Above: Junkanoo

By the Caribbean Journal staff

“Junkanoo is probably a $10 million business,” said Bahamas Culture Minister Dr Daniel Johnson. “We have not yet opened this market up fully.”

Johnson, the Bahamas’ new Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture, has a new vision for Junkanoo, a musical parade that is one of the Bahamas’ quintessential art forms.

Accordingly, this year will market the first-ever celebration of a Festival of Junkanoo, a series of fetes aimed at making Junkanoo “into an industry.”

“You won’t just have one night, but you have many opportunities to put on events,” he said.

In Nassau this December, the country will host a 12 Days of Christmas events, a festival which will include Junkanoo.

Johnson was speaking to Junkanoo leaders in Grand Bahama, which has a recently-established national body for Junkanoo.

“What we want to do with it now is extend ourselves into new territory,” he said.