‘Ole Time Ting Come Back Again’ to Bodden Town

Juggler Edgar Ortiz from Costa Rica led the Jonkunnu
parade in Bodden Town last Saturday
Photo Alan Markoff

The Jonkunnu parade started out at the Bodden Town
Civic Centre and headed to the district’s public beach

A group of dancers at a re-enactment of a traditional
Jonkunnu Festival at Bodden Town

A Jonkunnu drummer and fifers came to participate from Jamaica	Lorenzo Berry (left), Burman Scott were among the musicians performing
Aunt Julia Hydes	Consuelo Ebanks donned one of the animal costumes for the parade

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

As part of the Cayfest events, a re-enactment of a traditional Caymanian Jonkunnu celebration, called ‘Ole Time Ting Come Back Again’ took place in Bodden Town last Saturday.

Cayfest, or the Cayman Islands National Festival of the Arts as it is also known, is a series of arts events organised by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF).

At the event’s opening, Minister of Education, Human Resources and Culture, Hon Roy Bodden, JP, said: “Those of us from my generation will remember Jonkunnu, and Jonkunnu is back again.”

CNCF director, Henry Muttoo, said: “Bodden Town used to be a place where Jonkunnu was in the old day, and this is to try to get people interested in it again. We are attaching other things to it, like the greasy pole, food selling, and we have a group of Jonkunnu performers from Jamaica.”

At their craft stall, Josie and Rena Solomon were showing examples of traditional patchwork rugs and quilts that they had made.

Josie remembers the celebration from the past. “We used to have Jonkunnu. They ran it every New Year’s Day, from Pease Bay” she said, “but they didn’t keep up the tradition.”

Juggler, Edgar Ortiz, from Costa Rica, was invited to the festival after taking part in the traditional storytelling festival, Gimme Story, last year.

“I’ve been doing juggling about 10 years,” said Edgar. “Sometimes when I do storytelling with the kids, I do a little bit of juggling, because it keeps their attention in a different way.”

Local musicians included Aunt Julia, who was sitting down and playing her drum, and the local band, Explosion.

There were also a group of Jamaican Jonkunnu dancers, drummer and fifers who were wearing the costumes of four of the many colourful Jonkunnu characters, ‘Wild Indian,’ ‘Itchy-Patchy,’ ‘The Sweeper,’ and ‘The Devil.’

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