Trefor A. Grant In! Kishma A. Baronville Out! as Festival Comm. Chair
Information obtained by our newsroom is that Mr Grant will serve for one year and his appointment is effective from February 20, 2017.
Speaking exclusively to our newsroom, Mr Grant said "I am happy to serve in this capacity as festival in its entirety is very dear to me."
Chair no 3 under Walwyn
The public will recall that the other two chairs of the BVI Festival Committee had a rough tenure from 2012 to 2016 under the Culture Minister Hon Myron V. Walwyn.
The first Chair, Marvin 'MB' Blyden, was blunt in his first two reports of 2012 and 2013 where he blasted most of the committee sub chairs, including legislator Hon Alvera Maduro-Caines (R6), who headed up the Prince and Princess Committee, calling for new blood and a different way of doing things.
The former Chairman Blyden labeled in his 2013 report the BVI Tourist Board was ineffective in its promotion of the Festivals.
In 2015, Mr Blyden expressed his unwillingness to continue; however, some alleged over political reasons and lack of funding. The Minister via Cabinet appointed Kishma A. Baronville in 2015.
Ms Baronville had submitted her resignation over being made a scapegoat for the financial challenges when in fact Mr Walwyn did not provide the funding though his Ministry. It is reported that Walwyn begged her to say on, which she did.
Minister Walwyn is now on his third Chairman in that of Mr Grant. When Minister Walwyn took office in 2011 he promised the people that the Virgin Islands (VI) Festivals will be on budget and properly organised.
The Festival in disarray & disrespect to Hon Fraser & Hodge-Smith
Well from 2012 we have had overruns, declining participation (except for 2014 when the VI celebrated 60 years), scandal and confusion over pay to locals bands and artiste year after year once they finished performing for Festival, and claims of blatant political interference by Hon Walwyn, the subject Minister.
In 2016 the Festival hit a low point when the former Leader of the Opposition Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) was kicked off the opening ceremony programme in Road Town while he was on his way to the ceremony after being invited.
Director of Culture Mrs Luce Hodge-Smith told the public her directive to do that came from Minister Walwyn, who was disrespectful to her in the matter. She has since filed a complaint with the Deputy Governor on Mr Walwyn's unprofessional behaviour, according to a local media report, but the matter was swept under the rug.
The Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee is responsible for the Easter Festival on Virgin Gorda, as well as the East End, Road Town and Carrot Bay Festivals.
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33 Responses to “Trefor A. Grant In! Kishma A. Baronville Out! as Festival Comm. Chair”
Kool sessions I don't mis that... Any brass band in the village I don't miss that... Another thing its time for festival committee to get their own radio station to blow up the culture and the festival all year long. These big Radio station only killing the thing. You can't blame them. Anything private is about profit... In the middle of festival you hearing Jamaican reggae or American hip hop they do it for spite because festival committee chose to advertise with another station. We have to find a solution to that. We can't allowel that to continue. Get our own push our own grow our own big up our own dis our own praise our own love our own...Time yo push forward with the backhoe mentality blow the thing up.
They wait until the festival run down to the ground. Mr. Grant have alot of work to do but I have confidence in him he will get the job done. hes great. Good pick NDP