Photography by Douglas Barkey · Nassau, The Bahamas
Junkanoo Colours
Inside the Shack
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Photography by Douglas Barkey · Nassau, The Bahamas
Inside the Shack
About the Work
The Junkanoo Festival has been documented in The Bahamas for over two hundred years. It is a riveting spectacle of Bahamian magnificence, breathtaking in its colour, movement and rhythms that are showcased each year in two glorious parades at Christmas and New Year's.
Yet in spite of Junkanoo being so integral to our lives, few have gone beyond the glory of the parades, and delved into the back-story. This is what Dr. Barkey has done. With an 'outside' eye, he has documented what many of us take for granted — the preparation of a Junkanoo group for the Junkanoo parades. In tracing the journey of Colours Junkanoo group to get to the parades, Dr. Barkey has gone into the Shacks, witnessed the practices and documented the months of intense labour that result in the magic manifested on Bay each year.
This is a journey, the intricacies of which many people are unaware. This book gives an up-close and personal view of the drama of Junkanoo that goes on behind the scenes. This is the story, told in photographs that capture us, that make us a part of the experience.
I thank Dr. Barkey for telling such an important part of our story. Because of this work, future generations will be able to travel with Colours on their Junkanoo journey in our era.
— Arlene Nash Ferguson, Director, Educulture Bahamas Ltd
The Book
Inside the Shack
A private, limited edition publication featuring photographs documenting the people, preparation, and performance of Colours Entertainment — one of the most celebrated Junkanoo groups in The Bahamas.
Through immersive, intimate photography, Douglas Barkey brings the shack to life: the months of costume-making, the communal bonds forged through long nights with glue guns and crepe paper, and the exhilarating rush down Bay Street on Boxing Day morning.
With essays by leading scholars and Junkanoo insiders, this volume stands as a definitive exploration of Junkanoo culture, history, and spirit.
Copyright © 2024 · ISBN: 978-9768205-66-7 · Limited Edition
noun — a centuries-old street parade featuring masqueraders, dancers, and musicians, with origins in enslaved communities in the Caribbean; a communal space of the Diaspora where ancestral voices are proclaimed.
Most historians place the first Junkanoo celebration in the 18th century following the defeat of Akan forces at Fort Fredericksburg, a German construction on Ghana's Gold Coast. The army's chief, whose Akan name is unknown, is identified in European historical accounts through variations of "John Canoe." By the mid-century, enslaved Akan people displaced to the Caribbean celebrated the legacy of John Canoe through an annual masquerade festival held in late December. The first parades included re-enactments of Akan's rich culture and history, with dances and costumes inspired by Akan battles, swordsmen, and commanders.
Throughout chattel slavery, annual Junkanoo celebrations allowed enslaved individuals to embrace performance to express various emotions, from pain to hope and joy. The first costumes consisted of simple masks and layered clothing. Unlike the extensive imagery presented in this catalogue, early Junkanoo was rarely documented through paintings, drawings, and photographs. Despite a lack of pictorial documentation, Junkanoo's mere emergence across physical and geographical borders in enslaved communities of the Caribbean and Southern United States underscores its inherent power. Junkanoo is, within its own origin story, equally a testament of perseverance and a homage to our shared heritage. The resilient spirit of the first Junkanoo-ers has resulted in an intricate web of connections between our community and our regional neighbours.
Nearly three centuries later, the investment and preparation for the now bi-annual parades extends beyond the one-night performance. Still, it is a communal act that requires engagement from all levels. It often takes over half a year of planning to produce a seamless storyline through costume design, choreography, and the performance's accompanying music. Every holiday season, the sound of drums, cowbells, and whistles fills the air, creating an irresistible rhythm and pulse that fills the street. For Nassauvians, this magical moment often occurs on Bay or Shirley Streets, the main corridors of downtown. In a space where locals typically travel strictly for work, a spirit of togetherness emerges. Behind the grandeur presentations, our gathering is a symbolic honouring of our ancestral roots as we experience a continued cultural exchange between our nation, the Caribbean region, and the Black American community. Musical scores often include adaptations from pop songs, and choreographies blend traditional Bahamian dance with popularised dances of neighbouring cultures. Like the historical era, modern Junkanoo is also a platform for social and political commentary, with groups often incorporating global events and motifs in their themes.
