have to take control of our communities. What we consume, both spiritually, musically, even physically in terms of our food, we have to take control of our lives,” he added.
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It best we start bringing strippers on stage now
IS THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE TO PAY $40 TO SEE? ITS BEST WE GO STRIP CLUB INSTEAD
DISPICABLE!
THE PREMIER IS THE ENGINEER FOR BRINGING IN THESE TYPES OF ARTISTS, STARTING WITH VYBEZ KARTEL
EXAAAAACTTTLY!!!!!!!
Have to wonder if there’s bipolar happening, narcissism, or some other mental concern that results in someone not seeing THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!!!
You do with tax payers money.
The following notes are relevant to the subject of of Carnival innocence as against Carnival lewdness.
https://sculpturestudiodominica.blogspot.com/2023/02/differentiating-between-nude-and-lewd.html
Was this gentleman not recently pictured on stage, microphone in hand, with Vybz Kartel? Having supported his show with at least $250k of public money. Has he heard his lyrics?
Then has the audacity to pretend to be shocked, when he is supporting exactly this type of influence and behavior all along. It really is completely beyond belief at this point.
VI has lost focus on emancipation because it is now again living under the rule of a Dictator who is desperate for even more Independent power.
VI has moved quickly from having more freedom to having less as it is now ruled under a cloud of corruption and a new colonial styled Dictatorship.
That picture looks like a stray female dog in heat getting hump by a bush gorilla. CALL OF THE WILD.
Looking like a rap**t. This is the type of nasty behavior that is allowed on stage during Festival in the BVI. No wonder the men and women don’t have respect for themselves in the BVI. One set of nasty people. That female is from the lowest part of the filthy trenches. DAMAGED GOODS THAT A MANGY STREET DOG WOULD HIKE UP HIS LEG AND URINATE ON.
He is the one who keep taking our money and throwing parties and now he going to cuss when the people wuk up? What am I missing here? Tax money + party = Wuk up. Simple
Premier is gaslighting to deflect HIS PART IN BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WORTHLESS BEHAVIOUR!
THEY ARE NASTIASS ISLAND PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT IN THEIR WUTLESSNESS
Tortola Women don’t get down like that.It is those nasty down Island women that they keep letting into the place bringing their nastiness and the STD’s and bad behavior to the BVI. Tortola women don’t sell themselves or s**k men off, or let men stretch out their behinds for a American dollar.
That may be 2 brothers. You all can relax coz nothin vulgar about brotherly love.
Everyone sit back and watch this vulgarity in openness and say nothing.
This behavior should be challenge with supporting rules, laws,policy etc. including the gender affairs department,church women & men ministers,law offices, and all focus groups.
People can change for the better or worse. For better there must be steering committees to help in behavioral transformation. For worse do as you please it is easy, no rules all is accepted. The main focus is to ensure that society accept appropriate social behaviors that generate a peaceful and respectful atmosphere in environments at all time.
In this challenge for change the Premier,the Culture Minister,the church,youth affairs ,the gender affairs people all have to lead with values that need change to uphold standards that is acceptable.
Now this is everyone problem who lives in this island ,it is not Island by island, blaming Jane, Janet and Sandra, or Tom, Dick and Harry. These actions of vulgar behavior is why I take my family away during this time from the island. It is not healthy for young people to see girls & boys in ths vulgar manner, as they mind will convince them this is they way, because we all accept it. Simms down with those crazy costumes and no vulgar behavior.
