ISLAND SCENE MAGAZINE

Islandscene A Publication for The Islands of The Bahamas

Vol.1 No.4

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

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contents

Islandscene / Vol. 1/4

8.

News Lines West Bay Street Road Diversion Project Completed.

11.

The Gullah/Geechee Connection The character and personality of the Bahamian people owe much to the Gullah and Geechee people who live in South Carolina southern Georgia and the coastal islands offshore South Carolina and Georgia.

Cover art by: Latisha Knowles

24. Bahama Mamas In Celebration of Bahamian Women.

Magnificent women, hallelujah women. Phenomenal, ordinary, courageous, everyday women. They are all there – resplendently captured at the Bahama Mamas’ Public Treasury Art Program (PTAP) Inaugural Exhibition (Sept. 2011-Feb. 2012) at the Public Treasury building, East St.

46.

Islands of The Bahamas Nassau & Paradise Island

53. 50TH Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage Movement

Welcome to Nassau & Paradise Island, each as unique as its name. You can dance to the beat of Bahamian nightlife, play in the casinos or explore the unspoiled beaches. From world-class golf, diving, boating , fishing and sightseeing to international shopping, you’ll find it all on Nassau/Paradise Island.

Fifty years ago the right to vote was a major achievement for the women of The Bahamas. Marion Bethel’s documentary chronicles the struggle to achieve that right and features the women and men who stood together and made a difference.

2 Islandscene /Vol.1/4

Islandscene We’re looking for people who love to write.

Islandscene magazine is published quarterly by Benchmark Publishing Co. Ltd. P.O. Box CB-12957, Nassau, Bahamas.

Tel: 242.323.3398 - Fax: 242-326-2020. www.islandscenemagazine.com. and Email: benchmark@batelnet.bs

Publisher & Editor-In-Chief Aaron H. Knowles

Business Editor Berencia Isaacs

Art Director Aaron H. Knowles

Features Editor Ashley H. Knowles

Islandscene is seeking contributing writers

Picture Editor Antoine Ferrier

Research Irwin McSweeney Tracey S. Knowles

You’re invited by the Editors to submit your manuscripts for possible publication and to accept occasional writing assignments on topics listed in our writers’ guidelines below: Writers’ Guidelines: Interesting and provocative articles on: Domestic and Foreign Travel, Business, Banking, Financial Services, Real Estate, Culture, The Arts, Music, Theatre, Entertainment, Film, Food, Dance, Festivals, Sports, General Human Interest Stories, Fiction, Book Reviews, Personalities, History, Government, Current Affairs, Politics, Law, Religion, Family Life, Health, Fashion.

Articles, should be lively to a degree of sophistication and should air for literary excellence. Domestic travel and business features must have a specific story angle. First person approach is generally unacceptable. We are not opposed to controversial articles.

We seek stories on relevant contemporary themes, but wish to explore all angles in controversies.

For additional information and rates please contact us through:

The Editor Islandscene Magazine

Contributors Cordell Thompson Inderia Saunders Melissa Knowles Charles Huggins Gina Morley

Circulation Kevin A. Knowles

All rights reserved. Contents copyrighted, 2011 by Benchmark Publishing Co. Ltd. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the Publisher. Unless mutually specified all letters addressed to Islandscene, its Publishers and Editors, are assumed intended for publication. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information and the Publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions that may occur. No responsibility accepted for unsolicited material.

P.O. Box CB 12957, Nassau, Bahamas - Tel: 242.323.3398 - Fax: 242.326.2020 www:islandscenemagazine.com / Email: benchmark@batelnet.bs Islandscene /Vol. 1/4

3

welcomeABOARD

very year, millions of individuals find it necessary to travel to The Bahamas or within the country to visit friends or relatives, conduct business transactions or take that dream vacation.

For many of these travelers, this experience begins with Bahamasair, our national airline, where customer care is personal. From reservations to baggage collection, we

E

are driven by a personal desire to do everything to make Bahamasair your preferred airline.

