Workers Academy Junkanoo Babies Delight In First Ever Parade

By Arthia Nixon (The Ambassador Agency) for Workers Academy, Photos by Dion Maycock

Nassau, The Bahamas… Over 300 tiny tots with their eyes all aglow kicked off the holiday season by hosting their Bay Street worthy version of Junior Junkanoo Babies on Parade on Wednesday. The participating students are all a part of Workers Academy and Childcare Centre Junkanoo Babies Parade.

Several fun themes were displayed such has Ne-Hao Kai-Lan and China, Sesame Street, Educational Characters, and the Living Things Made By God.

According to principal of the institution, Dale Davis, the parade was an immense success mainly in part to the school’s Parent Teacher Association and parent involvement. She especially acknowledged the crowd of spectators that stayed strong from 10 to 2.30 pm.

“We held the parade in the middle of the day and parents took time from their jobs to see their children participate,” she said. “We’ve had parents come and decorate the cribs of those who are too little to make the rush and we had parents stay late into the evening or come in extremely early to make certain that their children’s classes were ready.”

Principal Davis says that the main objective of educating children about their culture was fulfilled based on what she saw.

“We sought to educate our students about their culture in a direct hands-on approach,” she said. “We wanted give them all aspects from learning, to coloring, to making costumes and to rush and based on the parent feedback that we’ve been getting, who knows, we might consider looking into joining the major parade next year.”

Workers Academy and Childcare Centre, which facilitates children from three months to sixth grade is the education arm of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union and is attached to Workers House in New Providence.

Manifest Now Solo Star On His Dunamus Soundz Label

Nassau, The Bahamas… After spending the past decade launching the musical careers of well rounded entertainers such as Bodine ‘BE’ Johnson and Ricardo ‘Mr. Beeds’ Forbes, multi-award winning producer/hip hopper, Lavard ‘Manifest’ Parks announced that he is now the sole artist on his Dunamus Soundz Records label.

Manifest established himself as pioneer on the Caribbean hip hop scene as a teenager when he started the label, after being musically moulded by Double Syx, the producer who introduced the world to Manifest and other artists such as Ternielle ‘TaDa’ Burrows. Now, the hit-maker and founder of the Bahamas Hip Hop Fest says he’s ready to take his music to a whole other level, and as a result has had to make changes to facilitate the road he’s now travelling.

“I just want to clear the air that no one was dropped or fired or anything,” stated Manifest. “The people who were on the label were and still are family. Everyone got to complete what they were working on and it was really cool how we are still able to chat each other up when it’s time to make music and such. The real deal is that I am unable at this time to commit to developing the whole artist as I once did because the vision I wrote is becoming plain and there is room for the work of my hands. In other words, Manifest is about to blow the roof off! Because I’ll be travelling the Caribbean and North America very soon and of course my obligation to my family and even the youth I mentor, I simply won’t have the time to focus on polishing up an artist.”

Manifest noted that while he will be pushing himself as an artist with a team of managers and publicists in the Caribbean, Bahamas and North America, the overall goal is to take the lessons he’s learnt and come back to help establish more artists from his country.

“I mean, it’s like this – in order to take your craft to another level once you’ve saturated a market, you have to follow opportunities as they present themselves,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to have had a great decade of hits in my country, and I’m blessed to see that the hardwork has paid off with the awards I’ve received, but the time is right to take it to a whole new level. We’re not breaking the company down, we’re building on to it.”

Presently, Manifest is working on his latest music video and putting the finishing touches on HISlife, HISmic set to be release in early 2010. Good Times, the first single from the album has already been making the top ten lists on several stations and magazines while providing him with opportunities to perform live including at this weekend’s Artists 4 Peace concert.

“It’s been a really good time for me because of the people I surround myself with,” admits Manifest. “My wife has been there every step of the way supporting me – I mean, when Dunamus Soundz was still an idea in my head, she was the one who got me my first computer. Of course, my right hand man Corridon ‘The Don’ Hanna has been behind the scenes from the start and while I travel he’s going to be holding it down. I also wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the fans who actually continue pushing me to bring more clean, cuss-free, feel good hits so I thank God for them. And even though he’s only been here for four months, my son Jojo also gives me new motivation and he’s already living the hip hop life by joining us when we do some interviews and shows and who knows, he might even have a cameo in one of the new videos. All in all, keep looking out and checking me up on Facebook, MySpace and www.dunamussoundz.com because we are taking it to a whole new level!”

TADA: She’s That Girl At The Mall This Weekend

Nassau, The Bahamas… The leading lady of the local music scene will show first hand why she continues soaring to international standards this weekend at the Mall at Marathon June 27 from 12 to 2 p.m.
TaDa will be bringing along a few friends who’ve been making their waves a tsunami in the industry like NCity, Fred Ferguson, DJ Clean Cut, DJs Supa Mario, DJ iGnite, NCity, Bodine 'Be' Johnson, Kyng David, Randy C, ReBirth, Asdarjah Bahamas, FDot, The Little Dicey Doe Boys, Vamp and a whole host of entertainment media and local paparazzi.
Come and spice up your MySpace or Facebook page with a photo of TaDa or some of these other awesome artists. Get a copy of her latest album and she might even sign it for you!