The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Genesis Junkanoo group says it was threatened with suspension and possible expulsion by the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) after expressing interest in joining the upcoming Fox Hill Day Emancipation Rush, prompting Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg to describe the threat as “going back to slavery.”

The dispute comes after the JCNP decided last Monday to suspend all Junkanoo-related activities, including Emancipation Day events, practices, rush-outs, and side parades, to protest the government’s proposed National Junkanoo Authority bill, which the organisation says is an attempt to centralise control and roll back self-governance.

Genesis chairman Theo Cooper says when it asked this week about the risks of joining the Fox Hill rush, the answer was chilling.

“Though not stated outright, the message was unmistakable – ‘Obey, or suffer the consequences,’” he said yesterday. “The echoes of a colonial mindset reverberated in that moment.”

He called the warning from the JCNP “oppressive,” vowing his group “will not be whipped into silence.”

He said consequences outlined by the JCNP included removal of elected officers, forfeiture of dues, loss of voting rights and representation, and demotion to “fun group” status with no competitive eligibility.

Reapplication for membership would be required, with no guarantee of reinstatement, and any return would start in an exhibition category only.

“This is more than punitive – it is oppressive,” he said. “It seeks to strip Genesis – The Warhawks of Change – of our dignity and silence our drum in full public view. Let the record show: Genesis will not be whipped into silence.”

Mr Cooper invoked 1 Kings 3:16-28, likening the situation to the biblical mother who surrenders her child to save its life.

“In this moment, Junkanoo is that child – and Genesis, like the true mother, has stepped back from Fox Hill Day. Not out of fear, but to shield our members from destruction. But the irony is glaring: The JCNP claims to ‘allow’ participation in memorial rushes – except, it seems, when that memorial centres on Emancipation. For honouring our ancestors, we are punished. For choosing freedom, we are threatened. This is not unity. This is oppression.”

For his part, JCNP public relations officer John Williams said Genesis had supported last week’s decision.

“They agreed that we were going to give the government the response that we did,” he said. “They also agreed with what would happen with regards to if anyone decided to continue on and go against what we were doing.”

“We are standing together in everything that we are doing. As I said, as part of the plan and course of action that we are taking, it is to pause Junkanoo activity, and unfortunately, that includes the Fox Hill Day Parade.”

Mr Bowleg, meanwhile, said no Junkanoo group should be threatened for choosing to rush on Emancipation Day.

“If they are being threatened, then that tells me we going back to slavery days because they have been denied not to rush for the freedom of slavery,” he said. “Over a hundred years, persons have been going there and supporting this event.”

He said the controversy underscores why the government is pushing for its proposed National Junkanoo Authority, a 15-member body appointed by the minister to oversee funding, licensing, and national rules without dismantling the JCNP.

“The authority sees the bigger picture and understands that our number one culture should be celebrated with the freedom of individuals who desire to do so at any given time,” he said. “You could imagine the amount of persons who have stalled out at Fox Hill, who is looking for revenue because of this event. Where is the greater vision of the JCNP?”