Virgin Islanders allowing foreign cultures to dominate their own
Respected historian Dr Charles Wheatley said many cultural practices of BVIslanders still exist but are no longer dominant in the territory because foreign cultures have been given prominence.
Residents and local historians have long expressed concerns about the erasure of cultural practices that were originally passed down from the foreparents of BVIslanders.
But Dr Wheatley said BVIslanders have a responsibility to ensure that their culture remains dominant when foreign ways of life are introduced to the community.
“In any community, culture grows, it’s not static. You have dominant features and recessive features. It is up to the people who have the dominant culture to remain dominant when a sub-culture comes in,” Dr Wheatley explained recently on the Omoja radio show hosted by Edu En Ka.
“What has been happening here is that BVIslanders have allowed subcultures to dominate their culture. So instead of being dominant, in some cases, they (BVIslanders) are the subculture — they are recessive.”
As an example, Dr Wheatley said the Rise and Shine festival which originated in the BVI, is no longer celebrated in its original form because the community has substituted some of its elements with those of Carnival, which is foreign to the BVI.
“We used to have a tramp called Rise and Shine. In those days it wasn’t a Carnival, it was a festival. Rise and Shine has certain characteristics. We’ve allowed our festival to change because there were others coming from places with a Carnival. We rejected our festival and accepted the Carnival characteristics,” the long-time educator explained.
BVIslanders have been fighting for years to retain important aspects of their culture amid a growing expat population with a variety of foreign cultural practices.
Historians say there is a need to document and preserve BVIslanders’ unique culture and add it to the local curricula so students can gain more knowledge of the people who’ve built the Virgin Islands.
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Them island people messed up ah we thing
Culture evolves. Everybody like to wuk up. In with the new out with the old. Tola not the same. Guns and violence at festival and carnival now.
I want to comment but I will keep my mouth shut this morning because ayo know if I open my mouth all h**l broke loose.
TRUTH!!!
I am confused in that the BVIslanders are expat as well and brought their culture, becoming dominant over the existing population. As Dr. Wheatley stated, “In any community, culture grows, it’s not static”, then why are the changes reflecting a changing population unusual, or even a cause for concern? That growth reflecting population change is to be celebrated as a rejection of stagnation. As Matt Ridley explained in his seminal The Evolution of Everything: “We understand now that all enduring structures above the level of the simplest atoms, and up to the brain and society, are the results of, and can be explained only in terms of, processes of selective evolution…”
Power verses influence, the stronger will win everytime. It is not our fault if tolans want to be like us.
Interesting choice of photo to accompany this article!
Great photo! Nothing says BVI culture like 2 strangers dry humping each other in public. What a way to celebrate. At least they have their masks on! Get it girl!
“Rise and Shine has certain characteristics.” A good historian would have been able to define those “certain characteristics” I would have thought.
At every August Festival we import various cultures from around the region and sometimes even the continent. We birth our children in a foreign culture, send them to school in a foreign culture, and then when they come back they bring traits of those cultures back. Finally, it would be
interesting to poll the age group that holds these views. The horse is out of the stable and we are trying to close the door.
They always wait until they miss the buss to come out and talk.
Those who value their culture keep it and respect it. We virgin islanders don’t. Simple as that. We don’t speak the same way we used to or eat the same way we used to or believe the same things we used to. We are not who we used to be so our culture has gone with the wind.
HAVE EVER SEEN THIS WHEATLEY GUY IN A PARADE OR RISE AND SHINE?
I really have to agree with Dr Wheatley. I posted similar comments before and I am an expat. I have seen firsthand the cultural decline of FESTIVAL to CARNIVAL. This is not an insult to carnival and the countries that celebrate it. I have always maintain that the two activities need to be separated. Have the August Festival then have a carnival at a different time. There should be clear guidelines for each. One thing I will disagree with Dr Wheatley with is that the expats are not to blame for the change. The younger BVISLANDERS are. They totally embraced the carnival activities. I remember when Education Dept won best band one year there was a big hurrah because they were decently dressed. The bands that thought were better had the skimpy clothes and indecent behavior. Education is important and sticking to the rules and polices. We can’t be putting rules in place one year then removing them the next year.
It’s sad but true. Maybe the VI way is too boring for today’s generation of youths. Them want igbo and shayo.
I bet if Ms. P had said this same thing everyone would kick up!
@Hmmm, Your head is to big for your body if you think that tolans want be be like you all, it’s a small group of you that dont have have no respect for anyone, that group shouldn’t be in the BVI because you are vulgar and rude.
A bet one a ayo family deh with a island man
Even have a baby for a island man/ woman!!
Set a clown
The very low class simulation of sex performed by every female over the age of 13 attending the rise and shine is certainly not our culture.
Did he state what the BVI style Rise and Shine should be instead?? He is what 80? Culture changes as the world changes. When he was in his 20’s women weren’t allowed to do anything. The BVI has advanced 200 years in 60 years, of course culture changes as technology changes.
Ken Boynes xmas festival was more colorful and spectacular…no vulgarity
Exactly.
The culture you refer to is dead and there’s something new address that from clinging onto something we can’t relate too and attempt to start a new more positive culture
everything happen here is always the UK or the island people them fault , yeah rite ,,( we have asked Mr E Leonard about the name (island people came from and what was the purpose of it ??? ) but he playing hide & seek so since you are a historian can you please enlighten us, on why , after all our ancestors came from the same place and were separated and sent to different countries / island of which TORTOLA is one ) aren’t we one Caribbean brothers nand sisters ? or did some flew down from Africa
BVI culture is not promoted and your best bet is to take on some of the expat culture. Your own people don’t even support the little cultural activities y’all have. Face the facts BVI will be like St.Marten,a melting pot of expats. Best you embrace them mixture of different people and cultures. Otherwise if you want to preserve your culture start investing in it,ensure your schools teach it and the traditional things from the BVI are pass on to your people.
“In any community, culture grows, it’s not static. You have dominant features and recessive features. It is up to the people who have the dominant culture to remain dominant when a sub-culture comes in,” Dr Wheatley explained recently on the Omoja radio show hosted by Edu En Ka.
A total contradiction. No one can over-ride culture. If culture exist – it prevails. The expats who come here have culture – so it prevails.
If you are in the midst of culture, you adapt to that culture. If you have no culture – there is nothing for one to adapt to.
Accept that you are Caribbean – and your Culture will flow. You are not American – therefore stop trying to be American and embrace your Caribbean Culture.
Nothing new, since yall grinding yall own families, what’s worst???
Tortola people like to call other Caribbean people island people. I wonder if they know Tortola is an island to