The Virgin Islands is a conservative place. We don’t think of it like that, but it is. Like many other rural communities, we embrace the status quo and push back against any deviation from it. “That’s the way it’s always been done” is a phrase we often hear to explain why a thing is the way it is. Culture operates the same way, and I think it’s about time we rethink that.
Culture is seen as a static entity that must be preserved in the same way forever. The truth is that culture evolves over time., whether we want it to or not. Our reluctance to accept the weird for the sake of culture means we miss out on opportunities to broaden our horizons and explore new areas. In the USVI, the refusal to embrace “the weird” almost made us lose out on one of what we now consider a cultural staple.
Quelbe is the official music of the Virgin Islands. Most of us cannot imagine a world where the musical style is not embraced in the territory. But there was a time when quelbe was viewed pejoratively. It was seen as “lowlife gutta music” not good enough to be a part of polite society. Still, musicians continued playing it, and over time, what was then weird is now culture.
My point is this: culture changes. It is crucial to preserve it, but preservation does not require antagonizing the new. Let us begin, in small ways, not being afraid of deviating from the status quo. Let us become okay with the new. Let us become okay with the weird. Who knows where it will take us?
Cover Photo: Malek Bascombe
