“Is it necessary to shine soldiers’ boots with taxpayers’ money?” Bajan calypsonian Anthony “Mighty Gabby” Carter sang on Friday at the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall during the BVI Heritage Dancers’ Cultural Affair. “Is it necessary to have so much soldiers in this small country?”
The group is trying to raise at least $50,000 for the project, which has been in the works for more than two decades, said founder Eileene Parsons. Ms. Parsons — who said this week that the funds raised Friday are still being collated — hopes that the building eventually will serve as a home for the dancers to practise.
Though organisers had hoped for a better turnout than the approximately 100 people who attended Friday’s show, Ms. Parsons described it as a success.
“I thought it went well considering how many things were going on at the same time that night,” she said. “The event was to promote culture. What is our culture is slowly being swallowed.”
Memories
For Beverly Sergeant, a native of Barbados, Mr. Carter’s performance brought back memories.
“I have always been a fan of his mainly because of the songs he performs: He has always been a true calypsonian,” Ms. Sergeant said. “He’s always sung about issues affecting the Caribbean, and he’s always been fearless in his songs and performance.”
Other highlights of the evening included performances by the Heritage Dancers and the Lashing Dogs.
“We are lucky to have young people who are keeping the culture alive,” Ms. Parsons said of the younger members of the group. “When we started, we had 34 dancers, and over the years, 17 groups. One by one they got older. We’ve had two deaths and some have moved on.”
Dr. Mitchel Penn attended the event with his wife and two sons.
“My sons love music,” Dr. Penn said. “This evening was for my kids to be introduced to some of the old acts. … These particular shows may not be filled with lots of persons, but these are high value cultural events.”
{fcomment}