Bahamasair places steadfast focus on employee development and customer care. In this regard, we are committed to ensuring as far as possible that we consistently deliver an enjoyable travel experience at a competitive rate from Florida in the southern USA to Inagua in the southern Bahamas. If however, at any time you feel that as a customer, we have fallen short of our goal, we encourage you to take advantage of our customer feedback programme. We also invite your specific ideas for product improvement or commendation when a Bahamasair representative goes beyond the call of duty.

We thank you for choosing Bahamasair, and we look forward to serving you today and in the future. Welcome aboard!

Sincerely, The. Hon. Neko C. Grant, I, J.P., M.P. Minister of Public Works & Transport

4

Islandscene / Vol.1/4

newsLINES

West Bay Road Diversion Project Completed

“In the great enterprise of transforming our capital island we are building on and securing the dreams of many Bahamians.” Prime Minister, Hubert Ingraham.

P

rime Minister, Hubert Ingraham, officially opened the new diverted West Bay Street at the Baha Mar Resort on Cable Beach on Friday 11th November.

The realignment of West Bay Street diverts traffic south of the Baha Mar Resort, nowadays marketed as “Baha Mar: The Bahamian Riviera,” to facilitate Baha Mar’s mega development.

The new West Bay Street is being connected to JFK Drive by a new connector road now under construction extending from the new segment of West Bay Street to the intersection of JFK Drive with Gladstone Road.

The connector road is a part of the original plan for the New Providence Infrastructure Improvement Project which, save for the Baha Mar Resort Development would have connected Gladstone Road and JFK Drive to old West Bay Street in the vicinity of the Cable Beach Police Station.

Prime Minister Ingraham said “The completion of the connector road linking JFK Drive and West Bay Street will further advance the Government’s plans to improve the northsouth flow of traffic on New Providence, linking the heavily populated residential suburbs in southwestern New Providence to principal work centres in Cable Beach and in downtown Nassau.

“The existing portion of West Bay Street (from west of Sulgrave Manor and Breezes Resort to the roundabout in front of the Sheraton Hotel) will now be conveyed to Baha Mar by

Officials cheer as West Bay Street is officially opened. From left Sarkis Izmirlian, Chairman and CEO of Baha Mar; Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert Ingraham; Public Works and Transport Minister the Hon. Neko Grant; and The Most Rev’d Patrick Pinder, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)

the Government for the construction of its 1,000 room casino hotel, 700 room convention hotel, 100,000 sq. ft. casino and 150,000 sq. ft. convention centre and related amenities. West Bay Street east of Sulgrave Manor will remain and shall be accessible by the new round-a-bout west of Goodman’s Bay.” Prime Minister Ingraham said that the newly realigned portion of West Bay Street falls neatly within the greater New Providence roadwork development program now progressing to accommodate the most massive urbanization and community Islandscene / Vol.1/4 5

newsLINES

expansion that has ever occurred on the island. He said that the very considerable movement of people to the farther expanses of the island especially to the South, West and East over the last four decades has now combined with the development of massive commercial establishments in more recent time to create an enormous imperative for addressing the challenges to ground transportation that this presents.

“Projects of the size and scope of Atlantis and Baha Mar” he continued, “enjoy an especially symbiotic and complementary relationship with the Bahamian community.

The requirement for improved entry and exit between the properties, the LPIA and places of interest around the island and the need for an improved general infrastructure to

Prime Minister Ingraham said that both Bahamians and visitors to New Providence are guaranteed to enjoy the much improved and beautifully landscaped thoroughfare whether as motorists or as pedestrians. “Certainly,” he continued, “those who have for many years used the West Bay Street median strip as a part of an exercise route or as the lush backdrop for photographs of wedding parties or other special family occasions will find that the replacement walking and jogging paths and park gardens meet, indeed comfortably surpass, what was offered in the old median park.

“I note, in a nod to history, that the deviation southward of West Bay St at Cable Beach is not a new or recent idea. Indeed, the earliest proposal to shift this principal roadway southward

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham (third from left) chats with Sarkis Izmirlian chairman and CEO of Baha Mar Ltd. Pictured from left is Opposition Leader, Perry Christie, and Public Works and Transport Minister, Neko Grant. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)

Prime Minister, Hubert Ingraham (centre) is pictured on a tour of the new West Bay Street with Sarkis Izmirlian, chairman and CEO of Baha Mar along with his wife. (BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)

accommodate the required interaction between these vast properties and the Bahamian community naturally give immediate priority to measures that benefit all residents.

