NASSAU, The Bahamas -- At Junkanoo Summer Festival on Saturday, July 23, at Arawak Cay, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis took to the stage with Lassie Doh and the Boys Rake 'n' Scrape Band, exhibiting for visitors the unique experience of a different genre of music while in The Bahamas -- much different from what they would have experienced at home. 

The Prime Minister also took time out to meet and greet vendors and Junkanoo Summer Festival attendees. 

He was accompanied by the Hon. Clay Sweeting, Minister of Agriculture, Marine Resources and Family Island Affairs; the Hon. Myles LaRoda, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister; the Hon. Jomo Campbell, Minister of State for Legal Affairs; Leon Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister; Mckell Bonaby, Executive Chairman, Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority; Senator the Hon. Darron Pickstock; Latia Duncombe, Acting Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation (MOTIA); Dr. Kenneth Romer, Deputy Director General, MOTIA; and other government officials.  (BIS Photos/Kemuel Stubbs)

The Bahamas' Carnival Road March returned to Nassau on Saturday following a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the festival’s controversial introduction with heavy subsidies from the government in 2015 and again in 2016, private sector carnival organizers were left to their own devices to fund the extravaganza beginning in 2017. This they did quite successfully up to pandemic-induced cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 festivities.

Bahamians, who had been offended by the introduction of another foreign-themed musical event in the Bahamian cultural calendar, will have been disappointed by the strength of the local support for the return of at least the road march component of the revelries this year.

Hundreds of merrymakers joined the march between Arawak Cay and Goodman’s Bay on Saturday and hundreds more spectators cheered them on from the roadside and supported vendors offering food and drink on the spectacularly warm and humid day.

It was especially commendable to see that the carnival sponsors and organizers remained faithful to their tradition of ensuring immediate clean-up of the parade route.

There were no masks of any consequence seen along the parade route on Saturday whether on the faces of revelers or of spectators and the concept of maintaining social distancing was alien to all and sundry. One could be led to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has been officially declared over.

But of course, the pandemic is not over. People continue to become infected, some become seriously ill and, regrettably, some are still dying as a consequence.

Reports from trackers of COVID-19 infections and deaths internationally maintain that The Bahamas is recording an average of 22 new infections daily.

A recent spike in infections has increased the daily toll. Last Friday, some 64 additional cases of COVID-19 infections were detected; 49 of these were resident on New Providence while the remaining cases were on Abaco, Andros, the Berry Islands, Exuma and Grand Bahama.

Another 62 cases were confirmed on Saturday; 59 on New Providence, two on Grand Bahama and one on Exuma.

Over many weeks, confirmed cases had consistently been in the single digits.

The Bahamas has recorded over 30,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2020, resulting in the deaths of 801 individuals. Both the infection and death numbers are suspect.

Many people test positive using antigen tests, but those are not recorded in official numbers, in keeping with global reporting standards.

In The Bahamas, much as elsewhere around the world, many people contracted the disease and recovered while others succumbed to the disease all without ever being entered into the country’s official records.

Additionally, many individuals succumbed to illnesses not directly related to COVID-19, including cancers, hypertension, cardiac ailments, and diabetes which were not aggressively or even satisfactorily treated due to pandemic restrictions.

Yet, less than 50 percent of those eligible to be vaccinated against the disease in The Bahamas have taken advantage of the availability of the vaccines, free of charge, in-country.

Individuals boosted in December are receiving their second anti-COVID booster five months later from the same batch as the first and bearing the same end-May expiration date, so low has been the uptake of vaccinations in The Bahamas.

Quantities of anti-COVID-19 vaccines have already expired and been discarded. Additional Pfizer vaccines, much of it gifted to the country, will expire and be disposed of this month-end.

And this while a number of schools, out of an abundance of caution, have reverted to virtual classrooms, so as to safeguard the health of their students in advance of national examinations scheduled for next month.

The disruption of the education of our young people, growing trade backlogs, and associated raging inflation are all indicators of the serious damage being wrought by this disease.

There is a serious disconnect between the behaviors of far too many individuals in our country and the factual reality of the pandemic which continues to disrupt the lives of our people and of people around the world.

