The National Bank of Anguilla, the island’s leading financial institution, has donated US$25,000 to Moonsplash, an annual festival of music and cultural activities by Bankie Banx Enterprises Ltd.

The presentation ceremony

A symbolic cheque for that amount was presented to the island’s famed entertainer by NBA’s Chief Corporate Officer, Sylwyn Horsford, on Monday this week. He described Bankie as “a great icon of music not only in Anguilla and the Caribbean but internationally as well.”

Mr. Horsford went on: “One cannot argue that it is not engrained in NBA’s culture to support the development of art, culture, sports, health and education in Anguilla, and what we are doing today fully demonstrates this commitment. We are putting our money where our mouth is…

“NBA for the past four or five years has supported the Government in its efforts to attract tourists to Anguilla by being the Official Bank Sponsor for the Jazz Festival. When the request came from Olaide Banks, (Manager of Moonsplash in Texas) for this year’s sponsorship of Bankie’s Moonsplash, we saw no reason why we couldn’t be the platinum sponsor for this event as well. Moonsplash is now a well-established event and people from all walks of life and all over the world look forward to its occurrence every year.

“Make no mistake about it, Moonsplash has helped to put Anguilla on the map and it is time that we give recognition to our own and once again to put our money where our mouth is.”
Replying, Bankie Banx said Moonsplash had been the pioneer of music festivals in the Caribbean and that the real beneficiaries of the event were large businesses as a result of the thousands of people coming to Anguilla each year. “I am very happy that the National Bank has come on board with the Government and Cable and Wireless and other indigenous companies or corporations to support Moonsplash,” he stated.

Bankie observed that “many people don’t understand what it takes behind the scenes to put on a festival like Moonsplash in terms of cost.” He added: “It is a lot of money. We managed to be the premier music festival on the island with a very low budget of under a hundred thousand dollars until now. I am very happy that for the first time we are working with a budget of seventy-five thousand dollars and with some creativity it means a lot to us, and we are grateful for it.”
Moonsplash will commence at the Dune Preserve next Thursday, March 27. Over the next few days the entertainers will include Bankie Banx and a number of popular artistes from outside the island and there will be various cultural activities and a food fair.

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