For the 19th year, V.I. National Park will commemorate Black History Month with its annual Folklife Festival Feb. 25–27 at Annaberg Plantation. This year’s theme is V.I. Heritage and Culture for 2010, said festival organizer and park ranger Denise Georges.
Admission to the celebration is free.
While residents and visitors are welcome to attend on any of the days, Georges said the Feb. 25 events are geared toward students in grades kindergarten through six. The Feb. 26 presentations are tailored for students in grades seven through 12. The Feb. 27 evening celebration is for all.
"Bring a flashlight," Georges said, reminding those coming to the Feb. 27 evening performance that they’ll need to provide some light.
The moon will be about full on Feb. 27, providing a moonlit backdrop for the Annaberg ruins, Georges said.
Georges plans discussions centered on the origins and structure of English Creole. Though V.I. residents still speak this dialect, many do not know its history. In studying English Creole, Georges said that students attending the Folklife Festival will read aloud from the writings of the late Lesmore Emanuel, the late Arona Petersen, Guy Benjamin and Gilbert Sprauve.
Additionally, Nigeria native Olabayo Olaniyi, who now lives in Iowa, will discuss the birth of art and cultures through the use and understanding of language.
The Mighty Groover will perform folk songs.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. on Feb 25 and 26; the final evening runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Folklife Festival is sponsored by the park, the Friends of the Park, the local government, the St. John Community Foundation, and V.I. Council on the Arts. It is funded in part by a grant from the V.I. Humanities Council.