Torch-lit residents clad in white marched through Road Town on Monday evening, ceremoniously commencing the 70th August Emancipation Festival. Under the sweltering nighttime humidity, more than three dozen people sang as they walked from Noel Lloyd Positive Action Movement Park to the festival village grounds.
“Seventy years of culture, 70 years of fun,” Elmore Stoutt sang atop the bed of a truck leading the group as Zion Sounds Fungi Band played traditional music.
“Hip-hip-hooray!” the procession responded.
Evening festivities
The procession ended at the Festival Village, where an opening ceremony featured speeches, dance, songs and tributes to village honouree and Jost Van Dyke native Larina “Rena” Loretta Jacobs-Lamothe.
The celebration — which this year marks 190 years since emancipation on Aug. 1, 1834 — opened with the territorial song followed by an invocation from Junior Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr. Karl Dawson.
Later, Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism Luce Hodge-Smith introduced an interpretive dance illustrating the struggles of the Africans who were kidnapped and brought to the VI during the slavery era.
“The journey was long, brutal and endless: a path etched in suffering; a sea of tears; a testament to the resilience of the human spirit,” Ms. Hodge-Smith said. “From the shores of Africa, they were torn from everything they knew, forced into the belly of ships, their destinies forever altered.”
After the introduction, a dozen dancers carrying a rope entered the stage in ripped white shirts and began their performance.
Events continue
The festivities will continue tonight in the Festival Village, where performers from here and abroad will take the stage in a lineup headlined by Dominica group Triple Kay International.
The main music events will follow on Friday and Saturday, with the international reggae and soca nights likely to draw the biggest crowds of the season to the village.
Next week, main events include the Rise and Shine Tramp starting around 4 a.m. Monday in Pasea, followed by the August Monday Parade through Road Town in the afternoon.
Later in the week, events will be held in East End and then Carrot Bay before returning to Road Town on Aug. 10 for the “last lap” concert.
Townspeople
After the torchlight parade on Monday, attendees were already getting into the spirit at the village, where dozens of stalls were selling food and drink.
Some, like Erin Anderson, were looking forward to traditional food.
“I always come here for the conch soup with dumplings,” Ms. Anderson said, walking alongside Willy T owner and her father, Ewan Anderson.
Mr. Anderson grinned.
“I’m here for Destra,” he said.
Ms. Anderson translated her dad’s humour while he laughed.
“No, he’s not,” she said. “He came because I pulled him out here tonight, but, yeah, it’s a good time.”
Asked if she was looking forward to anything in particular, Ms. Anderson mentioned the August Monday Parade.
“I’m excited to see what the troupes are like this year, because I feel like we had a decline in number of troupes’ outfits,” Ms. Anderson said. “So, I’m excited because it’s the 70th year to see if there’s, like, a bit of a flair.”
Bench seating
Near the entrance to the village, Mr. and Ms. Junior BVI — J’Adon George and Chanecia Pinnock — sat on a bench in front of a food stand.
The pair was fresh off winning their crowns the previous night at Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
“It’s my first time actually witnessing [the torch parade],” Mr. George said. “It’s a really great view actually. It brings together the culture. It just feels cultural right now.”
Ms. Pinnock chimed in as well.
“It’s also my first time, and just seeing everyone coming together, it’s really heart-warming for me,” she said. “I really love how the community comes together just as one, as a family.”
No sweat
After arriving at the festival village, some marchers were parched or even soaked in sweat.
Deputy Premier Lorna Smith, however, looked as if she just exited a limousine.
“This is quite normal for me,” Ms. Smith said. “Tomorrow, I’m up 4:30 a.m. jogging.”
She added that she was impressed with the evening’s activities so far.
“It is fantastic,” she said, adding, “I love the feel; I learned about the history. If you listen to Elmore Stout, the culture came out. And the participation: I haven’t seen in a long time. So it’s been fantastic.”
Calypso comp returns
Two days before the village opened, the Calypso competition returned on Saturday.
Competitors included Titus Crabbe (Mighty Rocky), Marcus Mark (Young Blood), Reynold Phillip (King Paido), Patrick Samuel (Mighty Cloud), and Lester Fontelio (Mighty Leh Leh).
Each artist performed two songs, and Mr. Mark took the crown with his performances of “Antidote” and “The Miseducation of Marijuana.”
He took home a grand prize of $8,000 as well as the awards for best lyrics and best performance.