“The need to improve and upgrade our road system in New Providence, to vastly improve the value of publicly supplied water and electricity, and to upgrade the physical and organizational quality of the island’s airport and harbour are without doubt driven by the immediate needs of large and important investments in our principal economic sector.

Fortunately the success of that sector will enable these considerable expenditures to be undertaken. That is to say this huge expenditure is justified in both economic and social terms.”

affording increased acreage for resort and convention room development along Cable Beach dates to the early 1980s. So imminent were those plans at the time that when the Hotel Corporation constructed what became the Cecil WallaceWhitfield Centre, the main entrance to the building was placed at the rear of the building fronting on what was then intended to become the new deviated West Bay Street.”

Mr. Ingraham said his government has been involved during most of the past four years in a planned upgrade and enhancement of infrastructure on New Providence meant to transform the island into a world-class destination. “Nassau Harbour has been deepened permitting calls by the newest and largest cruise ships”; he continued, “the expansion of Arawak Islandscene / Vol.1/4

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newsLINES

Cay is completed and the transfer of the commercial cargo port from the city centre to Arawak Cay is underway. The first phase of the redevelopment of the LPIA is completed and phase 2 is progressing well.

“It is a wonderful reality that our infrastructural upgrade is helping to spur economic development generally, to sustain

in particular in the construction and landscape of this new road and the new Commercial Village. They have produced first world quality work and they have completed their contracted projects on time. Their success, I believe, bodes well for the success of Bahamian companies bidding on components of the core project.

and create jobs in the important construction sector and

“I was very pleased that Mr. Jimmy Mosko provided me

additionally, as in this case, to improve our tourism sector

access to the work site during various stages of the road

widening hotel choices available to the very important stopover

construction. He was especially proud to point out his

visitor market.”

supervisors working alongside the workmen on a Sunday

Prime Minister Ingraham said a year ago last month,

morning – all committed to getting the job done well and early.

discussions between the Government and Baha Mar and its

I hope that he was able to win the bonus he was seeking to earn

financiers resulted in an increase in the value of contracts to

for coming in ahead of schedule!

Pictured above is the Commercial Village where Commonwealth Bank, Fidelity Bank, Scotiabank and the Police and Fire Stations have been relocated. Pictured, above right, are the lighted jogging/footpath and lakefront boardwalks. IslandScene photos / Antoine Ferrier.

be awarded to Bahamian companies in the construction of the core works of the new Baha Mar Resort from $200 million to $400 million.

“Baha Mar’s new Commercial Village accommodates a newly constructed and expanded Cable Beach Police Station and three banking institutions previously located along old West Bay Street: the Bank of Nova Scotia, Commonwealth Bank and Fidelity Bank. And, the development of a new and improved replacement straw market to be called Pompey’s Village is taking shape at the entrance to the Village.

“I am especially proud of the first class workmanship demonstrated by those Bahamian companies already engaged in the construction of ancillary facilities for the project and

“I am pleased to acknowledge and recognize all those Bahamian contractors who won substantial contracts in this early phase of Baha Mar’s development:

·

Road works and sidewalks - Bahamas Marine/ISD Bahamas and Bahamas Hot Mix and Caribbean Concrete.

·

Electrical works by the PDEC Company.

·

Commercial Village Construction.

.

Commonwealth Bank - Osprey Developers Ltd.

.

Police and Fire Station - CGT Contractors.

Islandscene / Vol. 1/4 9

newsLINES

.

Fidelity Bank - John F.Dunn, and Associates, and

.

Scotiabank - Cavalier Construction

“And, I am told some $500,000 has been expended on the construction of the temporary Pompey Village site accommodating straw vendors, the daiquiri shack and a number of kiosks.

“Landscaping has been carried out by Caribbean Landscape, the Artistic Group, Enviroscape 2000, Creative Design by Munroe and Oasis Landscape Ltd. Prime Minister Ingraham also noted that the supervision of the road works was provided by Reiss Engineering, a Bahamian owned company based in Florida engaged by the Bahamas Government.

