Premier wants other cultures to enter August Monday Parade
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has expressed a desire to encourage other nationalities to participate in the August Monday Parade, part of the territory’s annual emancipation festivities.
He shared this sentiment during this year’s parade, which featured nearly 50 entries of floupes, troupes, bands, and other groups.
“I want to invite a lot of the other nationalities to have their own troupes,” Dr Wheatley commented while speaking to BVI News.
This year’s event included one group from Dominica called FyaStix. Although small, the group proudly played their assortment of instruments along the Francis Drake Highway. The Premier expressed his excitement and explained he would love to see more nationalities get involved.
“I was very proud when I saw them. I want all the other countries who are here to feel like part of it because sometimes they don’t feel that way,” he added.
Wheatley expressed his deep love for BVI culture and highlighted the events he attended under the 70th Emancipation Festival so far. While stating that he enjoyed the Sunday Morning Emancipation Service, he stated he felt a deep sense of pride as he observed the parade’s flamboyance on Monday.
The August Monday Parade is the most traditional and largest event held under the 70th Emancipation Festival, which began on July 14 and ends on August 10.
The 70th Emancipation Festival is held under the theme: “Celebrate in Freedom and Live in Unity as the BVI Turns 70!” This theme celebrates not only 70 years of culture but also the 190th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the BVI.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Dummy! You haven’t invested in your own culture but you full speed calling for other cultures? What foolishness! This what happens when you put book sense people to run your country! Not a lick of common sense. What a huge disappointment!
You are miserable and you need help.
When the Filipinos had entered all ah ayo dissed them
Make village entrance FREE like in the USVI
More cultures will enter when they feel like they belong or are accepted with their differences. One day you all want them to be a part when it benefits you and another time you don’t want them here. Yes, they want to be a part and feel a part of everything not only what suits you.
I would really love for all cultures to be in it and everything bvi, I love to see and learn from others we ALL BVI n Other Cultures have to put down our nasty ways and come together. there is beauty in all of us, we live here and should be comfortable around each other and look out for each other.
I love having you here, seeing your beautiful smiles and hearing your accents and the taste of who you are.
You feel like you do not belong and yet you are still here.
Isn’t the Festival Village dominated by persons of various nationalities both as performing artistes and booth owners and vendors? There is no money to be made from parade participation so stop acting like you don’t know what is happening in the country. Calling for more foreign participation while stifling Carrot Bay and EE\LL shows that you are clueless. You won’t have to worry after August 31st because y’all will become a relic.
No you got wrong , he see that our culture is fading so he trying ah ting , by inviting Orr Caribbean brothers and sisters ( aka )
island people , to make
it more attractive / and nothing ain’t wrong with that / but it’s hypocrisy, because we don’t really like them , except when they come in handy
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has expressed a desire to encourage other nationalities to participate in the August Monday Parade, part of the territory’s annual emancipation Recently.
Then when them flourishing allya act like some Karen and demand work permit for them to do it? Bad mind got the place messed up.
The 71st Festival is august Monday 4th August 2025! Put a new Committee in place and start to plan NOW!
The 2024/2025 committee needs to be on “staff” and start working now as well.
Also its not a music festival!
You all blame the expats for bringing in their culture and taking over yet you are here inviting them in. Make up your fetching minds. It is Emancipation of the English speaking Caribbean so all should feel welcomed. But we need to decide exactly what the day should look like.
THE VIP GOVERNMENT GIVE OUT SO MANY BELONGERS AND THOSE UNGRATEFULS STILL WON’T PARTICIPATE
Here is the problem instead of encouraging them you on here talking like a mad person, STOP all this hate and childishness.
Thank u so much,u are on point n dont mind those tribal bigots vomitting nonsence.
Thank u so much,u are on point n dont mind those tribal bigots vomitting nonsence.
U are on piont n dont mind those tribal bigots vomitting nonsence.What the premier said is a good step to a good direction but some untrained people are insulting him here.
I have no problem with other races & cultures being here including the Philippine people. whoever diss them Im sure many more cheered them on in parade. Many locals grew up on Spanish cartoons, toonami & video games like street fighter and were exposed to foreign cultures very early in positive ways.
To say VI people hate outsiders while being a minority isnt logical.
The problem with our immigration is the cashier jobs should go to high school graduates. When the immigrants have children born here eventually those same children will not be able to find a job as a result of the work permit abuse and all the shovel technicians.
If you are been completely honest you would know that no high school graduate wants a cashier job. they will do this on school breaks but will never apply after leaving school because they have been conditioned to think that these positions are below them.
Wait what? Natalio what happened to your xenophobic language.
Have Caribbean people embraced BVI Culture and our way of life? Everything BVI they disdain and ridicule. Premier, promote our culture and let it permeate. And Culture can’t be August Monday alone.
It has to be something lived through the People and seen in leadership, told through stories and preserved in communities. Culture is we and it starts with you.
Culture is what comes out of you based on what is inside of you regardless of who says what it should look like. It is authentic/real and cannot be ignored. This is whether it is authentically bad or authentically good.
Note that:
1. Emancipation was for all the Caribbean nations who were freed in the August month. Makes sense why the Premier would ask for others to join in the parade celebrations. Is it the BVI Islander who have the only right or privilege to be free and celebrate freedom?
2. The culture has also changed from the time the freedom proclaimationwas made up to now. It is totally different than what it is now.
As a matter of fact the UNITED STATES STREET CULTURE is what seems to paint the BVI. Why becauseBVI Islanders are not the only “Island” people who looked for opportunities in other countries such as the US, and back then- they used to go to Santo Domingo for work.
As a matter of fact, the negativity and hatred on every blog is MAIN and HUGE part of the BVI Culture.
Where was the fish and fungi served for example this festival/emancipation season? Do BVI Islanders even know what they want their culture to look like or are they too busy blaming others for what BVI fails to improve upon?
There is no one to blame for the lack of a more vibrant display of BVI culture than BVI ISLANDERS THEMSELVES.
The 60th had troupes from almost all the Caribbean countries here plus from other countries too like Vietnam and phillipines etc