The 38th annual pilgrimage and commemoration of the 1733 revolution by enslaved Africans on St. John was held on Friday, November 25, 2022. The tour started with the welcome and libation on the beach at the Cruz Bay dock and included stops at Susannaberg, Catherineberg, the Methodist Church in Coral Bay, Fortsberg and Annaberg. Parts of the tour were live-streamed on the Conch Shell Media, LLC Facebook page.
Participants traveled from St. Thomas on the 9:00 a.m. ferry to Cruz Bay and returned on the 5:00 p.m. ferry back to Red Hook. There was a $20 fee for the bus tour for adults and $10 children, 11 years and younger. Participants brought their own water and snacks. For more information participants were encouraged to visit www.fortsberg1733.org which was created temporarily to assist with registration by Tuesday, November 22, 2022. About 80 persons participated this year on safari and in their own vehicles. Contact the organizers via email at mswallacefrancis@yahoo.com or gilsprauve@gmail.com or call (340) 725-7671 for information. When emailing please write 1733 Revolution in the subject line. Space was limited and those who did not pre-register in some way brought their own transportation.
As the opening video of this post shows, one of annual #FORTSBERG1733 Commemoration Tours was held on St. John, United Virgin Islands* Friday, November 16, 2010. Led by then University of the Virgin Islands Professor Gene Emanuel, Dr. Gilbert Sprauve, Leba Ola Niyi (Pan African Support Group) and other members of the community who assisted in teaching youth, men and women from the United Virgin Islands*, they come together every year for this purpose.
(“United Virgin Islands” is a phrase we used to highlight the genealogical and socio-spiritual connection between the American and British Virgin Islands and our people.)
Last year (2021) and in previous years, as well as during Covid times, the tour had taken various adjusted forms and been documented in some way by various people. Here are a few links, but searching “Fortsberg1733” or other arrangements will also turn up many results.
https://www.daramonifah.com/fortsberg-1733-st-john-revolution-commemoration-of-2021/
https://kathmanduk2.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/from-the-archives-st-john-slave-rebellion-of-1733/
