Movine Fahie has marched in the East End/ Long Look Emancipation Festival parade since 1965, each year dressing in different costumes designed to highlight special aspects of the territory.
This year, the 61st for the EE/LL Festival, Ms. Fahie walked the route while dressed in a circular, turquoise outfit that included cut-out flamingos, draping foliage and a lobster hat. The costume, which she designed, represented the Anegada Pond.
She was one of several costumed marchers in a line-up that included employees in giant fruit costumes marching for One Mart, children in clown garb strolling for the EE/LL festival committee and young people in dance outfits performing for the East End community at-large.
The parade started around 4:45 pm on Wednesday, in the middle of a packed two days of festival activities.
Named this year after local resident Andrew “Charlie” Turnbull, the celebrations kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday evening.
Mr. Turnbull, an employee in the Water and Sewerage Department, has had a significant role training the moko jumbie stilt dancers in the Virgin Islands.
“I was reflecting Charlie’s involvement, not just in culture, but just in the territory on a whole, and reflecting on the difficulties we have now in the community to get people to do things for free and to pick a cause that they like to uplift the community and to stick with it, and Charlie’s one of those persons that did that,” said Minister for Education and Culture Myron Walwyn, while speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “And I noticed, Charlie, that you have very good leadership skills.”
After Mr. Walwyn and Miss Junior BVI Joi-Ann Thomas cut the ribbon, musical performances that night included Jamaican dancehall singers I Octane, Jah Vinci and Militan; St. Vincent and the Grenadines singer Jamesy P; the OMG Band; and the Cool Breeze Band.
At 4 am the next morning, the USVI-based Venomous Poizon Band led the Rise-and-Shine Tramp.
The following night, fungi bands Razor Bladez and Stanley and 10 Sleeping Knights performed, followed by the the Stylee Band and the Showtime Band.
Sandra Potter-Warrican, chairman of the EE/LL Festival Committee, said she was satisfied with this year’s festival but had to deal with a few glitches, like the parade starting several hours late.
She said she would have also liked to see greater involvement from the community and the schools, and is planning on holding a public forum sometime in the next month to hopefully stimulate that for next year.
“It’s all about emancipation, we should all be able to join in the celebration,” she explained.
See the August 11, 2016 for full coverage.
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