EVERYTIME OUR HYPOCRISY GETS IN YHE SPOTLIGHT , WE ALWAYS TRYING TO POINT OUR DIRTY FINGERS AT EITHER THE UK OR THE GOVERNOR OR THOSE WE LABEL AS ” DEM ISLAND PEOPLE ” ( WHILE WE KNOW FULL WELL ITS THOSE ENTITLED ONES THAT ARE FROM THE FOUTH & FIFTH GENERATION EXERCISING THEIR RIGHTS OF ENTITLEMENT / JUST LIKE MASTER WEATIE TOLD CINDY TO COME AND WATCH ME ” DO MUH TING ” AND NOW AFTER BRAGGING AND FLEXING OFF HIS SKILLZ ON STAGE , HE WANTS TO CRITICIZE THE YOUTHS FOR DOING THE SAME THING HE TAUGHT THEM • WE THOUGHT IT WAS ONLY THE “WHITE COLONIALIST SLAVE MASTERS THAT SPOKE WITH FORKED TONGUES
Stop the propaganda. That scene is from the Music Fest.
THE DUDE , IS SAYING )> THIS IS HOW WF ROLL IN THE BVI AND AH GAH IN ME WHEEL DRIVE – “WATZ MAH NAME ” BITcH
The dirty classless female is bending over forward like she is getting ready to receive 10 different d…s up her dirty behind. Nasty dirty shameless street skank.
Young Blacks ( male/ female) with ties to CARICOM are the imported human destruct to these BVI/ USVI and the USA.Hoepfully Trump will interject some flames in their Caribbean habitat and/ or region.
When these Vi were poor poor not so long ago and for decades there was literally Zero crime and education was superb. Subsequent to infestation by these down low mortals the sinking and stinkingis nonstoppable I agree it is their indelible mindset.
The mindset of these VI is self destruct hence they the destroyers,the crime and criminals are eagerly accomadated here by the tonload of imports ,legal and otherwise.,
The mindset of these VI is ” self destruct” sooo a perfect match. Folks we done! The coming generations will be dominated by the low hanging fruits that now dominate the landscape, prison ,schools. PLan accordingly.Not worth it to camp on our ancestral lands..Plan accordingly!
@lo1 If you believe that there is another generation you are delusional! Read your Bible! The current events all over this world are signaling the footsteps of an approaching God. Time to get ready to meet Jesus!
Young Black purveyors( male and female of crime, indecency,lewdness,poverty pimping with ties to the CARICOM.Yes Yes it is the mindset of that region.
The mindset of these VI,has developed to be
SELFDESTRUCT. Must be something in The Water…years answer years awe we poor por po with dzero crime dry dry weather and nothing else except dignity and good character resulting in upward gains. Now we bogged down in the mire with the sepsis of the Caribbean chain oozing pus in every nook of our once sacred ancestral lands.
Look at the dominant human imports chosen by these VI. The worse offered by the North of the World. Nothing more to see here. Plan ahead!!!
Allyo Sick with self hatred which has manifested into self flagellation and self destruction.
i blame the premier for this one, he is the one who pushes thes eparties
finally some good news and sense!
the youths this is culture!
wa aya hear calling it? strip club? yea this wa the youths calling our culutre lolo
Natalio you still at fault for helping fund these kinda events and allowing the commetiee to bring this nastiness here as “entertainment”
plus when late miss p complain about flesh and feathers you didn’t say ntn or try to improve the vulgarness but hey youre a man who prob like it so
but this is a good 1st step blast it and call it out as it is! shun it! peer groups will follow! right now everybody try fit in so let change that to have them fit in to something positive!
Well done Premier!
Remove that pornographic filth of a picture. Everybody already knows what’s going on in the BVI under this government. No need for further publicity.
This was not from festival
But the premier didn’t set any example when he all up on stage with Vybz Kartel celebrating criminality for the youth to emulate.
Premier you are a day late and a dollar short.
Yawnnnnn. He said this same thing last year or year before.
Fix it! Or Shut Up!
reckless vulgar behavior is going to visit your girlfriends when you are a Minister of Education and then Premier who is married.
Then perhaps we can look in our own leadership and understand when complete fabrications are uttered, despite a smile and attempt to change the narrative or the truth. It’s still a joke who hired v cartel?
I love wutless women.They have their time and place.