Making vaccinations available for the proactive among us is not enough.

We urge the government to redouble and intensify its efforts to promote and encourage the population to become vaccinated against COVID-19 and we encourage all those eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to obtain their vaccinations at an early date.

Bahamian entertainer K.B. has an innate ability to articulate the things that Bahamians think, feel and want to say in his songs. When the singer, songwriter and producer puts his pen to paper, he seizes the opportunity to craft lyrics directed at societal issues with his own brand of social commentary, that stirs conversation while simultaneously making us laugh, dance and sing.

In his latest song and music video entitled, “I So Tired A Corona”, K.B. chronicles the deep seated feelings of exhaustion residents in The Bahamas and people around the world are experiencing; simply put, we have “COVID fatigue”.

“I So Tired A Corona” is K.B.’s first release for 2022, and it is characteristic of the music that has made K.B. a fan favourite and undoubtedly the most popular entertainer in The Bahamas. The song was written during the country’s first lockdown, when curfews, masks and other restrictions were newly implemented and the world was hopeful that the first wave of the COVID pandemic would be dissipate quickly. The singer admits that he used the lockdown time as an outlet to write new music.

“I wrote a lot of music during the lockdowns, and I did release a few songs during that time as well. My last release happened during the Christmas holiday, it was a duet with Smooth T, an artist from Turks & Caicos called “Wine up on somebody.”

“I plan to release a full album in a few months. I’ve been very busy working, and I have a lot of new music. I wrote “I so tired a Corona” over a year ago and I wanted to release it now because it’s timely; the world needs it now because we are really tired of this pandemic!” Many Bahamian entertainers have been unable to work since the onset of the pandemic, which has brought festivals such as Regattas and Homecomings to a screeching halt, and eliminated their opportunities to earn revenue from live performances.

K.B. admits that he misses performing in front of live audiences and he used the down time to write music, which has been a therapeutic outlet for him.

“I used the time to create new music. I know musicians who play their instruments every day. Whether it’s the piano or the guitar, they play every day, they’re constantly touching their instrument. I’m the same way. My instrument is my mind and I write every day; it gives me solace.”

K.B is completing the production on his new album which is scheduled for release in the coming months, and he shared that the songs will be reminiscent of favourites like “Juicy Suzie” and “Coo Coo Soup”, promising to return to his skillful art of storytelling on his next project. For more information on new music and music video releases, follow K.B. on Facebook - KBBahamianEntertainer.

They have everything: money and power. When the Patriarch dies, their multi-million-dollar gambling empire suffers a massive setback, and every dirty secret is revealed.

Beneath the Gates is a bold and riveting new Bahamian TV drama from creator, writer, and executive producer Leandra Lee. The tale of Beneath the Gates centers on the rich Gates family of the Bahamas, as it immerses viewers in their drama-filled lives.

Beneath the Gates, according to Leandra Lee, is a show that explores money, power, and family dynasty in a way that has never been done before on Bahamian television. According to Lee, “I wrote Beneath the Gates because I have always been intrigued by the lives of the elites and wealthy and I wanted to tell an interesting narrative about the elites in the Bahamas through the lens of the Gates family.” Continuing, she adds, “I have always wanted to see more content where Bahamians are represented in narratives that are compelling and meaningful.”

Lee's daring and innovative storytelling style, combined with the tropical backdrop of the Bahamas and a juicy storyline, creates a spellbinding tale filled with intrigue, plot twists, romance, and unexpected turns.

In addition to the captivating stories, Lee has assembled a talented cast. Allaya Higagal, Ann Marie Hunte, Chigozie Ijeoma, Shad Fer, Lechante Wright, Leslie Ellis Tynes, Khara Arel, and Deon Simms, Patrick Deveaux and Hartman Brown are among the show's stars. 

The pilot episode will be available on YouTube in January 2022. There will be six episodes, with plans to begin production on the remaining episodes soon. Right now, only the pilot has been completed. 

Beneath the Gates is sure to be a hit with audiences, and viewers will no doubt be on the edge of their seats, anticipating the next episode in the series.