The Tribune

DURING this year’s 41st Independence anniversary celebrations, under the theme “Celebrating our Culture: A Commitment to peace,” the Bahamas will start the process of formally recognising those citizens who have dedicated their lives to cultural development.

Their significant contributions to the arts, be it by the spoken word through storytelling and the oral tradition, the written word through poetry, prose and literature, religion, music, song writing or dance, have defined and embellished the national character and identity over generations.

Prime Minister Perry Christie says the country has not done enough to fully recognise, honour and pay tribute to these national treasures and has proclaimed 2014 the year of culture.

Jamaal Rolle, The Tribune’s cartoonist, has been commissioned to produce 41 portraits to be erected in Pompey Square where the awards ceremony will take place on July 8.

THE 41 CULTURAL WARRIORS

(d)- denotes deceased.

• Alphonso Blind Blake Higgs (d) - ‘Jones! ‘O’ Jones Please Bring My Woman Back Home’

• Amos Ferguson (d)- ‘Solo Exhibition at the Smithsonian’

• Antonius Roberts – ‘Slave Memorial at Clifton’

• BahaMen –‘ Who Let the Dogs Out’,  FIFA World Cup 2014

• Becky Chipman (d) ‘Set the world on Fire dance’

• Beginning of the End – ‘Nassau Gone… Funky Nassau got Soul’

• Brent Malone (d) ‘Father of Bahamian Modern Art’

• Buttercup – ‘Limbo King of the Caribbean’

• Charles Carter –‘The Young Bahamian Show ‘…’ These are Bahamians’

• Cleophas Adderley Jr – ‘Our Boys’ …Wind under the wings of the National Youth Choir’

• Count Bernardino – ‘Take Your Meat Out Me Rice’… “Six Young Girls Across My Chest’

• E Clement Bethel (d) – ‘Sammie Swain’… ‘ Muse of the National Arts Festival’

• Eddie Minnis – ‘Hey Mr. MP lemme see your  bank book’ …Pot Luck … “Naughty Johnnie”

• Ezra Hepburn – ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’… ‘Stop the World I want to Get Off’

• Freddie Munnings Sr – ‘Conservatory trained voice’… ‘Social Activist’ … ‘Abaco Beware’

• George Symonette (d) ‘ Little Nassau’

• Jackson (d) and Stan Burnside … ‘ Band of Brothers :The Defining Canvas of Junkanoo’

• James Catalyn – ‘Summer Madness’… ‘Laffin At We Self’

• Jay Mitchell – Princess Towers ‘Junka-Party’… ‘Tribute to Smokey’

• Jeannie Thompson – ‘Zeke and Sophie’… Miss Lye … ‘Fergusons of Farm Road’ …Satirically Speaking’

• John Berkley Peanuts Taylor – ‘The Drums are Alive’

• John Chipman – ‘Dat Goatskin Sweet’

• Joseph Spence (d) The Unsung -‘Mr. Guitar Folk Music Giant’

• Kayla Lockhart Edwards (d) - ‘Contract Voices’… ‘Back Up for Perry Como’

• King Eric (d) -‘Once Is Not Enough’… Elite Recording Studio’

• Leroy Duke Hanna (d) - ‘Small Hope’… Led Musicians Union’

• Maureen Duvalier-’ Gin N’ Coconut Water … ‘ Ask Me Why I Run’

• Pandora Gibson Gomez(d) -‘Dramatist …Educator’

• Patricia Bazard –‘Prepared the children  for Independence 1973 … Educator’

• Paul Meeres (d) -‘The toast of Five Continents’ … ‘ Dancing Machine’

• Percy Voila Francis and Winston Gus Cooper (d) – ‘They Coming!’

• Ronnie Butler –‘The Godfather of Bahamian Entertainment’

• Shirley Hall Bass (d)- ‘The Lady of the Dance’

• Meta  Davis Cumberbatch  (d) ‘ The Mother Teacher of our Emerging Culture’

• Susan Wallace –‘Children’s Literature in the Eye of the Sun ‘… ‘Who is the Woman in this House?’

• Edmund Moxey –‘Cultural Political Activist’ Muscle and Guts …  Jumbey Village’

• Theophilius Coakley, T Connections – ‘Doing All right on Saturday Night’

• Timothy Gibson(d)- ‘My Country of Thee We Sing’

• Tony Mackay(d)- ‘He Came Down on a Lightning Bolt’ …’We Stronger than Steel’

• Wendal Stuart (d) – “ I Thank Heaven’

Winston Saunders (d) ‘Horse’… I, Nehemiah’