Prime Minister Ingraham said “this planned mega redevelopment underway by Baha Mar gives new meaning to the word ambitious.“The Resort when completed will in addition to the casino and convention hotels include:

·

200 room luxury hotel;

·

300 room lifestyle hotel;

·

100,000 sq.ft. casino;

·

150,000 sq.ft. standalone convention center;

·

Timeshare offerings;

·

20 acre beach and pool grounds;

·

60,000 sq ft retail entertainment village and

·

18-hole signature golf course.

“With the opening of this road, Baha Mar will enjoy access to a large single-space campus enabling it to bring to fruition its dream of a Bahamian Riviera over the next three years.

Beyond enjoying the economic benefits arising from this project, residents of New Providence will also enjoy a scenic, aesthetically pleasing drive along one of the last remaining areas of New Providence’s original wetland wilderness, restored and made accessible for the first time to the Bahamian public.

“The completion of this 1.25 mile realigned portion of

10 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

the West Bay Street,” he continued, “ includes the completion of five (5) round-a-bouts, a lighted jogging/footpath and lakefront boardwalks. The finished product conveys, I believe, a sense of place because of the incorporation of indigenous resources such as conch shells and native stone into the landscape design.

“I join the Minister of Public Works & Transport in expressing the appreciation of the Government of The Bahamas to Baha Mar for the wonderful training and employment opportunities being created for Bahamian workers and for Bahamian business, and I congratulate the Izmirlian family and very particularly Mr. Sarkis Izmirlian and extend best wishes to him and his team here at Baha Mar for the successful completion of this resort development. And, Sarkis, now that we are opening the new deviated West Bay Street I remind how much I am looking forward to the early release of Frank and Phil to assist us with a more timely completion of the New Providence Road Infrastructure Improvement Programme. Not that you will need prodding.”

Prime Minister Ingraham expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its role in supporting and facilitating the financing of this mega development by the China Export Import Bank.

We are especially grateful for the confidence the financing of this project demonstrates for the future strength and growth of the economy of The Bahamas.

“I thank also the China State Construction Company and in particular Mr. Tiger Wu and his team for the work they have done to date toward the timely completion of the Baha Mar project which we confidently expect will be structurally sound, built with excellent quality materials and to the highest standards.

“In the great enterprise of transforming our capital island we are building on and securing the dreams of many Bahamians. This new re-aligned West Bay Street has provided opportunities for the use of ideas and talents of capable Bahamian technicians and artists, environmentalists and planners and construction professionals. We look forward to more of this in the months and years ahead as the full Baha Mar story is unveiled” Prime Minister Ingraham said in closing.

bahamaIslanders

THE GULLAH/GEECHEE

CONNECTION

By Cordell Thompson

A

ccording to European history, The Bahamas was the first landfall of the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus on his voyage of discovery on October 1492. The truth was that when he arrived in this part of the world, the islands were already inhabited by Arawak Indians who had originally migrated from the South American mainland.

They shared a kinship with the Taino and Lucayan Indians who inhabited Jamaica, Hispaniola and Cuba. In return for their hospitality, Columbus changed their names, the names of the places they lived, and he, and later the Spanish adventurers wiped these gentle people from the human race.

Although considered part of the Caribbean, the islands that make up The Bahamas are well out in the Atlantic, stretching more than 650 miles from the eastern coast of Florida to the south-eastern tip of Cuba. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the island of Exuma, one of the few Taino names still attached to the country.

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I

n 1647 during the time of the English Civil War, a

group of Puritan religious refugees from the royalist colony of Bermuda, the Eleutheran Adventurers,

founded the first permanent European settlement in The Bahamas and gave Eleuthera Island its name.

Similar groups of settlers formed governments in The Bahamas, but the isolated cays sheltered pirates and wreckers through the 17th century. In 1663, Charles II granted the Bahamas to the Lord Proprietors of the Carolinas, but the islands were left entirely to themselves.

