MNASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Junkanoo performance on Bay Street during the Royal visit has come under fire over the decision to play a song that glorified Britain’s slavery and colonial past.
The song “Rule Britannia” could be heard blaring from the trumpet section of the Junkanoo groups as they rushed into Rawson and Parliament Squares for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last week to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee — marking 70 years since her accession to the throne.
The selection of the song comes as debate intensifies over whether Caribbean countries should remove the queen as its head of state with Jamaica signalling to the Crown that it is ready to “move on”.
The song was released in 1745 during a time when the British nation sought to expand its empire through the transatlantic slave trade and the colonisation of countries across the world.
It is one of the most popular patriotic British hymns, even considered as the second national anthem for the United Kingdom after “God Save the Queen”.
The chorus of the song reads: “Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves. Britons never shall be slaves.”
In an interview with Eyewitness News, nationalist Rosemary Clarice Hanna decried the performance of the song as a “disgrace”.
“I think it was really totally inappropriate and that’s putting it mildly,” Hanna said.
“…I think we have a problem here because we do not understand and know our history. Bahamians don’t know their history.”
She charged that it shows that “too many of us have a serious inferiority complex”.
Hanna recalled the days when she was a little girl when thousands of school children would go down to Fort Charlotte and they would be singing “Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves” and waving the Union Jack.
“There we were, children of dependents of slaves talking about ‘we shall never, never, never, be slaves’. That makes absolutely no sense, none whatsoever,” she said vehemently.
“And I think it was a gross insult for them to play that song during these celebrations.”
Hanna doubled down on that position insisting that the use of the anthem was “deplorable” and a “disgrace”.
“I think it’s an insult for black children to be learning that song or for our people to be dancing and gyrating to that song in front of “royalty”.
Chairman of the JCNP Dion Miller said the song has been traditionally played in Junkanoo for many years when there’s a British theme or presentation.
“It’s an ode to the past, our connections with Britain,” he said.
“I know some persons are offended by colonialism…but for Junkanoo we don’t tend to look that deep into those aspects. It was just more or less a nod to British and British customs and traditions.”
Miller acknowledged however the need for groups, who select their themes and music, to be more mindful of the current climate.
“I think during the research of all of those things, special care and attention need to be paid to what’s going on in terms of the social means and what’s happening in society. Attention needs to be paid to that just so you don’t offend persons and you want to ensure it’s inclusive and no one is offended.”
But Hanna insisted that along with being more careful with those choices, Bahamians must also learn their history.
“We need to get in there and teach our children our history so they can appreciate where they come from,” she said.
Support for the country’s shift to a republic remains mixed, with one former minister insisting on the country’s readiness while another former representative called it “dead talk”.
During his visit, Prince William expressed his support for The Bahamas’ decision about its future.
While acknowledging the country’s upcoming 50 years of independence, Prince William said: “We support with pride and respect your decision about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.”
