The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture hosted a public consultation session on the National Junkanoo Authority of The Bahamas Bill at the Goldwynn Hotel on Monday.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Hon. Mario Bowleg led the discussion with a presentation on the proposed legislation. He spoke about the decision making process included in the draft bill. “Trust is built when decisions are made in the open and everyone can see how and why decisions are made. The proposed structure spreads decision making across a mixed board of working committees that includes practitioners and institutions. Finance can be audited and tabled, rules and regulations can be published for all to see,” Bowleg said.

The Minister also sought to clarify the proposed role of Junkanoo corporations and island associations. He said, “once the government removes itself and replace itself with the authority these organizations will then meet with the authority and also determine, in a partnership agreement, how they will manage or operate as a partner for the smooth transition and operation of these parades, nothing changes.”

Professor Christopher Curry was part of a panel of experts that included Assistant Director of Education, Pearl Baker. Curry spoke to the potential impact of the bill on the economy and the tourism industry. He said, “what if we took that ingenuity, that creativity and expertise that we put towards tourism and have a full focused approach to the promotion and marketing of Junkanoo in the same way that we promote our islands and tourism. Could you imagine the potential that we would create in that respect?

Assistant Director Baker spoke to the correlation of the subjects taught in schools with the skills needed for Junkanoo. Also on the panel was former Justice Anita Allen who currently serves at the Law Reform office.