Comin’’
WE
By Paloma Pratt, 10th Grade Student and Junkanooer
Junkanoo is a festival that is celebrated in The Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica, The Turks and Caicos Islands, St. Vincent and in South Florida. Junkanoo is a cultural performance incorporating multiple art forms such as sculpting, costume design, music and dance. Each component of Junkanoo may be performed and displayed individually or all together as a group. The most exciting, colorful and dramatic expression of Junkanoo is during the annual parades that occur twice a year in The Bahamas on Boxing Day and New Year’ s Day.
Junkanoo is an important part of Bahamian culture because it expresses and explains our historic background. While its origin is not precisely documented, it is believed that the festival originated in West Africa and was brought to the New World by slaves in the 18th and early 19th centuries. This celebration was essentially a festival for the oppressed. When the emancipation of slaves in the British colonies occurred in 1834, Junkanoo had become a part of the Bahamian Christmas tradition and a source of amusement. Around the 1890s, Junkanoo became a social tool for voicing the concerns of the black population as well as a celebratory festival. These traditions continue today with citizens,
expats, tourists, children and adults participating in and witnessing this extraordinary community event.
Under the guidance of the National Junkanoo Committee, the festival is preserved for tomorrow through the Junior Junkanoo Competitions in schools.“ I think participating in Junior Junkanoo is a nice way to celebrate Bahamian culture within the school,” said Grade 10 student and trumpet player, Shannon O’ Meara.“ It’ s great that we have the chance to see the other schools participate so that we can learn from them. All the parents and teachers, even though they may not participate, support us by donating and spending time creating our costumes.”
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In December 2013, LCIS had the opportunity to participate in this festival for the first time. With skilled leadership, community support and a little bit of beginner’ s luck, LCIS won the competition with the theme“ We Need Peace.” A year later, LCIS has gained even more support from both parents and teachers alike for the annual parade. Under the leadership of the Music Department, students returned to the track as a circus group under the theme of“ Can’ t Tame the Dragons.” While the win eluded the group in 2014, participation strengthened the school community and its resolve to win the 2015 parade. As they say in Junkanoo,“ We comin’.”