The mission: Tell a story pertaining to and maintaining Bahamian history, but also make it entertaining, bringing to life the history so that people could see the value of where The Bahamas is at, and the ability to celebrate Jubilee Day.

The resulting program at the Southern Recreation Grounds on Friday, May 5, produced by Fred Ferguson was the culmination and combination of Majority Rule Day and Black Tuesday.

"I was approached to present an event around January 10 - Majority Rule Day, not long before the day, they missed the deadline. They determined they were going to do Black Tuesday which was in April (29) and missed that deadline, and so, Jubilee Day came and they determined they would combine Majority Rule and Black Tuesday – and that's how that came to be," said Ferguson.

Majority Rule Day, January 10, 1967, represents the transition from the old Bahamas to a new Bahamas; the point of transition from minority government to Majority Rule; the point of transition to a modern democracy.

"My vision was because Majority Rule Day has always been viewed as partisan – as PLP and just as a holiday – I wanted to use the opportunity 50 years in to change that view and find a way to show the country that we can come together and celebrate who we are. I see Majority Rule Day as akin to Martin Luther King Day in America," he said.

With Philip Burrows in a consultancy role; Erin Knowles-McKinney, directing; and Dr. Nicolette Bethel and Patrice Francis in charge of script writing - Ferguson in a very short timeframe brought the story together to produce Jubilee Day.

"We researched and found newspaper clippings and got different people to act. Candia Dames voiced for The Nassau Guardian; Ronald Simms, The Tribune, Mike Smith acted as a reporter for back in the day, Anthony 'Skeebo' Roberts was Sir Clifford Darling ... we had people represent Sir Randol Fawkes, Sir Stafford Sands, the Duke of Windsor, and Obi Pindling as his dad, [former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden] Pindling - all in an effort to bring to life that history so the nation could see the value of where we are to be able to celebrate Jubilee Day."

Because the event had to come together in a quick time frame, Ferguson said he was not completely pleased because he knows it could have been better if they had more time.

To bring what they did, they brought in the Higher Level Band, Bahamas all Stars, dancers, a choir, students from Jordon Prince William High School with placards superimposed into scenes like the march with Sir Randall which Ferguson said was cool, and Darvinette Hanna, head girl at C.I. Gibson Senior High School to tell the story from her perspective to bring it all together.

"We made it happen. We made it work. It was challenging but in true Bahamian fashion we made it work," he said.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian