Dear editor,

I would like to share with your readers an article written by my good friend Michael Brooks for the short lived newsletter, Bahamas Briefs. The newsletter was a effort by the Bahamas association in New York City and was created and edited by my wife Jeralyn Lash-Sands.

Please note that it was written for the January 1999 issue. However, the subject matter has become so relevant after recent happenings that I thought it worth sharing: Junkanoo By Michael Brooks Everybody must have their "two cents" to put in when it comes to the subject of Junkanoo these days.

Well, my two cents echoes some of what I've heard and all of what I feel. Junkanoo has changed too much from the way it was in the good old days. It's true that everything must change, but when it goes that far, maybe we should call it something other than Junkanoo. Give me my group of less than one hundred members, cow-bellers, drummers, a few horn blowers, some dancers and a couple of people carrying the banner. That's it.

Make sure everybody wears costumes of fringed crepe paper - a little foil and beads. Sequins and "accessories" would be OK, but just a little. Individual costumes might come out with the same themes as groups, but perhaps they would be better off if separated and judged solely in that category. There might be some more specifics implemented to enhance the parade, but these basics would be a good start to give Junkanoo that flavor that it seems so sadly to have lost.

Finally, it would not be fair to conclude this "lil drop in the bucket" without complimenting all who have done, and continue to do so much to afford spectators a safe and comfortable experience. The improvements in that regard have been numerous and, even if not duly mentioned, very much appreciated - the presence of law-enforcement officers, seating, non-participant control of the parade and more. Like many living art forms, Junkanoo will necessarily evolve.

Let's try to keep those elements that maintain the spirit of our great celebration. Let Carnival be Carnival. Let Mardi Gras be Mardi Gras. And let Junkanoo be Junkanoo...OK?

- Ivan Sands

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