After Charles Town (as New Providence was then called) was destroyed by a joint French and Spanish fleet in 1703,

government issued land grants in Jamaica, Canada and the Bahamas to a group of British Loyalists who chose the wrong side in the war.

The sparse population of The Bahamas tripled in a few years. In 1791, the population of the Bahamas was 2,000 Whites and 2,241 Blacks, but by 1786 it had trebled to 6,009 Whites and 8,957 Blacks. The new arrivals had to abandon fairly comfortable lifestyles on the American mainland and thought to grow cotton and re-create their plantations systems, but the limestone soil, the boll weevil and chenille bug put an end to those dreams. After a few years, the plantations failed and soon both the Black and

Pictured left to right: Christopher Columbus, General James Edward Oglethorpe, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and Woodes Rodgers.

the local pirates proclaimed an anarchic “Privateers’

White settlers turned to the sea for a new way of life.

Republic” with Edward Teach better known as Blackbeard for chief magistrate.

The new arrivals however brought their food, culture, folkways and most importantly, their language, and although

In 1718, the islands became a British Crown Colony, and the first Royal Governor, a reformed pirate named

a British colony from 1670 to Independence in 1973, culturally and linguistically, the character and personality

Woodes Rogers, expelled the buccaneers who had used the islands as hideouts. During the American War of

of the Bahamian people owe much to the Gullah and Geechee people who live in South Carolina, southern

Independence The Bahamas fell briefly to Spanish forces under General Galvez in 1782.

Georgia and the coastal islands offshore South Carolina and Georgia.

The modern history of The Bahamas can truly be said to have begun in the aftermath of the American War of

Today, the English spoken by the average working class Bahamian is so close to the Gullah dialect, that Bahamian

Independence or the Revolutionary War, when the British

migrant workers who found their way to Charleston,

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Savannah and many parts of Florida and Virginia during and after the Second World War could easily melt into the

expression and expertise in basket weaving, cotton, indigo, and rice cultivation, and the unique cuisine that drew on

local population at the drop of a phrase. They could do this because, “they could talk geechee good”. Idioms like

the rich harvest of the coastal marshlands. She-crab soup, fish and grits, peas and rice, fried mullet and conch are

“day clean” for dawn, and “terectly” for “soon” or “whenever” are still commonly used in both Charleston

still staples at fine eating establishments in Savannah, Charleston and Buford, South Carolina.

and Nassau. he true Gullah/Geechee culture is found in an

The Gullahs and their mainland cousins, the Geechees are direct descendants of Africans coming mostly from the

area that extends for several hundred miles from Cape Fear in North Carolina, down to the St. Johns

ethnic groups of West Africa and the Bantu of Central Africa. “Gullah” is believed to be a shortened form or

River in North Florida, near Jacksonville. The area is home

corruption of N’gola (Angola). There is no difference in the linguistic structure of Gullah and Sea Island Creole

T

to one of America’s most distinctive cultures, the Gullah

African King on horseback.

and Geechee people, the descendants of slaves who have stoutly maintained folkways, crafts, traditions – even a language whose origins can be traced back over the centuries to their homelands in West Africa.

The Gullah people and their traditions are a product of the Atlantic Slave trade. In the seventy-five years from the beginning of the 18th century to the declaration of independence, more than forty percent of the Africans arriving in the British North Americans Colonies were quarantined and processed in coastal islands off Georgia and South Carolina.

As they adapted to their new homes their culture found

North African King & advisors.

than that spoken in the Caribbean and Africa.

The word Geechee is believed to have derived from the plantations along the Oeechee River that flows through southeast Georgia to the Atlantic. Although linguists claims the Geechee dialect has antecedents in another Bantu dialect, the term Geechee is most commonly used in Charleston and Gullah is more widespread in Georgia on the coastal plains and the offshore Sea Islands.

The Gullah/Geechee culture on the coastal islands remained in almost total obscurity for more than 200 years, and until fairly recently their communities had seen little change. While many African traditions have been retained

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in the culture, change in the region is now widespread,

For example, in one of his stories, “How the Alligator

often overwhelming, and sometimes threatening this unique culture.

