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Turks & Caicos Islands Junkanoo Museum

 

Creative Arts Trip

Activities Week was held at the British West Indies Collegiate this week.  The Creative Arts Team (Miss Rankin, Mr Handfield, Mrs Chapman) escorted 12 students as a part of these activities to the new museum in downtown Providenciales. Our main focus was learning the history and traditions associated with Turks & Caicos Islands Junkanoo .

Turks & Caicos Islands Recycling

On this marvelous afternoon outing we learnt about how the costumes and instruments are primarily made from recycled materials. The use of recycled waste proved inspirational! Those of us from the Student Council  are currently organising a recycling initiative at BWIC, how serendipitous !

Music & Dance

We got lost in our own junkanoo for 45 minutes of dancing and playing instruments. This fun parade was the most enjoyable part.  Our music teacher , Mr. Handfield, noted we could have gone on for hours!  Kitchener Penn (Kitch), who runs the Museum, said the Collegiate has some fantastic Junkanoo-ers in the making! Sadly, however, we had to conclude our parade  and get back to school.

What is Junkanoo ?

Traditionally occurring at Christmas, it is a street parade of dancers carried by the momentum of their energetic music and rhythms. John Canoe, a legendary West African chief  idolised by the slaves  is said to be the origin of the name. With only three days off, Christmas, Boxing and New Year’s Day, the slaves would rush out on the streets to celebrate. This enthusiastic tradition continues even yet, with parades taking place on most islands.

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