By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the 46th anniversary of The Bahamas’ Independence less than two months away, it certainly looks as if the celebration of this important landmark in our country’s history this year in Washington, D.C., will be scaled down considerably from past celebrations.
In recent years, The Bahamas’ Independence Celebration in D.C. was extremely well organized by the Bahamian-American Association of the Washington Metropolitan Area, headed by Nicanor E. “Nic” Davidson, a Bahamian who is a former U.S. Army Aviator; Khandra Sears, a Research Associate at University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, who is the daughter of Joshua Sears, former Bahamas Ambassador to the United States and currently Senior Policy Adviser to Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis; and Bernard Colebrooke, a Bahamian who is a U.S. Army veteran.
There is no indication, however, that the independence anniversary picnic that has been held annually on the grounds of a U.S. Army base, thanks to the U.S. military connections of Davidson and Colebrooke, during the four-plus years I was Press, Cultural Affairs and Information Manager at the Bahamas Embassy — and even before and after my diplomatic tenure at the Embassy — is being planned for this year.
The picnic generally attracted Bahamians from throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia, and from as far away as Pennsylvania and New York. One year, in particular, a strong Junkanoo contingent from Nassau was brought in for the celebrations, and in other years, organized Junkanoo groups made up of Bahamians in the diaspora provided that cultural aspect of Bahamian music at the picnic.
But while the picnic was a major aspect of the Independence celebrations in D.C., the “main event”, so to speak, was a huge reception at one of the area hotels. Last year’s reception was at the St. Regis Washington Hotel in downtown D.C., and in addition of Bahamians in the diaspora – as in previous years — the guest list included a cross-section of Washington’s diplomatic, political and business communities.
Included in the receptions that I attended in recent years, the one that is indelibly imprinted in my mind was held for the 41st independence celebration in 2014 at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown D.C. when the featured entertainment was The Bahamas National Youth Choir, at the time still under the direction of its founder Cleophas Adderley Jr.
Then in 2016, the featured entertainment included a concert-style performance by SHABACK, the sensational gospel group led by broadcast journalist Clint Watson, who was at the time with ZNS, but currently supervises the news team at EYEWITNESS NEWS, which in slightly more than a year has established itself as one of the leading news medium in The Bahamas.
And in 2017, although my diplomatic tenure at the Embassy had ended a couple weeks before the independence celebrations, we were blessed to have my favourite Bahamian entertainer, Funky D, perform at our reception in D.C. I don’t think it’s a secret among Bahamians who have followed my articles on Bahamian entertainment over the years that I consider Funky D to be one of the most talented entertainers in the country.
I was reminded of SHABACK’S sensational performance at our reception in 2016 when I saw the announcement on Facebook that the religious group will be featured in a gospel concert during “A Weekend of Entertainment” being presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, in conjunction with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Ministry of Tourism and the Potters Cay Dock Vendors this weekend (May 17 – 19).
It crossed my mind that it surely would be great if SHABACK could be encouraged to again bless us with an appearance in D.C. for this year’s independence celebrations. Maybe – HINT, HINT, HINT – newly created multi-millionaire Adrian Fox, who thought nothing of paying thousands of dollars for a sky box for him and selected guests to see Buju Banton, could make a “philanthropic” donation to cover SHABACK’S trip to D.C.
However, I suppose that unless something happens, and happens soon, it appears as if this year’s independence celebration in D.C.. will not be anywhere near as grand as past celebrations. The major reason for this, of course, is that Nic Davidson, who was President of Bahamian American Association in the D.C. area, is now a pilot with a major international airline, and although he arranged for last year’s picnic to be held at Statesmen Picnic Grounds at the US Army’s Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, he is not available to make similar arrangements this year.
What’s more, Khandra Sears and Bernard Colebrook, the other two “workhorses” who were principal organizers of the celebrations in D.C., have apparently decided that this year’s celebration would be too taxing on their time and energy without more committed support from other Bahamians in the diaspora.
To be sure, if Khandra could do it on her own, she would. Over the years she has been one of the most committed Bahamians in the diaspora to promoting Bahamian culture in the Washington, D.C. area. When her father Joshua Sears was Bahamas Ambassador to the United States (2000-2006), she was one of the chief organizers of The Bahamas’ participation in the annual D.C. Caribbean Carnival parade on Georgia Avenue N.W., which ceased to exist in 2011.
The Bahamas was annually represented by a strong Junkanoo group comprised of Bahamians in the diaspora and a contingent of seasoned Junkanoo participants from Nassau, whose trip to D.C. was partially funded by the Government.
Khandra’s involvement in organizing The Bahamas’ participation was so intense that the reception area at the ambassador’s official residence in an up-scale area of Northwest Washington was transformed for several months into a virtual “Junkanoo shack.”
Undoubtedly, she must be extremely disappointed that this year’s independence celebrations will not be as “big” as in recent years. However, her father Joshua Sears is currently a Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister, so it may not be a bad idea if she uses whatever degree of nepotism she can muster to ask him to let the Prime Minister know that Bahamians in the diaspora in the Washington, D.C. area would be terribly disappointed if the celebration of this year’s independence anniversary does not, in some respect, equal what they have become accustomed to in recent years.
Of course, this is not a serious suggestion, but it would certainly be great if the National Youth Choir, SHABACK or Funky D could headline the reception.
In addition to the reception and the picnic, a Church Service at one of the historic churches in D.C. has also been one of the events of the independence celebrations.