Skin Got Wrinkled,” Harris used the word “Nyam” which means, “to eat.” The word is still common in Jamaican

New bridges and roads have opened the area to intensive development and tourism, and sprawling resorts

dialect and residents of Cat Island and Andros use it to refer to a shoulder bag used for carrying food when going

like Hilton Head are sprouting everywhere. Family cemeteries, archaeological sites and fishing grounds are

to work in the fields. Other idioms, which occur in Bahamian and Gullah dialect, include:

being paved over or put off-limits by new owners, and familiar landmarks stores, churches, schools and houses are being demolished or replaced with new structures.

However, many grass roots organizations and community

Tell him, say...

Tell him

groups are collaborating with preservation societies and the national trust to educate the public, raise funds and

One man

A man

Me one

Me alone, only me

Mash up

Break, hurt, destroy

South also share a great story-telling tradition, and many of the themes and motifs suggest a common African past. But what is remarkable is that researchers

The headway I make

The speed I make

He rig a plan

He made a plan

have found one of the largest collections of folktales in the hemisphere in The Bahamas, over three hundred or more,

He jook a fish

He speared a fish

Do, for God’s sake

Intensification for any

secure technical assistance for protecting and preserving structures, landscapes and archaeological sites.

T

he cultures of the Bahamian and The American

and only in Africa are more folktales found and still told today. These stories speak to an African origin, particularly

verb

the Anansi stories, and show a commonality wherever Africans were settled in the new world.

One day more than all

One day particularly

Traditionally, parents and grandparents in the Bahamas draw on B’Booky and B’Rabby folktales to put children

He does tief

He steals

to sleep. These folk-tales have much in common with the Uncle Remus stories collected over a hundred years ago

The Gullah/Geechee language has been the subject

by a white Southerner, Joel Chandler Harris.

The Bahamas however is recognized as having one of

of much study by linguists and ethnographers and there is even now a Bible in the Gullah/Geechee dialect, and it

the largest collections of folktales of all Africans in the African Diaspora in the Americas, and their preservation

reads and sounds Bahamian.

In 1807, the British Parliament passed the Abolition

owes much to the work of Zora Neale Hurston, one of the leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Hurston is

of the Slave Trade Bill, which made it unlawful for any British subject to transport slaves. British captains, who

credited with documenting a wide collection of Bahamian folktales, songs and chants that still enrich The Bahamas.

were caught continuing the trade, were fined one hundred pounds for every slave found on board. The British Navy

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adopted the practice of intercepting slave traders of other European nations and depositing their cargo at the nearest

for Bahamians. Conch is eaten raw, scorched, or diced and mixed with hot pepper, celery, tomatoes and onion in

British ports.

a salad. It is also fried for cracked conch, or cooked with tomatoes as steamed conch, or with vegetables in chowder.

I

n the capital city of Nassau, the villages of Gambier,

Adelaide, Carmichael and Fox Hill were home to these liberated Africans. In Andros, there is still a Congo Town, and for years a popular basketball team in Fox Hill went by the name, the Fox Hill Nangoes.

Queen Victoria, but by that time, all Bahamians of African descent, whether they arrived with the Loyalists, whether they preceded the Loyalists, or whether they arrived by other means, were influenced by the culture

African Queen with royal assistants.

It is also deep-fried in flour batter to make conch fritters or “fitters.”

When dried for several months, it is soaked and revived to make a conch and okra soup. Dried conch is also “Hurricane Ham” because it can outlast any preserved meat and is good for any emergency. Restaurants in Charleston and Savannah serve stew conch with grits with breakfast just like any respectable restaurant in the Bahamas but

Image above right: Celebration of the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C., April 19th 1866. By F. Dielman.

and folkways of the Gullah/Geechee people.

Bahamians like their cousins in Savannah and

their conch is black from the mud they feed on.

At Hymans, a popular restaurant on Kings Street in

Charleston, believe that they have one of the most varied cuisines in the world which can hold its own against any

Charleston, one of the most popular items on the menu is stew fish and grits, a Bahamian staple separated by a few

recognized regional cuisine.

Bahamians have a way with fish and in a country with

hundred miles and about the same number of years.

