Barabbas and
the Tribe Junkanoo and Community Organization are packing their bags once again to
travel to the U.S. by special invitation in their official capacity to perform
at the annual St Patrick’s Day Parades on Tybee Island and in Savannah, Georgia
for the 10th consecutive year.
The junkanoo
presence at the event has become so popular that on March 18, 2011, Mayor Jason
Buelterman of the City of Tybee, officially declared that date “Barabbas and
the Junkanoo Tribe Day”, as evidenced by the attached Proclamation. In addition
to the Proclamation, the group also received the key to the City of Tybee
Island, and they have been made Honorary Deputy Sheriffs of Chatham County.
It is
estimated that the 2012/2013 parades hosted in excess of 500,000 spectators in
Savannah, the second largest gathering in the United States outside of New
York. The group’s performances were recorded and members were asked to sign waivers
authorizing the Tybee Island Tourism and Promotion board to use the footage for
their Tourism campaign. This commercial, featuring the Junkanoo performance
along with celebrities such as Paula Deen; famed restaurateur and former Food
Network star, can now be viewed nationwide in the US or by logging on to http://tybeevisit.com/
Leader of the group, Quinton
‘Barabbas’ Woodside stated: “It is amazing how many contacts we have made with
persons from around the world just by throwing small business cards from the
float in Savannah. Some of these persons request performances in their home
state for events such as college fairs, best of the bands etc. In addition we
get tons of requests for the recipes for the many tasty Bahamian treats that
are prepared during the St. Patrick’s Day week.
The group has also become a regular part of the Sunday worship
experience at All Saints Episcopal Church on Tybee Island where we perform
during the service as well as afterwards at a hosted pot luck brunch by
enthused parishioners.”
Barabbas
also explained how this amazing cultural exchange has fostered positive tourism
benefits for The Bahamas as well since visitors travel here as a direct result
of seeing the parades in person, on You Tube or facebook and get in touch with
the group. The junkanoo group has also been invited to be a part of and provide
entertainment for visitor weddings held here in The Bahamas or have attended
retirement parties of repeat visitors from the Georgia area, giving credence to
the fact that junkanoo certainly has a role to play in enhancing the tourism
product.
However, it
has not been an easy road for the group which has to solicit financial
assistance annually from the general public, corporate sponsors, and government
entities to cover their travel costs and expenses. The performers have always been
selected from various Junkanoo groups with sponsorship being offered to
deserving youngsters to provide them with the opportunity to express their
creativity through their culture.
This has been a sore point
with the junkanoo leader as he expressed his frustration: “It is heart
wrenching to see the expression on the faces of young performers, some
traveling abroad for the first time to represent The Bahamas, as they wait
sometimes until the final hour before departure, to find out whether word from
a donor would seal their fate or grant them an opportunity of a lifetime. Last
year after hearing that the group might not make it to Georgia because of
financial difficulties; a Tybee Island, Ga. business owner opted to send a
donation of $1,000.00 to assist with travel expenses stating that
because
of the amount of patrons at our establishment when the Junkanoo band is here on
the island; it’s the least we can do. It is amazing how others can
appreciate our culture and strive to promote it, when our own people don’t
share the same passion.
“My wife and I have
sacrificed and invested to the point where every year we are left with a new
personal loan with the hope of paying it off before the next parade comes
around. We have tried repeatedly without success, to get the attention of the
persons in authority to organize a system where we can travel with ease without
having to burden the same few people to make this event happen.
“It is our desire to sit
with government officials to map out a strategy whereby the group can
comfortably afford to travel as cultural ambassadors. It has been suggested for
the past 3 years that packages can be offered to Bahamians to travel to Georgia
to participate in the excitement, as well as visitors in the Atlanta and Carolina
areas. In fact we are in the planning stage of designing lightweight costumes that
can be sold to persons wishing to participate in the parades on Tybee Island
and Savannah. We would also like to be able to afford to ship a 40 ft container
to the parade as this could hold larger dancer costumes and other instruments
to enhance the parades.”
In spite of the challenges
the show must go on. Undeterred and determined in their quest, this group of
cultural ambassadors has its bags packed ready to travel and share their
junkanoo passion with the world. Anyone wishing to assist the group is asked to
contact Quinton ‘Barabbas’ Woodside at junkanooworld@aol.com for further
information.