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from 12232022 WEEKEND
by tribune242
culture Enthusiasts excited for grand return of Junkanoo
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ANTICIPATION has been building and in just a few short days Bay Street will be brought alive with the sounds of goat skin drums, cowbells and the amazing sights of intricately designed costumes from Junkanooers. Needless to say, the wait is finally over and this year’s Boxing Day will see the grand return of the beloved Bahamian parade.
The clock is winding down, Junkanoo practices have certainly ramped and the groups are more than ready to put on a spectacular display like never before.
Ever more ready, are the thousands of Bahamians spectators who are waiting to feel the rush when the Junkanoo groups hit the streets.
Youth Sports, and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg officially launched the start of the 2022/23 Junkanoo season after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the ministry has expended more than $2m in resources this year to ensure the effective delivery of Junkanoo parades around the country.
The highly anticipated return of the festivities kicks off in Eleuthera on Christmas Day and is expected to be a “very exciting” return to the streets of Georgetown.
The New Providence parade will be broadcast by both the Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas and Cable 12. The next scheduled parade is in Grand Bahama on the evening of January 2 - five A groups, five B groups, one fun group and two individuals will participate.
Delana, who attends both annual parades with her family, said the moment tickets went on sale she rushed to secure them for her family.
“There was absolutely no way we were missing out on this. We love Junkanoo and it has been a family tradition of ours for years,” she said. Delana said she felt there was a cultural void in the country over the past two years when the parades were put on pause.
“Now Christmas feels complete for me. Junkanoo, I feel, rounds out the holidays for me and my family.”
Delana said she is looking forward to seeing the performance of all groups.
“We don’t have any horse in the race to be honest, we just love watching the show.”
Demetrius, a former Junkanooer, said he has been making his rounds to the various practices just to get a glimpse of what groups will be bringing to the streets.
“I have been to watch the Valley Boys, Saxons, Roots and several others practice. I have to say those groups took those two years to really prepare. They will all be coming in hot. It will be a stiff competition coming out on Bay Street. It will all be good fun though,” he said.
Sherry said is excited to hear the music “strike up”.
“That is an adrenaline rush. Not to mention I am a diehard Saxon fan and they will be coming out first.
It is just so exciting to have something that is so special to our culture to be back. Trust me I will not be sitting down when they come out on Bay,” she said.
In 2019, the Saxon Superstars emerged as the official winner of the 2019 Boxing Day parade after a penalty reversal. Then JCNP Chairman Silbert Ferguson cited errors in the allocation of penalties as the reason.
This pushed the Valley Boys, the original winner, into second place. Questions had swirled at the time across social media about the shifting in the results.
The Saxons had placed second in the unofficial tally, followed by Genesis, One Family and the Roots.
The Saxons also won the following 2020 New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade.
Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) chairman Dion Miller revealed that the groups are in their final preparation stages and 85 people were certified to judge the upcoming parades.
Krystal, a Roots dancer, said: “We are ready tear down the streets. We coming out and we coming out with so much energy, we will blow everyone away.”
Due to a minor hand injury Krystal said she will be sitting out this year. However, her support will come through strong from the sidelines.
“I am disappointed that the first time we get to perform since the pandemic I cannot perform. But I will certainly be there watching. We coming for the crown this time around,” she told Tribune Weekend.
SCENES from previous Junkanoo parades
What to do when you dislike a gift from your partner?
SOMETIMES the people we love and expect to know us intimately - our likes, dislikes and our tastes - can still err when it comes to gift giving.
If by some chance on Sunday when you pull your gift from under the Christmas tree and you do not like what your significant other bought, our readers have a few tips on how to navigate this very tricky scenario. Some of the advice can spare feelings and maybe even save your relationship in the process.
Unless you have created a wish list or spelt out your request in great detail, Raquel advises to cut your significant other a bit of slack. At the same time, she also said to express yourself in the most delicate way possible to prevent this Christmas gifting blooper in the future.
