(with Mr. Haydn Hughes at back)
Anguillian Gospel Singer, Gershwin Lake, has described the May 31 Freedom Fest at the Ronald Webster Park as having been a major success.
The anti-violence religious initiative, with participation from young singers and musicians, mainly from Anguilla, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, was widely supported in terms of attendance and contributions, according to Mr. Lake who, along with Ivan Connor, and others, played leading roles in the event. He added that Freedom Fest was so encouraging that efforts would be made to hold a similar activity next year, as part of the Anguilla Day activities.
The headline performer for the event was Calvin Curtis Wilby whose stage name is Prodigal Son. “I am a Gospel artiste from Jamaica. I was involved in gangs, got saved and now I am on a peace initiative campaign,” he told The Anguillian on the day preceding Freedom Fest. He was at the time speaking at a press reception and interview at La Vue restaurant. “For the last ten years, I have been going across the world in different countries and cities, helping young people to get out of gangs, stay away from violence and pointing them to a better life. Now that I am in Anguilla, I am on the same initiative to see if I could – with the help of everybody else – get the guys here to understand that it is not Blowing Point, it is not The Valley, it is not East and West, it is Anguilla. That is what we want to portray.”
Prodigal Son brought his band – Radical Yard – with him. Ron Matheson, its leader, said the five-piece band was formed in 2008. “We travel extensively,” he said. “We bring the Gospel in reggae style and a lot of young people like the movements. You have to bring the Gospel to them in a way that would attract them.”
Speaking for Anguilla, Gershwin Lake, who has made a name for himself in Gospel singing and recording, said the island’s young generation needed positive and catchy music to listen to. “I believe that through music I can convey a positive message to our young people,” he said, stating that his forty-minute performance was intended to address issues of crime, economic problems and solutions. “I want to give our youth a different perspective about what life is supposed to be; what ambitions they should pursue and what goals they should set as young people,” he added. “I want to tell them some things that I wish were imparted to me, as a young man, that would help me along life’s journey.”
Mr. Ivan Connor, who worked tirelessly to promote Freedom Fest, said he was excited about the event. He gave credit to a number of committee members who played various roles in organising and promoting the function – and offered his gratitude to many businesses, organisations and individuals who gave valuable assistance towards the success of the free Gospel event.
Among those at the press reception, was Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Haydn Hughes. “First and foremost, I am an Anguillian and everything that happens in Anguilla directly affects me,” he commented. “I support this initiative for selfish reasons tremendously. It was brought to my attention by Ivan Connor and he has been driving this process forward. The Government of Anguilla has given this initiative its full support in a number of ways, including reaching out to other Governments to facilitate the travel of the artistes to Anguilla.
“One of the things we wanted to ensure was that our young people had the opportunity to see these artistes and to realise that they can aspire to be like them. So it is not only that Freedom Fest was brought to Anguilla to entertain our people, but also to open their eyes to the possibilities of what our youth can embark on in the future.”
