BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Eighteen-year-old filmmaker Dakarai Wheatley-Adams can often be found shooting video footage around Tortola.
But over the weekend, he travelled to New York to mingle with actors, artists and other successful creative professionals at a major culture conference.
Mr. Wheatley-Adams was part of a 20-member Virgin Islands delegation that attended CultureCon 2025 in Brooklyn with support from Kickin’ It, a VI non-profit organisation that provided 20 free tickets — as well as travel stipends for three attendees coming from the territory.
“Seeing so many creatives in one space is just inspiring,” Mr. Wheatley-Adams told the Beacon at the event on Sunday. “Being here at CultureCon has inspired me in many different ways.”
The conference, which organisers said drew some 10,000 people, included panel discussions, art displays and workshops geared largely toward Black creatives.
One highlight for Mr. Wheatley-Adams was a talk by American actor Taraji P. Henson.
“The point that she made was: Are you going to let the world tell you who you are, or are you going to tell the world who you are?” Mr. Wheatley-Adams said. “That stuck with me.”
VI delegation
On Sunday, the VI delegates — whose talents span from content creation and filmmaking to songwriting and music production — joined a sea of smartly dressed attendees who made their way from warehouse to warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Outside, attendees chatted and interviewed each other about their work.
Inside, they browsed art exhibits, photobooths and panels featuring successful creatives including American actors Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson and Michael Ealy.
Between sessions, members of the VI delegation met in the shade near the entrance to the festival.
Among them was singer-songwriter Jaala Smith, who was born on St. Thomas, raised on Tortola, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Smith said CultureCon was a way to share VI culture with the world.
“It has been coined as Nature’s Little Secret, but I think it’s time for the secret to be out,” she said, adding, “Not many people know about the Virgin Islands. They know about the US, but they don’t know about the British side of it. So I feel like the more we talk about it, the more we take up space and share, the more people will be able to experience the beauty and the peace that is the British Virgin Islands.”
The founder
In the shade near an installation for Lucid electric cars, Kickin’ It founder Kyra James explained the philosophy of her organisation, which launched in 2016 to preserve and promote VI culture by supporting the work of creatives on a local level.
“Kickin It’s goal is making sure [our culture] is not diluted abroad,” said Ms. James, who is based in Atlanta. “It’s important for people on the ground to stay connected to their past and stay connected to it as it naturally evolves.”
She added that creative pursuits can range widely.
“Products of culture: you think of a song, a dance, a recipe, an outfit, a play, a poem. Creators make all those things happen,” she said. “So we believe when you do those things simultaneously, … that heightened awareness and connection will be naturally infused into creative products.”
Expanded
This year’s participation marks a step up for Kickin’ It, which also provided five free tickets to CultureCon in 2023 and 10 last year.
The expansion was aided by a new partnership with Industry 360, an organisation based in Trinidad and Tobago that works with women and youths to foster creative development throughout the Caribbean.
British Caribbean News
