Introduction by Gregory Christie:
Junkanoo has probably the most diverse following throughout the Caribbean and the perspective, and here in the Bahamas it is paramount to Sunday worship at the Church of your choice.
This past Christmas season my niece Kristie Smith came home with her fiancé who got a chance to experience first-hand, for the first time, Junkanoo. His perspective captured in the commentary that follows is an insight into how our premier cultural expose is viewed elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Osbourne Chin is a Sustainable Tourism professional with the Ministry of Tourism in Jamaica. He currently occupies the post of Director, Tourism Facilitation where he manages the sustainable tourism and environmental portfolio. He has over 8 years experience in tourism management and development with emphasis on sustainability, disaster management and climate change adaptation. He has a strong Geography and environment background, having studied Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of West Indies.
Osbourne is also a professional photographer documenting weddings, portraits, landscapes and international travel. He has a strong passion for sports and the arts through poetry, music, dance and culture.
I am from Jamaica — an island known for its beautiful beaches, mountains, rich heritage and culture, and warm spirited people. I live in a country that many people across the world (including myself) consider to be the epitome of paradise! Yes! I have always considered Jamaica, my island home as paradise. That is until I went with my fiancé last Christmas to her island home – the Bahamas.
While they have no breathtaking mountain ranges and rolling hilly landscapes, they do have the most beautiful beaches on the planet with beautiful white (or pink) sand, amazing turquoise waters mixed with the dark blue waters of the pacific; and their people are warm, colourful and hospitable. Then there is their well preserved culture! They have a certain pride in their country that resonated with me unlike anything I have felt as a Jamaican for a long time.
It really opened my eyes to the ‘hypocrisy’ of some Jamaican – who are so caught up in the “hype” of ‘being Jamaican’ only when our ambassadors are successful on the international arena (as we so often are)… yet they turn a blind eye to the importance and meaning of their past, their heritage and their culture. The Bahamas though, while slowly being infiltrated by external outside influences (the US, and even us, Jamaica), place great emphasis on their identity as a people, their rich heritage and culture. This can be seen and felt anywhere in the islands of the Bahamas.
I arrived in Nassau on Christmas Day and was instantly informed that I had to visit Junkanoo later that night! I have always heard my fiancé talk about the Junkanoo parade in the Bahamas and how spectacular it was. It was one of those things that I just had to check off my bucket list. In all honesty, at first I really didn’t care too much about this Junkanoo because I have always known that the longest history of any such parade was documented in Jamaica. I also know that the Jamaican “Jonkunnu” parade had already died. I decided to do a little bit of research and found that the entire region has always had this African Christmas tradition dating back to slavery where “…it was conceived as a festive opportunity afforded the slave class by the planter class, as Christmas was one of the few periods when the slaves were relieved of their duties.”
Yes! From as early as the beginning of the 18th century, masked and costumed performers have paraded the streets of Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Bahamas, Belize and others at Christmas time receiving money and food in return for their performances. One could simply call it “a ritual of rebellion, a politico-cultural movement, or an annual invocation of the luminal“.
It is often said that Junkanoo receives the most attention of all the “national symbols” in the Bahamas. From my experience it seems that this historical tradition has transcended time and transformed into a powerful force, constructing the many different Bahamian identities as depicted by the diversity of their costumes. It is so iconized that Junkanoo can bee seen everywhere in the Bahamas from the local beer that they drink (Kalik), the money they spend, the stores they shop in, to the restaurants and shacks they eat at. Besides the beautiful sandy beaches, Junkanoo is their next biggest tourism product and it has been commercialized as such, yet the true cultural meaning remains with the people and for the people – unlike what happens in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries.
I am indeed impressed with the strength and tenacity of the Bahamian people – those who participated in the parade and those who came out in their droves to watch, cheer, dance and support. Being the main symbol of the African past as well as national identity, Junkanoo in the Bahamas flourishes and lives on in the consciousness of every Bahamian at home or away. Where is this cultural identity in our other Caribbean countries?
Other countries such as Trinidad and Jamaica have over-commercialized their carnival parade to the point where it has become less about rituals, national identity and pride and more about partying and making money. These carnivals have become a huge parade of people scantily clad (some wearing costumes), gyrating on each other, getting drunk and “having a good time”. Junkanoo in the Bahamas has compressed the celebration of family, tradition, rituals, and national identity into one colourful event that showcases the true pride of the people on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Popular Bahamian visual artist, Brent Malone, in an article called “Reflections on Junkanoo”, states that Junkanoo in the Bahamas is recognised as art and a uniquely Bahamian form of cultural expression. He goes even further to state that the yearnings of slavery that gave birth to Junkanoo was at the very beginning a shout of freedom, and a celebration of life. So although slavery is of the past, the Bahamians still possess that deep down spiritual need that cries out for freedom and this is expressed at Junkanoo. Their way of connecting with this past and their expression of it is what makes their version of Junkanoo so unique and special.
There is a Bahamian concept that says that Junkanoo can take anything into itself and remake it… or in other words, the taking of ‘junk’ and making it ‘anew’ hence the name “Junkanoo”. In paraphrasing Stan Burnside, “The whole spirit of the festival is evident as once a costume or a rhythm goes to Bay Street, it becomes a part of Junkanoo and is never thrown away”. The Bahamian Government is keen on preserving this part of their heritage and has invested in museums, schools, the youth, and the people towards making it a worldclass festival yet maintaining its true cultural identity and meaning.
I was invited to the Boxing Day Parade to see how the “Bahamians do it”. When I got there I was quite surprised. I was impressed. I was simply blown away at the absolute awesomeness on display. The atmosphere, the excitement, the energy… was simply unbelievable! It was electric to say the very least. They displayed so much talent, camaraderie and strength! (After all there were some really huge costumes being carried on the shoulders of only one person).
The love and support for this cultural festival was unlike anything I have ever seen. I can only imagine the amount of time and energy that went into the preparation. As always, I had my camera on hand to capture the breathtaking sights and sounds of the moment. There was a certain magic about the whole experience. It was almost as if I was lost in another world (though in retrospect I was). The cowbells, the whistles, the drums, the dancing, the music, the large colourful costumes… that reverberated through my soul and had my body moving all night long!
The Saxons had an unbelievable display of larger than life space costumes. You could hear them in the distance shouting “WHO ARE WE?” and the large crowd bellowed “THE SAXONS!” When they came out it rained for a short time but no one moved an inch. Then there was the Valley Boys!!! They came out and instantly it was pandemonium all along Bay Street. The crowd was in a complete frenzy shouting “Dey Scared! Dey Scared! The Valley Boys Comin” They repeated this chant until the Valley Boys arrived in the square just in time for the heavens to open up and rain on the parade of all the other groups. While I didn’t want to move I had no protection for my camera so I had to seek refuge under the bleachers. Needless to say, it rained all night and we were forced to retreat to our hotel. I just had to have more so I went to the New years Day Parade to capture more of the sights and sounds of the magnificent cultural festival. It was truly amazing!
If you have never witnessed a Junkanoo festival, I have included a number of photos for your enjoyment. If you are Bahamian then I am sure you will appreciate this post, especially the photos below.
Bahamas Junkanoo 2015/16 | By Osbourne Chin/Chinphotographics
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