A few years ago, two friends and I drove down from

over 100,000 square miles of water, there is a lot of fish and many ways to prepare it. Bahamians prefer their fish

Atlanta to explore the Gullah/ Geechee country. We took US 17 and drove through Augusta, (had to go see James

fried, baked, steamed (with tomato gravy), stewed or boiled. Popular species include grunts, snappers, groupers,

Brown’s statue) and then down to Savannah. It was one of the most pleasurable excursions for anyone interested

mackerels, porgy, turbots and sometimes barracudas.

Conchs thrive abundantly in Bahamian waters and this

in Southern history and culture and how the Bahamian culture and history intertwines.

gastropod has always been a favourite and versatile food

Savannah, is one of the prettiest cites in the Americas

16 Islandscene /Vol.1/4

bahamaIslanders

built on a bluff of the Savannah River. The historic district has 22 squares which vary in size and personalities, and

The links to Savannah and the Caribbean are strong, and the city commemorates these connections with

are lined with majestic magnolias, myrtle and oak trees.

The city was founded by General James Edward

monuments and plaques in many prominent places.

One monument is dedicated to a unit of Black Haitian

Oglethorpe, a philanthropist and representative of King George 11, who sent Oglethorpe to create a buffer south

soldiers who volunteered for a campaign to capture Savannah from the British in 1799. Another plaque notes

of the Savannah River to protect the Carolinas from Spanish Florida and French Louisiana.

that in 1776, Prince Hall, an immigrant from Barbados and 14 associates were made Masons by a regular English Army

The city is named after the Savannah River, a word derived from the tropical grassland that abound in the region

Lodge. In fact, much of the growth of Savannah was credited to Barbadian sugar planters who maintained homes in

and which the Spanish called Sabana. That word came from the Taino word Zabana.

Savannah which in the 17th and 18th centuries was the major port of entry for sugar and molasses from the Caribbean.

Gullah/Geechees: Basket weaver Verra Manigault and C.C. Williams, wood carver and fisherman. Photos by Diedre Laird.

H

istorians say that after Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman captured the city of Atlanta

Our visit to Savannah coincided with a playoff game with Mychal Thompson and the Los Angeles Lakers

on November 15, 1864, he practiced psychological warfare by marching his army across the

against the Boston Celtics so we had to find a place to watch the game and we didn’t want to watch it in a hotel

state to show the local population that the Union Army had a power that the confederates could not resist. He

lobby. I asked the Black doorman where would he go to watch the game, and he mentioned the name of several

abandoned his supply lines and scorched and burnt the country side from Atlanta to the Atlantic till he finally

establishments in the historic district. I said: “No man, I want to go where you does go.” He answered then that I

captured Savannah on December 21st.

The terrified citizens went out to meet Sherman and asked

had to go to the Elks club or the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) club. I said: “now we talkin.” We arrived at the

him if he had the heart to burn such a beautiful city. Sherman reconsidered and wrote President Abraham Lincoln that he

VFW and ordered beers. There were three of us and the waiter brought a bucket with a dozen bottles of beer on

was giving him the city as a New Year’s Day present.

ice. I told him we didn’t intend to drink that much. He Islandscene / Vol.1/4

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said you get a free bucket of shrimp with the order. I said

their descendants for ordinary household use, but which

that this was my kind of place and by the end of the night I believe we had two dozen beers and plenty more shrimp

now commands prices as high as $200 from collectors who recognize them as works of art.

and three free orders of fried catfish.

The atmosphere in the club was just like a regular

Our first stop was on St Helen’s Island and the Penn Centre. This is the heart of Gullah Culture. The Centre

night in any club over the hill. Brothers arguing over the game, nice looking ladies are having an after work cocktail

was built by Quakers from Pennsylvania at the end of the Civil War and is the site of the first free school for freed

and waiting for a kind and inviting word from three good looking guys. We were home, and here is a useful travel

slaves. It is one of the most significant African American historical and cultural institutions in existence today.

trip, if you want a good time in any city in America, ask for the VFW or the Elks club. They are mature, safe (You

The centre supports a rich program of activities that are designed to preserve the Gullah/Geechee culture and

check your handguns at the door and at the VFW they have their own backup), and the food is always good and

they include a Land Use and Environment Educational programs and displays of food, music and handicraft of

the drinks cheap. ome nights, like on Thursdays at the Elks Club on

the Gullah people of the sea island.

