The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH Junkanoo parades will not be held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials say avid fans can still enjoy this integral part of Bahamian culture through several virtual events.

Chairman of Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence, Dion Miller told The Tribune yesterday that the organisation’s plans surrounding Junkanoo are much different this year, which in pre-COVID times would’ve been marked with the annual Junkanoo parades.

Around this time, Mr Miller added that the Junkanoo community would’ve also been buzzing with activity in preparation for the annual cultural events.

“Right now, we would be some seven weeks away from the parade because it’s a lot of stress and pressure for junkanooers. We’re usually in the shacks battling getting ready to compete, but we can’t do that,” he said.

“But right now, everyone is lost with themselves because what do you do in this time where for years you were there preparing for junkanoo with your brothers and sisters in the shack and so, it’s almost depressing, but unfortunately that’s our reality this year.”

However, he said while the holiday parades will not be held in its usual fashion given the country’s COVID-19 status, officials still have some activities planned to honour Junkanoo culture.

“There won’t be any major virtual parades, but what you may see is some smaller things like persons submitting videos, speaking to the culture and how Junkanoo affects them and displaying their talents during some short films so that’s what we could expect this year due to COVID,” he told this newspaper.

“So, you certainly would be seeing junkanooers submitting video testimonials and certainly we will be working with Junkanoo to rebroadcast past parades. It will be shown on TV, and you may see some smaller virtual tidbits such as both ministry of culture as well as the ministry of tourism may conduct small virtual competitions.

“I don’t know if you recall the competition tourism did over the summer where they had junkanooers submit videos and you get to vote who’s the best cowbeller and drummer and you may see things like that.”

In July, officials made the decision to cancel all traditional Junkanoo parades in response to rising COVID cases.

But, in an effort to preserve Bahamian culture, Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Lanisha Rolle suggested to reporters in October that officials still wanted to celebrate Junkanoo, but in keeping with current health protocols.

At the time, she said officials were awaiting Cabinet’s decision on how Junkanoo can still be celebrated this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are awaiting to see Cabinet’s determination as to what will be the best thing to do and what would be the safest way, we can go about celebrating our Junkanoo, albeit a virtual platform, she said.

“But what is important for me as minister of culture is to ensure that we continue to promote and enhance and preserve Bahamian culture in the best way we can notwithstanding COVID-19.”

Yesterday, Mr Miller said the ministry has not yet released their plans to the JCNP on how they still wanted to celebrate Junkanoo.

However, he was adamant there will be no competitive virtual parades due to financial restraints brought on from the pandemic.

“There will be no competition or anything like that because the funding just isn’t there to do any grand virtual competition,” he said. “The government, through their contributions, spend over a million dollars to (Junkanoo) so the funding just isn’t there at this time to do that and the corporate Bahamas doesn’t have the funding on hand to pick up the slack.”

But, despite COVID’s impact on the junkanoo community, Mr Miller said the officials are still hopeful that they will be able to host parades next year.

“So, we’re hoping between now and spring that there will be some developments in vaccines because the virus will be here for a while but there will be some vaccine created that will be distributed to protect the people and we’ll know by next year around June,” he said. “…So, all eyes are focused on 2021 and we just hope that some progress will be made with this virus that we’ll be able celebrate next year.”