Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Jun 30, 2025

VI neglecting local literature about its past – Cromwell Smith

VI neglecting local literature about its past – Cromwell Smith

Talkshow host Cromwell Smith aka 'Edju En Ka' says the Virgin Islands has neglected a lot of its literature written through the eyes of local historians, authors and others who have lived the experience and which can help us to learn about the past.

Mr Smith made the comments during the Monday, September 8, 2021, edition of the Umoja Show alongside guest Abdul Shabazz while discussing VI literature and its significance to preserving history.

Learning about the past


“We've been talking for a very long time about our culture and our history and needing to know our history and needing to know our culture and trying to go back to some of the things that we did in the past and bring them forward into the future,” he said.

Smith added; however, that while younger persons also believe that it is important for the VI to know where it came from to chart a course into the future, literature is ignored in the process.

“But a lot of that information is in our Virgin Islands literature, persons who have lived that experience, have written about that experience. Our educators, our learned persons in the community have written about it and there's a lot to be gained and a lot of knowledge to be had from reading our literature, our stories written by our own people,” he said.

Mr Smith said with the 2021 emancipation, for example, the VI celebration was toned down due to COVID-19, in favour of more virtual celebrations that showcased a lot of history.

“I'm not sure whether that was bad or good, because… we didn't have a lot of the revelry that we normally have, some of us label revelry as vulgar sometimes and not fitting with how solemn our celebration should be.”

Smith said, as a result, the virtual celebrations featured a lot of good presentations that reflected on how solemn emancipation should be as an event.

Mr Cromwell Smith made the comments during the Monday, September 8, 2021, edition of the Umoja Show alongside guest Abdul Shabazz while discussing VI literature and its significance to preserving history.


Need to focus on literature


He said; however, there was still not enough talking about culture, literature, and the stories of Virgin Islanders, as such, the show delved into the significance of literature and historical information on the Virgin Islands.

Mr Smith, along with his guest Mr Shabazz, pointed to an overall need for the territory to look to its literature to learn about culture and heritage.

“You get a historic sense of where we were socially, politically and economically...so you get that sense of who built what and how it was built and how we need to carry it forward and I think because we are missing that [literature]... we sort of take what we have for granted,” Mr Smith reasoned.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
×