National

Residents Split On Proposed National Junkanoo Authority Bill

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Amid a proposed National Junkanoo Authority Bill, residents are weighing in on the proposal, and what it would mean for the culture.

Published

6 months ago

July 22, 2025

Delvardo Emmanuel

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Amid a proposed National Junkanoo Authority Bill, residents are weighing in on the proposal, and what it would mean for the culture.

Resident –

“I feel like they need to leave something for the Bahamian people, I feel like they want every damn thing,” they said.

That’s just one of several reactions we got from residents today, who’re responding to the proposed National Junkanoo Authority Bill.

If enacted, the bill would strip the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence of its sole authority over parades in the capital, placing responsibility instead in the hands of a new independent body.

The proposed bill would also formally assign parade management to the new authority and include Junior Junkanoo.

However, the bill is getting pushback from the JCNP as the organization halted all Junkanoo-related activities across New Providence last night.

While some sided with the JCNP, others say the change is long overdue when it comes to the country’s number one industry.

Resident –

“The whole Junkanoo needs to go, and the government needs to put [an] independent body, they need to pick some artists, musicians, someone independent who don’t have no sides,” they said.

Eustace Duncanson – Resident

“That’s our culture and because it’s our culture it needs special attention,” she said.

While the government is pitching the bill as a chance to grow Junkanoo into a permanent national industry, some residents say the heart of the festival could be lost.

Resident –

“It’s for the Bahamian people, that’s all we have, you can’t take it away,” they said.

James Rolle – Resident

“Government needs to take their hands out of it completely, completely,” he said.

Others believe the time is right to act, but they say that the reaction could determine whether Junkanoo stays true to its roots.

Anron Knowles – Resident

“They need to go back to the old days, everything they using, they getting simpler, [these] things they bring from China they only gotta stick on some them [sic]…,” he said.