Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] The views and opinions of the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the management and staff of Guardian Radio.
[00:00:29] Guardian Radio Today is brought to you by Alive, Burger King, the Cleveland Clinic, Commonwealth Bank, Janae's Uniform Center, Printmasters and Wendy's.
[00:00:48] And welcome, welcome, welcome to Guardian Radio Today with your host, Kahunan Kusera, also known as Dr. Cleveland W Eneas III. It is a warm, did I mention warm? It is a warm Tuesday 5th August, and we're here on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM. We're happy to have you here with us.
[00:01:12] I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend.
[00:01:18] Emancipation Day was celebrated yesterday. August, Monday. I pray saw a lot of people on the beach. I saw, you know, people enjoying themselves and, you know, truly, truly appreciating what the Bahamas is all about. I pray that, I pray that that's what it was. For those of you within the short of this show today.
[00:01:42] Telephone lines today are 323-623-2325-431632-54259. Of course, in the family of islands, 2423-00-5720. Our Guardian Radio text line is being powered by BTC and you can reach at 422-4796. That's 422-4796 for the text line. Of course, standard tax rates do apply. We also streaming on guardiantalkradio.com for those of you who may have to run out of your car and you gotta still stay tuned to the station. If you got some white wifi, some WI fi, some, some, some, some data you can stream with us on guardiantalkradio.com of course we're also on cable Bahamas channel 969 or BTC flow channel 61 2. Okay, today's show is talking John Canoe. Today we talk talking Junkanoo.
[00:02:42] Whatever else comes up. But that's the premise of today's show and I think it's important that we have this conversation in light of some things going on in the Junkanoo community today.
[00:02:59] I want to state right now that I wouldn't know Water for nobody. I ain't got no horse in the race.
[00:03:06] I love the Bahamas.
[00:03:08] I love John Canoe.
[00:03:10] I love Africa.
[00:03:13] I love my ancestors.
[00:03:16] I love that we have an opportunity to have a premier cultural celebration of the Bahamas.
[00:03:27] And I want to have a discussion on it based on some things that are lingering psychologically, I feel this is just my opinion. Yeah, what do I mean?
[00:03:43] Junkanoo as we know it I love cultural expression. While Junkanoo is now a cherished cultural celebration. I just reading through some generic definitions of Junkanoo and some realities that some people may not be aware of. Right. But Junkanoo is now a cherished cultural celebration in the Bahamas.
[00:04:05] It's true that it was once viewed with negativity by some. So we didn't always love Junkanoo like we do today, particularly during the colonial area era, rather. Yes.
[00:04:19] This negativity of what a Junkanoo was, what a Junkuno is, was seen as negative initially. It was a celebration among enslaved people during the Christmas holidays. And some colonial authorities and religious groups saw it as a disruptive and even dangerous practice.
[00:04:44] I want you to think about that.
[00:04:46] This beloved Junkanoo that we have right now wasn't always.
[00:04:51] I wanna. I wanna premise today that the. The celebration or the parade or the expression of Junko no has elevated. But I don't know if the outlook on the actual people who are producing this parade. I don't know if that's changed.
[00:05:08] I don't know. I don't know. Like, they love like.
[00:05:10] Like the Junkanoo parade, we love that.
[00:05:15] But the people who actually in the Sharks, the people who actually building drums, people who are actually learning how to play these sousaphone and these wind instruments, the Kunka lockers, you know, the people who burning they self with glue gun. The people who grind home with glitter every day, you know, the people who taking the ISU money in December or whenever they get the money and throwing it in into Junkanoo and they ain't paying their light bill.
[00:05:50] The people who ain't have Christmas gifts for their children because that money getting into the costume.
[00:06:02] See, we got to address the reality of what we see when the lights turn on Boxing Day and New Year's Day. And of course there are other parades like we just had yesterday, which we'll talk about as well.
[00:06:18] But I really want us to appreciate the fact that there is a culture even within Junkanoo that I don't really think unless you in Junkanoo, you just don't know.
[00:06:33] Right?
[00:06:34] And I on the fringes of that.
[00:06:36] I mean, I know enough people in that space to at least have one eye on it. You know, every so often I just dive in and feel it. I know people do it every year. I can tell you right now, because it's rough.
