The best Independence Celebrations ever

By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

Winston 'Zack' Nisbett, Cultural Preservationist and 'Doctor of Culture'

In an exclusive interview with Winston ‘Zack’ Nisbett, Cultural Preservationist and renowned ‘Doctor of Culture’, it was clearly delineated that the best Independence Celebrations, in relation to the quality of events and general festivity of the period, were the first ever Independence (in 1983) and the tenth celebrations held in 1993.

Nisbett opined that the first Independence Celebration, held in 1983, was much better than all others after it. He said it may have been because it was the very first time that the country would have been celebrating Independence and so the period was entered with much anticipation and a great sense of pride.

“The first Independence celebration was huge! The focus was more on the prestigious and auspicious occasion. It was very classy, well organised and had everything done to precision. It had a large number of dignitaries, choirs with over 300 persons, evening jams and street celebration, many ushers to guide persons to their seats, and the parade was much better than all the other years; it was much sharper and the drills were of higher quality.      ~~Adz:Right~~

“The preparation was done long in advance; anybody could have sensed that something big was coming. Banners and buntings were up very early and many persons painted their homes, and there was much community involvement in the Independence Celebration. There may have been more persons coming out for this year’s festivity, but in terms of quality, the first Independence Celebration was much better.”

The Doctor of Culture further informed that even the 10th Independence Celebration was much more organised than this year’s. He stated that the people were able to feel the coming of celebrating a significant milestone long before September of that year, adding the community involvement was like none other.

He added that there were not many committees, but the work was done in an exceptional way in order to produce a high-quality parade and overall Independence. He indicated that there was much appreciation when the nation honoured many persons who contributed greatly and gave them the opportunity to be applauded and showered with praises in front of the thousands gathered for the Independence Parade.

Nisbett, in contrast, observed the Silver Jubilee Celebrations and said it was huge and had a lot of flair, but could not be compared to the first and tenth. He stressed that many persons were expecting that, after such a long period, there would be much reflection on all the things that transpired during the period. He added that although the last-minute build up was not bad, prior to that, it was “as if nothing at all was happening”.

“We did a lot, but we could have done plenty more in the areas that need to be covered. For example, National Heroes’ Day could have been better. We [the people of St. Kitts-Nevis] should have recognised the persons who contributed to the historical and cultural values of the country. They [Members of Government] should have established monuments of those persons in certain areas of distinction in order to give credence to the vanguards who paved the way for us. Persons including Thomas Manchester, Edgar Challenger, Nathan, James Matthew Sebastian, Charles Ashton Halbert and even Kim Collins should have been recognised.

“Much more should have been done to recognise Mr. France [Joseph Nathaniel France, National Hero] for his dedicated contribution toward the development of Trade Unionism in the country. Also, founding leaders like The Right Sir Dr. Kennedy Simmonds and Dr. Simeon Daniel, who played prominent roles in the early stages of our nation, should have been recognised more. Talking is good, but it’s not enough. We need to respect these men a little bit more.”

Nisbett however applauded the nation upon reaching the memorable milestone and urged present leaders to continue leading with excellence as the nation places more focus on the contributions of previous nation builders.