The Tribune

By Rashad Rolle

THE 40th Anniversary of Independence offers Bahamians a chance to bond as they reflect on their past and look to the future.

Kim Martin was one of the Bahamians The Tribune spoke to as we took to the streets asking people to reflect on what independence means to them and how it should be celebrated.

“I feel like other Bahamians should follow me and wear clothes showing their independence colours on Fridays because I’m a Bahamian and since we have so many foreigners among us, this is the chance for them to learn and appreciate our culture,” said Kim.

“In fact, my Independence Day wish is to have the Bahamian people bond more.

“For Independence Day, we need to have lots of prayers and it would be good to see a Junkanoo rush along with police and Defence Force persons to play music at the official event. I say this because they need to do something different from having police dogs entertain people at Clifford Park,” Kim added.

With just three weeks to go before the anniversary on July 10, shops across the islands have been putting up flags and bunting.

Monica Sweeting told The Tribune Independence Day was an event Bahamians should always celebrate.

“My concept of independence is that we are self-governing and have been so since 1973 yet we have laws on our books that are not being enforced because we have a Privy Council that prevents us from enforcing them.

“As an independent nation, we shouldn’t need such international bodies dictating to us what we should or shouldn’t do. If we are self-governing, why are we still subject to the Privy Council?

“Besides this, I believe all Bahamians should be proud of Independence Day. I was on Clifford Park the day we gained independence. Though it was an exciting time, there was a lot of mixed emotions because we didn’t know we could do it but look at where we are 40 years later. It really was a very exciting time and one that was very hard to put into words.”

Ken Culmer said he liked to celebrate independence because it made him feel proud.

Ken said: “I remember Clifford Park used to be crammed up on Independence Day in the early days because people were so excited to celebrate independence but we seem to be less patriotic these days. If I had an Independence Day wish, it would be to put the old government back in power.”

A host of events has been scheduled for the 40th anniversary, but Tricia Hilton said she wanted more, believing it hasn’t been given enough attention.

She said: “Bahamians aren’t patriotic enough. Besides carrying the flag from island to island, what else are we doing?”

• What are you doing to celebrate the anniversary? Call our newsroom with your events on 502 2366.