Editor,
Despite the fact that Junkanoo is underfunded, which is an entirely different topic for another day, the recent decision by Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture Mr. Mario Bowleg to grant seed funding to separate factions of the same group has sent shockwaves and sparked controversy throughout the entire Junkanoo community.
The controversy exists as a result of several conflicts, a few which I will highlight below:
1. Never in the history of Junkanoo has ONE group received two sets of Government seed funding.
2. The Government seed funding is broken
down by Category type as per the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP).
A Category groups receive $30,000, B Category groups receive $15,000 and F Category receive $500 – $2,000 (depending on group size).
3. The Valley Boys matter is an internal dispute.
Since this announcement, we have seen F Groups and B Groups go on record calling for additional seed funding. This is truly a slippery slope which should be walked very carefully.
What is also alarming, it is being alleged that the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture has vendors waiting to be paid as well as several projects are on hold due to budgetary constraints, however the extra seed funding can be promised without hesitation.
If true, it is clear that there are either no budgetary constraints or the Minister can do as he sees fit with his budget.
If so, this is truly sad & unfortunate!
All in all, it is never too late to do the right thing! It is said that groups have not received their seed funding to date, therefore, the Minister still has a chance to fix this saga and allocate the resources to where they rightfully should be.
As an avid Junkanoo Leader, I am closely monitoring this situation and I am hopeful that the Minister will get it right.
Denarii Rolle
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