Summary+of+“This+Is+de+Test”+by+Colleen+Cohen

"This Is de Test": Festival and the Cultural Politics of Nation Building in the British Virgin Islands Colleen Ballerino Cohen American Ethnologist, Vol. 25, No. 2. (May, 1998), pp. 189-214. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0094-0496%28199805%2925%3A2%3C189%3A%22IDTFA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K American Ethnologist is currently published by American Anthropological Association.

In this article, Colleen Cohen describes the development and politics behind the British Virgin Islands national identity. By examining on specific event, the 1990 Tortola Festival, Cohen, looks at how this festival pushes BVI locals to shape their national identity and to differentiate it from the United States Virgin Islands. More specifically, Cohen analyzes how during the soca band competition, a music competition between BVI and USVI bands, the musicians use lyrics to powerfully portray the message that the BVI is distinctly different then the close proximity St. Thomas. The Tortola festival is a secular event that occurs every August in commemoration of the August 1, 1834 emancipation of slaves in the British colonies. It begins with the opening of a “Coney Island” amusement park, followed by weeks of contests, performances, and displays, ending with the three day public holiday festival. This festival allows the British Virgin Islanders a chance to remember their local foods and customs. It celebrates the BVI growth from its dependence on the USVI’s economy and infrastructure to its own development of its political affairs office, bank, public works, and national holidays. Like the USVI, BVI depend mostly on tourism for its economy. During the 1980’s BVI had the highest tourist per capita ration compared to the other Caribbean islands. To accommodate this growth in tourism, the BVI came to rely heavily on imported labor. Because of this reliance, in 1991, half of the BVI population considered themselves nationals from other Caribbean countries. This diversity has lead to a unique BVI national pride and sense of identity. The major debate during the 1990 Tortola festival focused primarily on the BVI bands threat to boycott the festival. This idea stemmed from the USVIs prevention of BVI bands to participate in the St. Thomas Carnival. The allowance of the St. Thomas bands to compete in the Tortola festival brought many BVI islanders together causing the lyrics of many BVI songs to contain prideful BVI lyrics. Harping on the purity and civility of the BVI compared to St. Thomas, the lyrics brought a greater BVI sense of pride to the residents.