The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

TWO million dollars has been allocated for the Junkanoo community in the upcoming fiscal year to support stakeholders in the development of plans for permanent headquarters.

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday.

The news elicited mixed reactions from the Junkanoo community.

“Outside of what has already been mentioned in this presentation, Mr Speaker, the capital budget will make provision for the following: $2m to support the Junkanoo community in their development of plans for permanent headquarters,” Dr Minnis said.

“This will be supplemented with provisions of Crown land to the major established Junkanoo groups, and with grants from the BTC Feeder Trust that was set up for social, cultural and civic endeavours such as this.”

The Shell Saxons Superstars, according to the group’s communications officer Kendenique Campbell-Moss, are delighted and regard this as a major plus to the group’s operations.

“This is monumental for the Saxon Superstars because this will prolong our much needed cultural activities and events,” said Ms Campbell-Moss. “This will bring young men and women into the shacks. This will give them the ability to do something that is worthwhile and cultural, that is going to propel them into new territories because you see Junkanoo is not what happens on Bay Street, but Junkanoo happens throughout the year.

“It gives you the opportunity to build momentum. It gives you the opportunity to foster education and camaraderie and networking. And, so the Saxon Superstars welcome this opportunity.

As the defending champions of the 2019 Boxing Day and 2020 New Year’s Day parades, Ms Campbell-Moss said the group “will take this opportunity to go into the shacks that are going to be revolutionised and technology based.”

“We will take this opportunity to completely revolutionise what we bring to Bay Street because we are the defending champions,” she added.

Francisco Cooper, deputy chairman of the Valley Boys, was less impressed, calling the allocation a drop in the bucket.

“In my personal view, that is not a lot of money,” Mr Cooper said. “I think culture always gets the short end of the stick. Two million dollars is only a drop in the bucket. It’s peanuts to share amongst the major Junkanoo groups.

“It’s a help but it can’t go far. There are too many people in need right now which we are supporting daily as we can. It wouldn’t go where it’s needed to go. Culture always gets the short end of the stick. They have been talking about Crown land since (the) last election and it has not happened yet. It’s almost five years later and still nothing is happening.

“We might be Junkanooers but we are very educated. We have degrees just like them. We also have doctors and lawyers and we even have politicians in our groups. It seems like they look at us like we are stupid.”

One Family’s chairman, Christina Fernander, said every penny helps and she is happy to be receiving not only the funding, but the land as well.

“That’s great news and we are very pleased,” Fernander said. “It’s much needed for groups to be provided with land we can call home because it has come to the point now where we are paying rents and there is a lot of overhead so if we can be provided with land that we can call our home base, that is excellent.

“We are very pleased to hear that news. To be honest it’s two million to share and I guess we have to wait to see how it is shared, but any help is good help. We are entities that don’t make money. We instead beg and get by with sponsorship and so any help coming in is great help along with what we would get annually from our sponsors. It goes a long way.”

After a year off from the parades due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Junkanoo community is waiting on word from the competent authority as to when the cultural festivities will resume.