Junkanoo Leaders

Jackson L. Burnside III
March, RIBA, IBA
one of One Family's Leaders

Owner/Principal: Jackson Burnside Limited - Architects/Planners/Interiors Designers
and Doongalik Studios

EDUCATION: University of Pennsylvania; Master of Architecture (for the studio program of Louis I. Kahn).

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE/PROJECTS: As owner and president of Jackson Burnside Limited and Doongalik Studios, Jackson Burnside has studied and practiced abroad for many years and is a sought after lecturer who often tells his Project Teams and Architecture students to examine their own architectural heritage for its “common sense”. He also shares with them his belief in the importance of understanding appropriateness of material, climatic conditions, natural light, structure, client requirements in developing design that neither overwhelms nor insults its surroundings, but seems instead to rise naturally from them.

Educated at Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) and the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Fine Arts, Mr. Burnside is the holder of two Master’s Degrees in Architecture from the Professional Degree program, and the Design Studio of Louis I. Kahn. He is also a graduate of the Disney Approach to Creativity Seminar.

He has worked with the world-renowned Architect Louis I. Kahn, and with ARUP Associates, a division of the world-acclaimed OVE ARUP Partnership, on industrial and institutional projects in Bangladesh, Iran, Israel, England and the Bahamas. He was the first Bahamian Senior Architect for the Bahamas Ministry of Works as well as a partner with Space International and The Architects Partnership, both successful firms in The Bahamas. He is a visiting lecturer at the Caribbean School of Architecture.

Jackson Burnside is registered to practice Architecture, both in the Bahamas and in the United Kingdom. While practicing in London England, he was elected to the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1976 and registered with the Architects and Registration Council of the United Kingdom. He is registered with the Professional Architects Board of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and is a Member of the Institute of Bahamian Architects.

Mr. Burnside, as an artist and cultural advocate, has been the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including the Arthur Spayd Brook medal for Excellence in Architectural Design (University of Pennsylvania), and The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizens Award for the Creative and Performing Arts. A strong supporter of the Bahamian culture, devoting endless hours to the development of Junkanoo, he is Chairman Emeritus and a designer of the ‘One Family’ Junkanoo and Community Organization Group, and host of the popular live interactive radio show ‘Junkanoo Talks’.


Gus Cooper
Valley Boys Leader

Percy "Vola" Francis

Percy Viola Francis VOLA: King Of Junkanoo In the early 60’s a young man from Mason Addition just over the Hill in the East Street Area of Nassau, surfaced to the top of the Junkanoo Scene, designing to push the level of Junkanoo to new heights. With a background in art, which began at an early age, his creative talents were developed at Art Classes in the St. Agnes school room under the tutorship of Mr. Don Russell.

His talents were further developed at the Southern Junior and Senior Schools under the leadership of a renowned Bahamian Artist Mr. Horace Wright.
These men have both now passed, but their knowledge of Art and its effectiveness is seen everytime the Saxons Superstars Junkanoo Group goes to Bay Street.

The young man in whom the seed of art was planted and who’s dream it was to affect the Junkanoo scene is Percival Earle Francis. The eldest son of the Rev. Dr. Earle and Marjorie Francis, more commonly known to us as Percy ‘Vola’ Francis, the King of Junkanoo in the Bahamas.

Vola is the Leader, Artistic designer and costume builder of the Saxons Superstars. This group which emerged in 1962 out of the Mason’s Addition Area, just off East Street was founded by the then Leader Philip Cooper assisted by Andrew Pennerman, George ‘Ton’ Turnquest, James and Ettiene Lockhart. The Wallace Brothers and others. Then in 1965, at the tender age of 16 ‘Vola’ emerged as the leader of this fine group of men, who got the name Saxons, that same year, as the name Saxons originated from a costume of the same name. ‘Vola’ has given almost 40 years of sacrifice to see the art of Junkanoo develop. He has made an unselfish contribution to Junkanoo as an artist, knowing full well that the monetary reward for his hours of work was non- existent.

‘Vola’ has made personal sacrifices as a family man. Because of his devotion and dedication to the arts, he has lost valuable time with his parents, his brothers and sisters and most of all his children.

These sacrifices should not be, but have gone unnoticed for many years. ‘Vola’ for the past (3) decades has almost singlehandly been responsible for raising sponsorship monies, finding the themes for the group, developing the ideas and ideals, designing the costume’s and leading the Saxons Superstars to many victories.

He has however been able to encourage and surround himself with people who have made the group successful.

‘Vola’ is an innovator, who manages to merge the best of the old and the new in Junkanoo. He is the embodiment of all those magical elements that keep Junkanoo alive and exciting. It has been asked whether our Junkanoo setting was that of a university setting, for the amount of work done by ‘Vola’ in terms of research and subject development of creative ideas, over the period of years, he would have long earned a P.H.D. Degree in the Art of Junkanoo.

‘Vola’ has given Junkanoo personality, and that same personality is utilized in his position as the Junior Junkanoo consultant with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. He is admired for his mesmerizing costumes and dance performance and he has created the ever popular Junkanoo dance called the Vola Shuffle, which has led him to become a Legend in Junkanoo.

Percy ‘Vola’ Francis is an Artist born with natural talent. He is a painter, designer, window decorator, sign writing, song writer and singer. In 1973 he wrote and produced the popular song Jumbey Village dedicated to the founder of the Jumbey Village Project Edmund Moxey.



Leslie Johnson
Leader ROOTS Junkanoo Group

Leslie was born the 12th December, 1964, on the island of New Providence. He graduated the Government High School a learned student and a Junkanoo aficionado. His hobbies include painting and Junkanoo, the art form, as his interests were always design and color, form and technology. He continued his studies at the College of the Bahamas and Hampton University. He is now one of the few certified architects in the country.

He has been with ROOTS junkanoo group since inception, some twelve years as a founder, although he has been in Junkanoo all his life, Music Makers and The Valley Boys. He has held the positions of Co-leader and Leader of the group for some three years now.His love for Junkanoo has made ROOTS his family, so he remains single looking for that special woman of ilk and Junkanoo heart. His aims and objectives for the group are to make it a self sufficient cultural icon, with a base for cultural history, artwork and international exposure accessibility.

His personal goals are to be a success in his profession and in the Junkanoo world, so he is avidly seeking this win on Bay Street, again. A family of Junkanoo spirits would be a plus. His plans for the group for this year are to establish the home base for the group on Celery Drive and put a signature on both parades for 2002.