During his Opening Remarks at the first Public Consultation on the Junkanoo Authority of The Bahamas Bill, on August 11, 2025, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture the Hon. Mario Bowleg thanked “every participant, every group leader, every musician, every artisan, and every young person who cares deeply about Junkanoo”.

“Your presence speaks to a shared commitment,” Minister Bowleg said to those in attendance at the event at Goldwynn Resort and Residences on Cable Beach, as well as those participating online.  “We are here to listen, to explain, and to build a practical path together.”

Among those in attendance were Acting Director of Culture Dereka Deleveaux-Grant; Assistant Director of Education Pearl Baker; Director of Communications at the Office of the Prime Minister Latrae Rahming; Former President of the Bahamas Court of Appeal Dame Anita Allen; Dr. Christopher Curry; Secretary General of the Bahamas Commission for UNESCO Deidre Bevans; Vice-President of the Bahamas Christian Council Pastor Mario Moxey; and numerous Junkanooers and stakeholders from throughout The Bahamas.

Minister Bowleg added:  “I want to start with a reassurance. This process is about working together with the people who carry Junkanoo and about building a stronger structure around the work you already do.  I recognize the concerns raised about timing, about roles, and trust.  I have heard the questions from group leaders and from the public.  I understand why emotions run high when the topic is Junkanoo.  It is part of who we are.

“My goal today is to set a tone of partnership and to make clear that your expertise is central to the way forward.”

Minister Bowleg pointed out that the policy work “did not begin last week”.

He said: “It began in 1996.  It was picked up in 2017.  And we are now taking it further in 2025.  Step by step, we have laid groundwork. We sought international recognition with UNESCO so that Junkanoo sits on the world stage with a safeguarding plan. We moved to place Junkanoo in the national curriculum so that every child, across every island, can learn the music, the craft, the design, and the story. We modernized our intellectual property laws so that artists, composers, and designers can protect their work and earn from it.”

“The logical next step is a legal framework that recognizes Junkanoo as a national cultural institution and sets clear rules for governance, funding, safety, education, and year-round development,” he added.  “Today is about discussing that step openly.”

Minister Bowleg noted that there had also been a strong question about the role of the Junkanoo corporations and associations across all islands.

“We want to assure you that you are all valued contributors to this community,” he said.

He added: “The draft Bill creates a national body that can work with delivery partners, including the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence, the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Corporation and all Family Island associations. The Authority can negotiate agreements that delegate defined functions and can enter commercial arrangements that make sense for the public and for practitioners. That means the experience built over years in New Providence can continue to serve the public, within a national standard that treats all islands fairly.”

Minister Bowleg also addressed the question of where The Family Islands would fit. 

“Well, the proposed model includes board seats that reflect the whole country and creates local committees for island districts,” he said.  “These committees can plan and manage events, make recommendations to the national body, and receive training and support.

“This is meant to give the Family Islands a meaningful voice and practical tools, not a symbolic seat.”

While speaking to economic empowerment, Minister Bowleg noted that economic questions were “part of the national conversation”.

“And one of our main goals is to create economic empowerment opportunities for everyday Bahamians by investing in their talents,” he pointed out.  “Junkanoo already creates work for carpenters, seamstresses, tailors, welders, sound engineers, drivers, cleaners, and vendors.”

He added:  “A national calendar can support more events throughout the year, in New Providence and across the Family Islands. That can mean more days of paid work, more reasons for visitors to travel, and more chances for Bahamian products to be sold. This is not about changing the soul of Junkanoo. It is about giving people who power the culture more opportunities to benefit from their effort.”

Funding was another concern, Minister Bowleg said.

“Many of you have asked about prize money, grants, and fairness. The Bill allows for a National Junkanoo Authority Fund. Revenues from official activities can be paid into this Fund,” he said.  “Budgets can be approved and audited. Prize payments, grants, and seed funding can be scheduled and published. The aim is a clear money trail and predictable timelines for groups that need to budget and plan. Transparency is the point, because transparency builds trust.”

“We know sponsorship and vending matter to groups and to small businesses,” Minister Bowleg added.  “Under the proposed framework, sponsorships and vending can continue within a clear policy that sets expectations and opens doors to partners across the country. The Authority can enter commercial partnerships that return value to the Fund, and those resources can be shared more evenly across islands and programs.

“This is about growing the pie and about steadier income for the culture.”

While speaking about youth development, Minister Bowleg pointed out that, with Junkanoo in the curriculum, there was a base in every school.