“When you get a gift from a man you have recently gotten in a relationship with or just started dating, normally it’s a guessing game. He does not know you that well and he is guessing on what you would want if you failed to hint. And in this instance, he is going off of what he thinks women like,” she said.
In this circumstance, Raquel said after receiving the gift, expressing gratitude is the best first step.
“When you open the gift, you should at the very least say thank you because he doesn’t know you that well. He is trying to make you happy and just ensure he got you a gift. Try to be grateful.”
And if you are not happy, she said: “Well you can always sell it, if it can be sold.”
The rules of handling this matter changes with someone you have been in a long-term relationship with or married to Jayce said.
“If you are getting a gift from someone you have been with for a very long time, they should know you in and out…they probably already know what you want. There is rarely any suspense in this kind of relationship. So, your partner will more than likely get what you want. If by any chance they don’t and you don’t like the gift that they are giving then there should be a level of comfort for you to express yourself, he said.
And in expressing yourself, Sherry recommends using delicate language.
“One time, my partner got something for me I absolutely hated. I couldn’t hide the fact that I hated it because he knows me and knows my facial expressions so I could not pretend as though I liked it. Instead of throwing a tantrum I asked him what made him decide on that gift in particular, just to find out what his thinking was. That didn’t make me like the gift more but I got an understanding of his thinking,” she said.
Brandon said he prefers getting the lady in his life the gift she actually wants to avoid giving her something she would not like.
“I do not want to leave it to chance. I prefer to know exactly what she wants to avoid any problems. A past girlfriend of mine did not speak to me for weeks after I have her gift, I thought she would like. It turned out she had something different in mind.
“I learnt from that experience though and I will never purchase a lady a gift without first knowing what she wants. I think spelling things out and making it clear what is on your wish list helps to avoid problems in the future.
He added: “And if you must express yourself about a gift, you do not like, please be gentle because if you don’t you can hurt your man’s feelings and bruise his ego,” he said.
Kendika Campbell Moss
She calls herself Mommy Hustler - and she lives up to her nickname day by day. Kendika Campbell Moss speaks to CARA HUNT about the many jobs she does - and how it all started.
Kendika Campbell Moss has a lot to say about a lot of topics.Whether it be discussing her love of motherhood, Junkanoo and Bahamian culture, the country’s number one industry of tourism or just hosting forums where others can have their say, the self-proclaimed Mommy Hustler is a force all of her own. In addition to being a wife and mother, Kendika has an MBA, is a project management profes-sional and is a 24-year veteran in the tourism and aviation industry (sustainable tourism), Public Relations and Communication Specialist, Strategist and has a background in broadcast journalism. As if all that was not enough, Kendika is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. “My hosting and broadcast experience really began with former Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchombe when he asked me to host the Tour-ism Today segment on the radio and that led to several other opportunities and so I really have to say that he gave me the opportunities to nurture my talent.” She partnered with Aliv to host coverage of the Eleuthera Junkanoo parade and then went on to
host the National Junkanoo Parades - the perfect gig for someone as passionate about Junkanoo as Kendika. Currently, she serves as the PR manager for the Saxon Superstars. She has also hosted daily talk shows, forums and other events. She says a successful host is one who can make guests and participants feel comfortable and relaxed so that a quality discussion can ensue. “I try to make people relax so that they feel like they are talking to family.” She also embraced being the MC for private events such as birthday parties, wedding and baby showers, wedding and anniversaries. “I got into that because my mom was at church one day and they needed an MC for an event and my mom was like Kendika will do it and that was that. She said I would, so I did.” That event turned into a “mommy hustle”. “I actually started doing it on the side as a busi-ness venture,” she said.“There is quite a lot of work involved into doing events, that’s the hardest part, people sometimes think you just get up there and start talking, but you have to do research and prepare, what events and games will be suitable for the type of event it is. “For example, I hosted a Parisian-themed birthday party and I researched exactly what we should do to remain on theme as much as possible.”
