1. Richard Wenbang Zhu: Junkanoo experience

The Junkanoo experience for me is unique and unforgettable. The overnight observance at the Bay Street is resonating when I watch the videos and photos I took that night. Being part of this grand event endows me the chances to sharing most vibrant performances and shining hand-made costumes on this Caribbean island. Though the Junkanoo festival needs to be improved, like many other festivals worldwide, this experience did bring me surprise even from the professional perspective. Unlike many festivals that I’ve experienced in my country, including the famous Lantern Festival and Spring Festival, Junkanoo is so inclusive and vibrant that these features make it outstanding from festival experience all over the world.

Speaking of its inclusive feature, I couldn’t forget the saying that Junkanoo comes from turning junk into something new. The fact is we see so many hand-made costumes at the Junkanoo and the sound of cowbell and goatskin drums created a variety types of music. In Bahamian culture, almost every residence in Nassau would participate in this national festival, and every year there are tremendous amount of international tourists coming to witness this grand ceremony. The meaning behind Junkanoo represent the independence and voice of native Bahamian since it was created. Nowadays, it became a useful tool to educate the younger generation of Bahamian. I met Dr Cartwright at a book store in Nassau. She addressed that the history of Junkanoo is deeply rooted in native Bahamian culture and it almost includes every aspects of Bahamian cultural essence. She also told me that she was not allowed to attend this grand festival in her early twenties due to the reason that main performers in Junkaoo at that time were men, but now she wants to bring her passion to this festival and become part of the history. Junkanoo is improving along its development, but the inclusiveness of Junkanoo has never fade away.                    

Junkanoo is vibrant, both in terms of the colorful hand-made costumes and Bahamian live music. We experienced Junkanoo from 2 am to 8 am at the Bay Street that day. Notably, the long time period was worthwhile with surprises and passion. The Valley Boys’ performance at the Rawson Square turned out to be the most memorable part of my experience. Over the almost 8 hours’ experience at downtown Nassau, I witnessed so many amazing costumes and impressive sound of Bahamas. Native Bahamian are so energetic that they performed this without rests. It’s so professional that they precisely control the interval time period between connecting performances and avoid intervene of different kinds of music.

Overall, my experience of Junkanoo may be similar to other spectators, but we all experienced this unique Caribbean festival. This is bound to be an unforgettable experience for all the spectators.