[00:06:52] To keep the parade alive is rough. It ain't easy, you understand?
[00:06:58] And so this perception that we have of John Canoe is in one sense, it's a Product of tourism.
[00:07:10] It's something that can bring the tourists in. It's something that we can about different celebrations.
[00:07:17] You hire John Kanuban and they come through and they play for a few minutes, however long you pay them to play for, and it's beautiful.
[00:07:29] And I see that as a way for junker news to be able to make some money.
[00:07:37] Right?
[00:07:38] Because at the end of the day, your culture, Dr. Marimba, Annie talks about your culture being your immune system.
[00:07:50] Your culture is your immune system.
[00:07:55] Okay? And Junkanoo is definitely more than just a parade. It's definitely more than just something that we can boast of. It is. It is that, but it's more than that.
[00:08:09] So we had this colonial era perception. I think some people may still have a colonial era perception. During the colonial period, junkuno was seen by some as a form of resistance and a disruption to social order.
[00:08:27] The celebrations with their music, costumes, and dancing were not always welcomed by the ruling class.
[00:08:37] A colonial era perception carry through today.
[00:08:44] Is it something that people now who sit in the seats of our former colonists, do they still in some instances, have that perception? Are you asking? I casting those virgins?
[00:09:00] But I'm asking.
[00:09:02] Okay.
[00:09:04] There was also religious criticism because, remember Friday, we talked about emancipation day. And though in 1834 we received this emancipation, the people who enslaved us, they left in place their churches, they left in place their education system, they left in place their political system. They left in place their language.
[00:09:27] They left in place their customs. They left in place their mores.
[00:09:33] They left in place what side of the road you drive on. I could go on and on, and not much has changed.
[00:09:42] So even though junkuno is now more accepted in the church or in some churches, there's still a criticism of our Africanness.
[00:09:57] And the fact that Junkanu is coming out of that historical account show that Junkanu was sometimes described with terms like truculent or aggressive.
[00:10:11] Now, you know, there was a time in Junkanoo when, you know, it was war, you know what I'm saying?
[00:10:19] Two groups used to be coming, one coming up one side of the road, the next one coming up the next side of the road. And, you know, I ain't elect nobody.
[00:10:27] You know, people was getting elect.
[00:10:31] You know, it was rough. I remember rushing. Most qualified.
[00:10:36] You know, my Junkuno mommy, right? My mommy let me start with my mummy face my lorinda. Lorinda Enius. He's a Sandis now, right?
[00:10:51] But I remember mommy taking me to Junkanoo. And I remember. I'll never forget. It was a costume that diwali boys had on Bay street of Flamingos.
[00:11:02] I remember that costume so vividly as a little boy. I remember looking up at that costume and just being wowed.
[00:11:09] Yeah.
[00:11:10] And then I remember my Junko no Mummy Ali and Nash Ferguson carrying me and my God brothers. They might as well call them my brothers.
[00:11:24] Pa known as Sakani Yavin known as Kaya Tamar Cherubim. We got one pitching in West Street.
[00:11:35] We was all pace up, getting ready to go hit bay. And I remember being in most qualified. And buddy, if you wasn't in line, I just could say this toucher, right? Grandmother. They just touch you. They know each other. They just touch you just to make sure he's there alive. But John Canoe, it was disciplined and it was nothing to be played with. And it still is nothing to be played with. You understand?
[00:11:59] There were periods where Junkanoo celebrations were banned or restricted, reflecting the negative perceptions of the event.
[00:12:07] However, over time, Junkuno evolved from a marginalized celebration to a symbol of bohemian identity and cultural pride. It is now a major tourist attraction and a source of national unity.
[00:12:20] Now, I read that particular piece of information that does an AI generated, you know, pulling from various sources explanation of John Kanu. Right?
[00:12:39] But now I want to read from an article at the Tribune printed and I'm just trying to just confirm the date. But this was by Kyle Campbell, right?
[00:12:55] July 28, 2025.
[00:13:02] From reading the correct date. Right.
[00:13:04] But this is the Tribune staff reporter Kyle Campbell.
