The Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Carnival, the Fife Carnival as well as the Brouhaha Festival in Liverpool, England will never be the same again after performances by the Junkanoo Commandos, who will showcase Bahamian culture at these United Kingdom (UK) events throughout July.
Members of the group left New Providence on July 3 for the performances that will run through July 21. They will also host a number of introductory workshops on the various aspects of Junkanoo for the people of England and Scotland.
"I am very proud and excited about the possibilities that the Junkanoo Commandos have to showcase the number one cultural expression of The Bahamas to quite possibly hundreds of thousands of people during their time in the UK," said Angelique McKay, Junkanoo Commandos project manager.
The Junkanoo Commandos is comprised of members from several Junkanoo groups.
"We are made up of a little piece of everyone collectively and are trying to put our best foot forward at all times to showcase our cultural expression," said McKay.
Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe and Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Dr. Danny Johnson commended the organization for representing the culture of The Bahamas through Junkanoo.
Minister Wilchcombe said that the group's international performances were important and congratulated them on their 2014 UK tour.
"We saw their performance [on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. that was carried live via satellite around the world] in the United States last year, when the prime minister spoke on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' Speech. The truth is we saw an incredible performance," said Wilchcombe.
Johnson said the Junkanoo Commandos performances at international carnivals and festivals shows the country's commitment to the Festival model that the government is encouraging in The Bahamas.
"It shows that heritage is a big part of these events and so the Commandos are great cultural ambassadors who are all around the world spreading the word about what Bahamian culture is all about," he said.
"They are demonstrating the vibrant colors, the dance, the music [and] some poetry. They give people a taste of the culture and are really inviting people to come and see what we have next."

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