The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

My family and I attended the Tattoo parade for the 49th Bahamas Independence celebrations on Clifford Park on July 9th, 2022. We were not disappointed this time.

Everything from start to finish appeared to be in order and seemingly with a lot more energy.

Bahamas Christian Council President, Dr Delton Fernandez, delivered a powerful message to the nation.

The prayers delivered by the clergymen for various aspects of our economy was very touching and the conviction with which they spoke made me believe that everything that was prayed for will come to pass.

The story time segment, which ran intermittently through the musical artists performances, was indeed very refreshing. There was a powerful undertone that spoke to the fact that the Bahamas, even though not perfect, is still a great nation, inclusive of many people making notable positive contributions. The story was symbolic of many Bahamians who want to leave the Bahamas for whatever reason only to find out that people internationally desperately want to become residents of our little county.

As a tourism ambassador in the transportation industry, I can attest to the fact that tourists tell me all the time how beautiful the Bahamas is and if there are options for them to become residents.

The story time segment filled my body with pride when mention was made of our achievements in music and sports. The historical video flashes showed some of our Olympic glory with Frank Rutherford winning the bronze medal in the triple jump in Barcelona in 1992, the Golden Girls winning the gold medal in Sydney in 2000 in the 4*100 meters relay and more recently Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner winning gold in the 400 meters in the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo. Additionally, mention was made of Jazz Chisholm who became the first Bahamian Major League baseball player selected to an All Star game. My eyes were momentarily filled with tears of pride.

Our musicians performed at a very high level. They sang songs which were specific to many of our major islands, including my favorite song, “Proud to be Bahamian” by Phil Stubbs, but if I remember correctly, sung by Nehemiah Heild.

The technological display during the ceremony was particularly impressive and this kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Visual displays were literally suspended in the air for all to see.

Moreover the march past was very entertaining this year and I can tell you that as a former marine that the officers did an exceptional job. Customs, Immigration and the Prison Officers have made significant strides when it comes to their representation in this event. I am always biased towards the Defence Force, but I must give credit to the police force whose lines were as straight as a ruler. I think they edged us out this time with their performance.

Even the flag raising ceremony, which took about eight to 10 minutes, was surprisingly very entertaining and I literally could not take my eyes off this segment of the ceremony. You could feel the energy building up as Bahamians watched with pride as their flag was being skillfully raised by a police and defence force officer. When the flag was finally raised the crowd burst into a spirited cheer.

The fireworks are always an exciting part of the Tattoo parade and this year was no different.

The 49th Tattoo Parade was a spectacular display of culture and pride and the organisers and the Bahamian people need to be commended. I was literally on the edge of my seat from the moment I arrived.

Happy Independence Bahamas.

DEHAVILLAND MOSS

Nassau,

July 14, 2022.