Bahamas: Arts & Media

Music and performance form the most visible expression of Bahamian arts and media. Junkanoo, an annual street parade held on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, blends music, dance, and elaborate handmade costumes and traces its origins to celebrations held by enslaved Africans during brief holiday reprieves from plantation labor. Junkanoo bands perform to goatskin drums, cowbells, horns, and whistles, drawing on West African rhythmic traditions. Alongside Junkanoo, Goombay and rake-n-scrape represent two other indigenous musical styles; Goombay's drum-driven sound shaped the work of early Bahamian performers such as Blind Blake and George Symonette, while rake-n-scrape relies on improvised instruments including the carpenter's saw.

Visual art in the Bahamas often reflects the islands' landscapes and communities, with painters such as Amos Ferguson, Brent Malone, and John Beadle gaining recognition for depicting everyday Bahamian life in bold color. Storytelling occupies a similarly central role in Bahamian cultural life, historically used to preserve history and pass down moral lessons, often delivered in Bahamian dialect, a Creole blending English with West African linguistic influences.

Contemporary Bahamian arts continue to build on these traditions while engaging broader audiences through festivals, galleries, and recorded media. Junkanoo in particular has expanded beyond its holiday origins into a year-round cultural industry, with museums, parade competitions, and educational programs helping sustain the craft skills involved in costume-making and drumming.