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by pltm
(PLTM) - Last evening July 28, the ceremonial torch-light procession through Road Town started at car park opposite the Sunny Caribee in Road Town and moved towards the Festival Village, was an extremely enjoyable experience for all those who were involved.
The procession was led by local fungi bands Elmore Stoutt band and Zion Sounds band – a band that comprises of members from the Zion Hill Methodist Church.
The band is also expected to perform at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park today Friday July 29 as festival celebrations continue.
Participants were singing, chanting and dancing along the streets of Road Town in honour of the former enslaved people who were later emancipated and tasked with creating new realities for themselves.
Anne Leonard, the Deputy Director in the Department of Culture, sought to explain the significance of the torch-lighting procession.
She commented that “This is an event that has been staged for several decades dating back from the 1950’s when we first started festival celebrations.”
She noted that instead of using Japanese lanterns, candles, and bottles with kerosene oil, torches are the chosen items for this procession in modern times.
According to Leonard, “It really reminds us, and it pays tribute to our ancestors who died and suffered so much over the centuries because of slavery and the Transatlantic trade.”
The event has been revitalized, and the Festivals and Fairs Committee in collaboration with the Department of Culture, is ensuring that this historic tradition is kept alive.
