By KEILE CAMPBELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

JUNKANOOERS remain undeterred as they prepare for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, despite ongoing tensions between the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) and the government over who should manage the events.

At the heart of the dispute is the JCNP’s refusal to recognise the breakaway Valley Boys group — The Way Forward Valley Boys, led by Trevor Davis, reportedly the brother of Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis. The government has since moved to have the National Junkanoo Committee (NJC) take over parade management.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Mario Bowleg said the decision followed a poll in which 19 of 21 Junkanoo groups voted in favour of the NJC assuming control.

Inside Junkanoo shacks yesterday, artisans from several groups told The Tribune their preparations are continuing as normal. One Saxons member said he hoped a resolution would soon be reached but stressed the group’s loyalty to the JCNP.

“There was no need to vote on it,” he said. “We basically all felt the same way. Our representative has been keeping us informed, and we support the JCNP.”

He said the issue stems from the long-standing feud between the two Valley Boys factions — the World Famous Valley Boys and The Way Forward Valley Boys — but insisted the JCNP represented “the people who actually make Junkanoo happen.”

“This all stems from one group not wanting to follow the rules,” he said. “Now they cloak it in ideas about enhancing Junkanoo — festivals and new ways to make money — but it feels like that’s just being used to justify this. We want to make sure all the groups follow the rules set by the JCNP.”

He added that major Category A groups believe the government intends to transfer management to an unprepared NJC, undermining decades of structure and regulation established by the JCNP.

Still, he said Junkanooers are focused on their work.

“I don’t believe the government would want a parade without the Saxons, One Family, the original Valley Boys, and Roots,” he said. “We’re all close-knit. If it comes down to it, we’ll finish our costumes and stand on principle — even if that means not rushing.”

A craftsman with the World Famous Valley Boys, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the group fully supported the JCNP’s continued role.

“It’s been going on too long,” he said. “The government shouldn’t have gotten so deep into it. Let the Junkanooers handle Junkanoo and let them handle the country.”

He said the dispute had not affected production. “Everything’s on schedule,” he said. “We have our plan and we’re sticking to it.”

Leslie Johnson, former JCNP chairman and a One Family artisan, said it was too late in the year for parade management to change hands. He said preparations began in February and called it “impossible” for another organisation to take over now.

“All of our costumes were designed under JCNP rules,” he said. “To come in November and say it should change shows a lack of understanding about what goes into preparing for these parades.”

He said the government and JCNP have always been partners — one managing production and the other providing the venue and support.

“It’s a partnership that just needs to be formalised,” he said. “If next year they want to change it, that’s fine. Then I can decide whether I still want to be involved. But this year, the parades should be governed by the JCNP rules we’ve already worked under.”

Mr Johnson questioned the purpose of switching control after more than two decades of partnership, suggesting compromise rather than upheaval.

“We know this all stems from the Valley Boys issue,” he said. “The compromise could be to let both factions compete this year. But the JCNP must run the parade because that’s the framework we’ve built everything around.”

He said costume work remains on schedule despite the uncertainty.

“The production is going on because we’ve invested our time and money,” he said. “There’s going to be parades — under what conditions, I can’t say. But people need to understand we all love Junkanoo. Nobody wants to go anywhere else but Bay Street — under the committee our costumes were designed for.”