NASSAU, BAHAMAS — New and improved judge training and a fully automated scoring system are expected to inspire more confidence in the fairness of Junkanoo parades.
Over the years, many groups have criticized the judging process and issued official complaints about the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) and the Independent Review Committee (IRC), the last one being the Valley Boys in 2019.
However, Junkanoo Parades Management Team (JPMT) Chairman Anthen Mortimer explained that Junkanoo officials have stepped up a notch this year with judges training.
“The judges course is completed and at the conclusion of the judges course each one of the judges had to sign basically an oath and they had to recite an oath in their diligence and doing the parade to the best of their abilities.
“We take this thing very serious and if its any type of indication that any judge or anybody in any type of way can contaminate the parade they will be definitely taken away from the parade right away.”
In the last Christmas and New Years Day Junkanoo Parades of 2019, tablets and digital scoring was virtually new in the parades Mortimer explains that they have further automated the process.
“We are dealing with new technology now, everything now is basically automated, we’re not, we’re actually not writing anything on paper anymore.
“All the scoring is being done on tablets all the time now is being done on tablets all of the eligibility and the penalties are being done on tablets so everything now is going to be automated, everything will be on tablets.”
The parades will begin at 12:01 on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve and the JPMT Chairman said that they expect to start on time given the fact that this is the first time in two years that these particular Junkanoo parades have been on Shirley Street and junkanooers are excited to take part in the seasonal cultural event once again.
“You know the parades, in my opinion should move very fast paced on how these groups want to go down bay street so fast so I expect two great parades,” Mortimer continued, “We haven’t been downtown in the past two years and I will guarantee you this, the production that is going on in each and every one of these shacks is going to be crazy.
“I hear the talk and these guys cannot wait to come downtown and show off, they’ve been missing for about two years and they just cant wait so were going to have some very competitive parades,” he said.
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