Dancing in the streets by the hundreds for the first time in years, the Virgin Islands community turned out in force to celebrate being outdoors together for the 68th annual August Emancipation Festival.
The annual celebration brought out the best of VI food, music, dance, history, style and culture as community members let loose and understood the importance of freedom.
BVI heritage dancers, pageant royalty, public officials and festival namesake Bernard “Yampie” Nibbs welcomed attendees on July 27 at the opening ceremony. The three pairs of dancers twirled across the stage in their yellow, green and red skirts, kicking off a whirlwind of events this week that celebrated the territory’s history and what it means to today’s residents.
Opening ceremony
Gen Y Factor 2022 winner Yohance Smith kicked off a musical evening at the opening ceremony with the Territorial Song and the National Anthem, after which Deputy Prime Minister Kye Rymer was among the guests to express his appreciation for the festival’s return.
He appreciated the contribution of Mr. Nibbs in the festivities over the past three decades as booth owner and parade marshal Hariette Rivera for her behind-the-scenes work at the much-loved pageants, parades and other festival events. He also recognized the hard work of the festival organizers for organizing an “ambitious” event.
“We are celebrating 188 years of our emancipation and 68 years of celebrating our festival which has been missing for the last two years after what happened with Covid,” he said, calling for a moment of silence in honor of those who died during the pandemic. .
He continued: “We remember with reverence the generations of our forefathers who lived, toiled, died without even tasting the sweet taste of freedom. It is such a moment when we come together and give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon us as a territory over past generations. We give thanks for our freedom; we give thanks for our good fortune; we give thanks for our health; and we thank each other.”
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Sharie De Castro commended Virgin Islands Fair and Festival Committee Chairman Dirk Walters and his team for recognizing the importance of celebrating freedom.
“We must never take for granted the sacrifices of our forefathers and what they had to do to realize this dream of being a free people who would rule our own destiny,” she said.
Governor John Rankin and Opposition Leader Julian Fraser also joined in celebrating the emancipation, with Mr. Fraser emphasizing the importance of reparations.
Mr Nibbs, who was honored for his “outstanding contribution to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the Virgin Islands” according to his award, had some words of wisdom to “sit back, relax and enjoy the carnival” before the color was cut pink. ribbon strung across the stage to officially open the grounds.
Shortly after the opening ceremony, gospel artists including Onekye, Dwight Hutchinson, Yours Truly and international recording artist Sherwin Gardner kicked off the festival’s official music lineup. The high frequency band provided support.
The entertainers that evening combined popular praise songs with dynamic dances, attracting a wide audience. They ended up drawing a crowd of hundreds by the end of the evening to sing along.
Lighting a fire
On July 28, festival-goers lit up Waterfront Drive with the traditional torchlight procession, offering a “hip hip hooray” in celebration of “68 years of culture and 68 years of fun” as sung by the Zion Sounds Fungi Band. Adults in the crowd of several dozen people helped light the burning torches of a new generation as the march began at Noel Lloyd Affirmative Action Park.
Mrs. De Castro and Mr. Rymer led the crowd as everyone jumped behind the truck blasting his music through town.
The procession took that fire to the festival grounds, where the Big People Party started shortly afterwards.
Free entertainment that night featured ABM, Xtreme with Pascal, Cool Sessions Brass, Onyan & 3 Cylinder Band. Festival goers packed the grounds as the sign above the stage cheerily shouted, “OUT!!!!!!!”
Music mix
The festival venues saw an array of musical talent from near and abroad in the following days, including glitter night on 29 July, soca night and monarch competition on 30 July, the final musical medley on 31 July, local entertainment on 1 August as the crowd left the parade and international reggae night on August 2.
Each night had its own memorable moments, including when Adam O. asked audience members to light up the festival grounds with their phone lights and when Ramon G. took home the title of Soca Monarch 2022.
Jouvert
While attendees had fun rocking out to the bands on the festival grounds, the most energetic and exuberant dancing took place in the early hours of August 1 in Road Town and August 3 in the East End.
Revelers bounced through puddles, paint splatters and flour dust on the Rise & Shine Tramp, with several trucks blasting tunes to keep them moving as the sunrise gradually lit up the streets. Masked “bank robbers” weaved their way through the packed crowds, and some paraders carried leaves to the stopping point at Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park.
Participants found the energy to head out in large groups for the East End Cruise as well, ending with a refreshing jump into the water on the Beef Island Bridge for some.
Parade
A mainstay of the festivities is always the August Monday Parade, which returned this year.
The line-up began with a regal flourish as the pageant’s newly crowned royals strutted before the crowds on Waterfront Drive, including 2022’s Prince VI Ryson Adams and Princess Lorrisa-Anya King. Kiandra Scatliffe took first runner-up in the competition held at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College on July 31.
The winners of Mr. and Miss Junior BVI 2022 were Kwame Prince and Angelique Lettsome.
Also leading the procession was Miss BVI 2022 Jareena Penn, who came first in the 2021 pageant and was crowned this year’s winner on July 24.
The show featured colorful characters like the lion and the lamb, the iconic moko jumbos towering over them all, Ms. Rivera and Mr. Nibbs, and of course, bejeweled and feathered dancers who brought smiles to the faces of children enjoying the parade.
Earlier that morning, Reverend Dr. Melvin A. Turnbull led the annual emancipation service at the Sunday morning well, held on August 1 after a solemn march from Old Government House.
Community events
The festival also included a celebration of Caribbean cuisine with the Festival Food Fair on July 29 at Pier Park. Nearly 20 vendors offered food (including Tortola’s famous pea soup), juices, candy, fresh produce, handmade hats and more as visitors wandered the park and enjoyed the sounds of the steel pan.
Capping off the festival season was a full day of family fun at the Carrot Bay Cultural Day on August 5.
In 2020, a scaled-down traditional farmers market was one of the few events presented in person. Games such as lime and spoon races were still held as long as possible given social distancing.
But this year, community members cheered side by side as volunteers competed in swimming races, tug-of-war, donkey races and more, all while enjoying treats from the nearby stall.
One of the most contested bouts was between married and single men and women who joined in tug of war, with the winner taking the best of three matches. The governor even joined for a match, although his team was defeated.
Although they lost some ground in the beginning, the married women achieved a victory in the end. Anastasia Thomas-Donovan attributed the win to their strategy of waiting to go all out after the opening minutes. When asked what single women can do to improve their chances for the coming year, she laughed and said “eat more dumplings and snacks”.
At the end of the day were the donkey races, where spectators watched with excitement and some trepidation as the animals raced across the bridge. An ambitious donkey temporarily sought his freedom and quickly quarreled.
Deborah Fraser-Joseph, who was visiting family for the festival and has attended the Carrot Bay festival for years, said this year was one for the books. She said she had enough fun to last two more days, and she especially enjoyed the offerings at the booths, where she picked up a new lemon tree.
“Personally, I think Carrot Bay is a really great village and people could do more,” she said.
The festival also introduced a water sports day to the East End community.
The festivities officially ended as participants took their final lap on August 6 with Drink the Booth Dry night.
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