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BAHAMAS INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS AT OAS SPOTLIGHT JUNKANOO EXHIBIT

The 32nd anniversary of Bahamian independence is in the spotlight in Washington, D.C., and a colorful exhibition on Junkanoo, mounted at the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarters, forms part of the nationhood milestone celebrations. Elaborately designed costumes from this traditional festival accompany photographs, books, music and other materials in a showcase the Permanent Mission of The Bahamas to the OAS organized in conjunction with Educulture Bahamas.

“Explore, Discover, Celebrate Junkanoo Spirit of The Bahamas” was inaugurated Wednesday evening by Ambassador Joshua Sears, after a call to order by Bahamian drummer Reuben Deleveaux. Sears welcomed the guests to this “fine portrayal of Bahamian culture and history,” stressing the value of such cultural expressions of national pride and national identity in enhancing international understanding and peace. He recalled several important features of Bahamian culture in Washington over the years, and thanked the sponsors of the current exhibition.

Hailing the Bahamian independence, OAS Assistant Secretary General Luigi Einaudi praised the contributions of The Bahamas to the inter-American system. He cited OAS initiatives in Haiti and Colombia among important hemispheric ventures that have benefited from Bahamian financial support, and referred as well to OAS involvement in a project several years ago to help preserve Junkanoo in The Bahamas.

Educulture’s Director Arlene Nash-Ferguson, curator of the OAS exhibition, said the presentation honors the legacy of a displaced and dispossessed people who determined that their spirit would never be broken. She explained that it traces the history of Junkanoo but also celebrates the legacy and spirit of a magnificent festival born out of slaves’ effort to “reclaim their humanness.”

Introducing three other “tradition bearers” accompanying her from The Bahamas—her husband Silbert, Teran Davis and Reuben Deleveaux—Nash-Ferguson said the display is also a celebration of what ordinary Bahamians do with their innate creative genius that turns cardboard thrown away by furniture stores into “magnificent works of art.”

The Ambassador, along with the Educulture Director and drummer Deleveaux, also participated in a live half-hour broadcast link-up between OAS Radio and ZNS FM Radio in The Bahamas, Thursday morning. They discussed the Bahamian Junkanoo festival and the Washington, D.C., celebration of the Bahamian independence (July 10), which will also feature an independence reception at the OAS Friday evening.

Reference: E-136/05