“The Authority can build on that base, with Junior Junkanoo, with teacher training, with workshops in music, costume construction, set building, logistics, and event management,” he said.  “That means skills for life. It also means new pathways for young people to earn, to create, and to lead.”

Minister Bowleg stated that they believed that safety was a shared responsibility.  He added that government agencies would “continue to do their part”.

“The Police and Defence Force, health and emergency services, and utilities can coordinate under a single plan,” he said.  “The Authority can set standards through a Security Committee so that routes, timing, staging, lighting, and medical support are consistent and clear.”

“A single plan helps all islands manage risk and protect both spectators and participants,” he added.

Minister Bowleg said that trust was built when decisions were made in the open and everyone could see how and why decisions were made.

He said:  “The proposed structure spreads decision making across a mixed board and working committees that include practitioners and institutions. Finances can be audited and tabled. Rules and regulations can be published for all to see. Minutes can be kept. These practices do not remove disagreements, but they make decisions clearer and more open to review.”

Minister Bowleg noted that there was one more reassurance he wanted to make.

“Boxing Day and New Year’s Day sit at the center of our calendar in Nassau,” he said.  “That will continue. Continuity matters.”

“At the same time, we can create more windows for Junkanoo across the year and across the islands,” he added.  “This is how we keep the art form alive for young people, how we deepen community life, and how we support the many small businesses that depend on these events.”

Minister Bowleg pointed out that the current rulebook and judging syllabus can be adopted for a transition period, so that there was “no sudden change”.

“A national review can then be done with input from across the islands,” he stated.  “Practitioners, including technical leads from established groups, can serve on Rules, Judges, Penalties, and Statistics committees so that the technical heart of Junkanoo remains with people who know the craft. Appeals routes and timelines can be published so everyone understands how disputes are handled.”

He added:  “There are also questions about the government’s current agreement with the JCNP. Currently, and for many years there has not been a formal contract between the Government and the JCNP, the management of parades have been done on an understanding. This lack of formal framework has in and of itself created its own set of issues. We are open to discussing how to bridge this long-standing partnership toward a fair transition, with the goal of avoiding any disruption to this national institution.”

Minister Bowleg said that he had heard ideas from the public that aimed for common ground.

He said:  “Some say keep the best parts of the current system but place them in a national framework. Some say move slowly, prove the benefits, and then expand. Some say tie funding to clear performance, published budgets, and on time prize payments. These are constructive ideas. They show that people care about outcomes. I welcome that spirit because it matches the spirit of this session.”

“Today is the start of a new partnership,” Minister Bowleg added.  “Partnership means give and take. It means clarity about who does what. It means giving people time to adjust. It means recognizing that Junkanoo is carried by volunteers, donors, and families that put in time and money for months.”

He went further to say that, if the system asked more of them, the system must also give more back to them.

“That is the standard I will use in my role, and it is the standard I will ask the new structure to use in practice,” Minister Bowleg said.

He added:  “Progress can be complicated. We will hear questions today that are hard. Some will be sharp. That is fine. Tough questions make the final product better. My request is that we keep the conversation respectful and focused on solutions. Where a clause needs better wording, say so. Where a timeline is too tight, say so. Where a committee needs more practitioner seats, say so. The point is to fix the issues together.”

Minister Bowleg highlighted what could be expected from the process.

He noted:  “This morning is public education, carried on TV, radio, online, and Zoom.  A dedicated website will carry the Bill, plain language notes, and a form for questions and recommendations. Written submissions will be welcomed. This afternoon and in the days ahead, there will be sessions with specific stakeholder groups, including practitioners, educators, faith leaders, sponsors, cultural institutions, and agencies. We will continue to meet, listen, and refine.”

Minister Bowleg added:  “I ask every group to consider how your experience can help shape final rules and committee work. If you have a judging rubric that has served you well, bring it forward. If you have a route map that works for your island, bring it. If you have a prize schedule that has kept groups healthy, bring it. If you have a training program that grows youth participation, bring it.

“The Authority can adopt what works and improve what needs work.”

Minister Bowleg stated the “simple idea” that Junkanoo was “bigger than any office or organization”.

“It belongs to the Bahamian people,” he said.  “When we treat it with care, when we plan with discipline, when we give everyone a fair chance to take part, Junkanoo thrives. I have faith that we can move forward together. 

“I believe we can turn today’s concerns into tomorrow’s solutions,” Minister Bowleg added.  “I invite every voice in this room and online to stay engaged, to ask clear questions, and to help us build a framework that keeps the culture strong and keeps the community at the center. Thank you.”

By Eric Rose/Bahamas Information Services

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