Grand Bahamians should not expect anything less this year, according to Anthony “Huck” Williams, who leads the Swingers Junkanoo group.
“The hurricanes have hurt Junkanoo a lot,” said Mr. Williams, referring to Hurricane Wilma, which struck on October 24, and hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, which hit the island a year earlier.
He urged Junkanooers to be reasonable.
“You can’t expect to walk into someone’s office and expect them to give you money for Junkanoo when you have people out there who don’t have anything to eat, or who don’t have [anywhere] to sleep, especially if you watch the news and read the papers where people are contributing all over the place,” Mr. Williams said.
“But I’ll tell you, I don’t think that will affect the look of Junkanoo. Group leaders and group members who have pride will not want anyone to look better than they do, so they will find some way to make that look good.”
The group leader said he is concerned however about the lackadaisical attitude of many in the community who could assist in the development of the cultural parade, but choose not to.
Over the years, Junkanoo groups in Grand Bahama have struggled to gain support and raise the quality of costumes and performance, according to Mr. Williams.
Many who participate in the local parade have roots in New Providence and are affiliated with the groups there, he noted.
“Coming from Nassau, I feel people come to Grand Bahama and get laid back, relaxed, and easy going,” Mr. Williams said. “I know a lot of guys who used to rush with me in Nassau and when I see them in Grand Bahama and I say come let’s get going [for Junkanoo], they are not interested.”
He added, “Participants here who know what it takes would go back to Nassau even for practice before they help out here. They don’t have the same drive. They would complain and say, ‘Grand Bahama isn’t ready for this’. Instead of helping, they sit back and criticize.”
Despite this challenge, however, Chairman of the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Committee Derick King said Junkanoo has come a long way on the island.
“When I came to Grand Bahama in 1978 the number of attendees were down,” Mr. King recalled. “The quality of the product has improved tremendously and it has been a long struggle.”
He said he has seen the parade grow over the last few years.
“The support and the crowd have grown over the past five years and I’ve seen it grow anywhere from 5,000 to over 25,000. Definitely, the Grand Bahama community has been very supportive,” Mr. King said.
He told the Journal, however, that there is still much room for the growth of Junkanoo in Grand Bahama.
“Junkanoo-on Bay Street is one thing, he said. “In Grand Bahama we are still searching for that perfect place where the rhythm, sounds and the crowd can gel. The groups don’t get anything from it. I think the gratification is when they hit the streets to see the reception from the crowd. This helps to encourage them for the next year’s parade,” Mr. King said.
He also reported that some of the groups have been successful in securing funding for the upcoming parade.
“We know the community at large is really hurting, but despite that some of the groups were able to get some funds from business houses in Grand Bahama. The Ministry of Tourism last week gave extra funds to the five major groups,” Mr. King said.
“So the minister [of Youth, Sports and Culture] realizing what happened, made a special trip to Grand Bahama and he gave each group an additional sum of money for this period of preparation.”
The Ministry of Tourism reportedly gave each group $1,000 and $4,000 came from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.
“Although the corporate community was devastated,” Mr. King said, “they still stepped up to the plate. They may not have contributed to the extent they did last year, but they are stepping up to assist these groups.”
Hurricane Wilma also forced the postponement of the Junior Junkanoo Parade in Grand Bahama. The parade had been scheduled for last week, but is now set for January 21.
Mr. King pointed out that this is the first time both parades in Grand Bahama will take place in January.
By: Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
