The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

THE first woman to lead a major Junkanoo group was yesterday officially recognised as the “Queen of Junkanoo”, something government officials said effectively “shattered the glass ceiling” for the advancement of women in the traditional cultural expression.

Christina “Muffin” Fernander, Chairman of the One Family Junkanoo group, was officially recognised for her efforts and contributions to Junkanoo by Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Dr Danny Johnson yesterday, elevating her among the ranks of Junkanoo legends such as Winston “Gus” Cooper and Percy “Vola” Francis.

Ms Fernander’s recognition comes after she was historically named chairman of One Family last Spring, making her the first woman to lead one of the country’s major Junkanoo groups. 

It also comes just weeks after One Family, under her leadership, captured its first parade victory since 2014 by winning the 2016 Boxing Day Parade with an overall score of 80.85, beating the Shell Saxon Superstars by .82 points. 

“I feel ecstatic,” Ms Fernander said yesterday. “It’s a great feeling. It’s wonderful to have that title bestowed upon me by the honorable minister, following in the footsteps of Junkanoo giants such as Winston Gus Cooper and Percy Viola Francis.

She added: “I am a lover of Junkanoo, I always say I am Junkanoo and Junkanoo is me. Going forward I am going to continue to be of great assistance in my organisation. I would like to see more of the other organisations to recognise that hey, females are not just there to choreograph or do free dancing, we have the skills, we have the expertise to lead. So in the future I would like to see more women stepping up and becoming group leaders.”

Dr Johnson said recognising Ms Fernander for her efforts represents the acknowledgement of a “new era” of Junkanoo, especially after she had spearheaded a “tremendous performance” during the Boxing Day Parade. 

“This is the first time a young lady has really led a group like that to Bay Street in the A category and been so dominant and has done such a good job,” Dr Johnson said. “No one else had raised it yet, and I thought in my role as the minister and Junkanoo being a meritocracy of equal opportunity, we must lift up this young lady who has broken ground, she shattered the glass ceiling of leaders in Junkanoo.”

He added: “We have a scenario now where women’s suffrage movement and all those things has passed, we’ve just passed majority rule. And I think beyond getting too technical, just to look around and be honest about the contributions that some really great young women are making, and I just wanted to highlight her as one.” 

Ms Fernander’s recognition came on the heels of a donation of 7,000 sports jerseys to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) by Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG) to be used by children reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. 

“These are real jerseys, it’s the real deal from the high end logo brand,” Dr Johnson said. “And for those kids who follow basketball in particular, it’s exciting. It’ll give them something to look forward to. And they’ll have a piece of memorabilia that is absolutely theirs to wear throughout their lives.”