They say time waits for no one, but time does seem to stand still when you are having fun.I’ve experienced this reality firsthand in my journey with Bermuda CultureFest Unity in the Community which left the public arena in 1997 and is now set to return on Sunday and Monday at the Royal Naval Dockyard.My thanks go to Minister of Business Development and Tourism Wayne Furbert for his sponsorship of this exercise. Also much respect to Wedco and the many volunteers and charities that are supporting the cause. And I salute Premier Paula Cox and Opposition Leader Craig Cannonier for agreeing to work with us as well.The best part of Culturefest is the camaraderie and self-discovery enjoyed along the way. Our theme this year is “walking the talk” and it shows in the determination of all our stakeholders to get the job done, no matter what obstacles we face. I am already encouraged that we are witnessing our ultimate tipping point scenario as a movement with exceptional possibilities.It truly feels like the more things change the more they stay the same. Over the past 15 years, we have seemingly stood still while the real world has gone through tumultuous political, social and economic times.Like truth itself, we found ourselves challenged to be understood from time to time — like people were failing to see the proverbial forest for the trees. In the midst of the complexity of the “New Bermuda”, we advocate a simple mantra of “unity in the community” but it somehow gets lost in translation. I see the return of CultureFest as a sign that this common sense approach is finally bearing fruit.Let’s not take this journey for granted. Let’s look in the rear view mirror for a minute to appreciate how far we have come.Bermuda entered the modern era as a deeply hierarchical and segregated society. We were naturally isolated from the rest of the world and enjoyed the luxury of being left to our own devices for most of our history.The era of mass communications arrived in the 1950s and changed the rules dramatically. All of a sudden we had access to new ideas and the freedom to explore alternative lifestyles.I was born in this era and took full advantage of the opportunities that I were afforded me from a “rebel youth” perspective. In the 1960s I chose to question the status quo at a cultural level, especially when it came to the strategy of “divide and conquer” that fractures our collective thinking.CultureFest Unity in the Community was a calculated experiment in social engineering that was tested by the extremes of that era.We couldn’t presume that the civil rights would have been realised without civil disobedience. Nor could we assume that the risks of violent protest would naturally yield to peaceful resistance.On the other hand, it was equally hard for an entrenched colonial elite to imagine the benefits of a pluralistic alternative.These realities were a reflection of radical new choices that required equally committed leadership from all concerned. Experience was our only teacher.A range of avenues were explored by all kinds of people, but CultureFest was a convenient way of keeping us connected under the umbrella of the United Cultural Committee even as we went our individual ways.Year by year, this strategy would pay increasing social dividends — but they were largely untold. Even as we achieved national status between 1995-97, we faced an uphill struggle to achieve external understanding of our true potential.CultureFest had paved the way for a range of festivals to be adopted by the historically sceptical establishment. Bermuda now enjoys a full calendar of events catering to various interests.The joy of entertainment seems to be the justification of these activities, but the underlying difficulty faced by entertainers cannot be overstated. How many sob stories have we heard about struggling artists? We typically attach an ulterior motive to entertainment because there is insufficient demand for the activity itself. We now have the luxury of corporate sponsorship, advertising and donors to add to the bottom line, but these only scratch the surface of the total costs involved in honing your craft. Entertainment is mostly a labour of love for most of those in the industry.Even socially, we need to remember that humans are cause driven — like moths are attracted to the light. Culturefest was designed to promote “unity in the community world vibe, fighting with peace and not for it” without compromise. Our mantra was our only ambition and our only currency, and this basically remains the case to this day.As we return to the national stage, we are obliged to honour this reality for a new generation of possibilities specific to this time.I look forward to the dynamic relationships that will be forged in this continually evolving process. I invite the whole country to experience CultureFest this weekend. We challenge all fathers especially to get involved and we welcome the next generation of community heroes who will take us forward into the future. The time is always right to do right.Gladwyn Simons is founder of Bermuda CultureFest Unity in the Community