Yet, perhaps the greatest testament to Junkanoo's enduring power lies in its contemporary existence, particularly in our pictorial history. There was once a time when Junkanoo was too Black — too African — to be embraced on a national level, let alone be at the forefront of our nation's international branding. Even throughout the early- to mid-20th century, commercial photography omits Junkanoo performances almost exclusively. In my own curious dives into public archives, both in The Bahamas and abroad, I rarely find images of Junkanoo before the 1960s. Whether an intentional effort or a subconscious one, any attempts to distance Junkanoo from our national identity have failed since 1973. No longer is Junkanoo restricted to enslaved communities, with limited resources and reach. Rather, images and oral accounts of Bahamian Junkanoo are now widespread, with annual performances occurring across the globe in South Florida, Georgia, England and beyond.
Now, through this exhibition and catalogue, we begin to memorialise the beauty of Junkanoo's process, in ways we may not have even realised were previously erased or ignored. As historian Darren Newbury writes, "photographers do not merely record, but rather construct an image of society." From the shack, to the rehearsals, to the rush out, the photographs collated here proclaim the historic, the present, and the future. While 21st-century parades may not mimic the structure of the historic celebrations, Junkanoo is an evergreen symbol of resistance and unity, one that continues to transcend time and space.
Gallery
The Portraits
Each member of Colours brings their own story, dedication, and artistry to the shack and to Bay Street.
Every page in this book is a play on the meaning of the word "colour" and the colours of Junkanoo. Colour is more than pigmentation; it is also the nuance of personality, the style of sound, the smells of street food — the character of the celebration. The primary subject matter of these images is the Colours' Junkanoo shack as the case study to visually explore the many facets of shack life and ultimately the performance on Bay Street. The Colours' shack represents what goes on in all the shacks as they prepare for the major annual rush. I hope the reader goes away with a better understanding of the people who make Junkanoo happen and the creative work that goes into the preparation. Even more, I hope readers learn what I have learned in making this book, that the roots of Junkanoo run deep to origin of culture and identity and are a manifestation of vibrant human creativity, resilience and community.
I've photographed many festivals, parades, carnivals and processions over my career, but Junkanoo struck me as being quite unique the first time I photographed it because it brought fine arts, craft, music, design, dance and drama all together right at the street level. The more I learned about how Junkanoo happens, the more I became interested in exploring it visually as a sociocultural activity that arises out of Bahamian communities. These photographs are the result of embedding with the Colours' shack, going to their practices and hanging around the shack while they designed their theme, crafted their costumes and built their float. The fact is that a lot goes on in the shack all year that has as much to do with mentorship, developing character, friendship and community as it does with the actual final performance. This for me is the "colour" of Junkanoo that pervades all aspects of it — the human creative element that comes out of using imagination to invent magnificent costumes out of nothing more than cardboard, wire, pasted paper and rubber cement.
As several of the writers have discussed, the Junkanoo of today has grown out of a long and complex tradition with political, social, economic and cultural implications evolving from the places of origin of people who were enslaved and brought to these islands against their will. It has been, and is, an act of resistance — the recalling of the past combined with a celebration of the moment. I photograph what manifests today with the understanding that my perspective is just a mark on the timeline. But I think that mark is representative — it reflects on the tradition that lives on today as the Junkanoo shacks gear up for another rush. My hope was to convey, most of all, the beauty and joy of Junkanoo — the energy and brilliance of dancing down Bay Street to the roar of the crowds and thunderous beat of the drums.
The Team
Gratitude
This book would not have been possible without the generosity of Colours. They let me into their communal space, collaborated to make portraits and patiently explained their craft and community. In some ways, I ended up making this book for them. Their leader, Chris Justilien, is an extraordinarily talented musician who shared much insight about how Junkanoo works. I am grateful to the writers who added an important layer of relevance and meaning by sharing their experiences and understanding of Junkanoo. The work of Dr. Nicolette Bethel and her father, E. Clement Bethel, precede this work and she was instrumental in the early shaping of the direction of the book, not to mention the participation of her UB students from her course (Junkanoo: History, Politics and Performance) in interviewing Colours members. A warm thank you to the various individuals who took the time to review and comment on early drafts and images, including Ulrich Voges, Dawn Davies, Antonius Roberts, Marjorie Brooks-Jones and, in particular, Arlene Nash Ferguson who penned the Foreword. The support and encouragement I received from Dr. Maria Woodside-Oriakhi from the University of The Bahamas in sponsoring part of the costs of producing the book was fundamental to getting it printed. Thank you to Dr. Christine Kozikowski for helping the writers polish their work and organizing all the text. Finally, Dr. Ingrid Bircann-Barkey, who I have the good fortune to be married to, helped keep me focused on the central theme and pare the images down to the best in content and relevance.
— Douglas Barkey
References
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