On our visit a local church was having a “cookout”

Sistrunk Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, the food is free and you can buy a half pint of Dewars. The best cracked conch I ever had in my life was at the Elks Club in Key West.

and the menu was fried shark and okra in rice. We were enjoying our meal and I asked a young lady her name and

Savannah is home to one of the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in America after New York and Boston, and

replied that I was. She told me that if I drove down the road a little bit to another town, there were some people

for the past eight years, the organizers have invited the Junkanoo group Barabbas and The Tribe to rock the five

who talked “bad” just like me. Everywhere we went in the area, I heard the dialects of Acklins and Andros, and I

mile route with the sounds of cowbells and goat skin drums.

It is also the largest container seaport on the east coast of

heard my father’s voice and the voices of my aunts and uncles. We kept saying to ourselves: “we know these

America.

As you drive out of the heart of Savannah, you cross

people.”

We visited cemeteries where headstones had names

the Eugene Tallmadge Memorial Bridge which spans the Savannah River, and you are immediately in the

like Glover, Johnston, Murray, and even Malone. What was interesting was that as we read the local newspapers

state of South Carolina, in real country. Mile after mile of marshes and wetlands, interspersed with abandoned

those names were associated with African American businesses. I don’t think we have any Black Malones in

rice fields and thickly wooded landscapes.

Rice growing was a major industry in the slave period

the Bahamas, something or somebody, got lost in the migration.

in The Carolinas and was introduced by African slaves as was the cultivation of indigo and basket weaving. At

I met a white man named Bill Forsythe who was doing research on his family so I told him that he needed to look

frequent stops along the highway, vendors sell and display sweetgrass baskets that were once crafted by slaves and

up records at the Anglican Church on Long Island. Many months later I got a note from him. He had actually gone

S

she replied: “Pudding and Tane.” I said: “What?” She repeated it. She asked if I was from the “Islands” and I

Islandscene / Vol.1/4

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bahamaIslanders

to Long Island, checked the records and found the record on that relative who started a family in Long Island but

Charleston is the oldest city in the United Sates and the name is derived from Charles Towne after King Charles

who returned to The Carolinas and was promptly hung for being a traitor to the new United Sates of America.This is

11 of England, who granted the Carolina territory (and the Bahamas) to eight of his loyal friends, the Lord Proprietors,

a part of the Loyalist migration that we lose sight of in The Bahamas. The Loyalists were losers.

in 1663. By the mid 18th century, Charleston had become a bustling port and commercial centre and the hub of the

During the war for American independence many of them informed on friends and neighbours who lost their

Atlantic trade for the Southern colonies. By 1770, it was the fourth largest port in the colonies after Boston, New

lives, so when their side lost, they had to leave. This was not in many ways a voluntary migrant or pioneers seeking

York, and Philadelphia, with a population of 110,000 mostly half of them slaves.

a new land, their way of life was not comfortable, or safe, at the end of the war.

Africans were brought to Charleston through the Middle Passage first as servants, then as slaves especially

e visited Beaufort, South Carolina. I like Beaufort because it’s the home of Joe Frazier

W

the peoples from the Wolof, Yoruba, Fulani, Ibo and Malinki tribes. These Africans brought their knowledge

and if you listen to him speak, he is a real Geechee. Like Savannah, Beaufort is rich in African

of rice cultivation which plantation owners made into a successful industry by the mid 1770’s. Slaves from the

American history and produced many Black elected officials in the period after the Civil War referred to as the

Caribbean brought the knowledge of indigo cultivation, an important dye which became a major export item to Europe.

Reconstruction period.

We met Marquetta Goodwine or Queen Quet, the head of state of the Gullah/Geechee nation. Queen Quet, a young energetic woman is the driving force of a movement to keep the Gullah/Geechee language and culture alive. She was entranced with our dialect and in several conversations and “lessons” we were able to improve her delivery of many words and idioms.

Beaufort has a population of just over 200,000 people which must also mean that Bahamians are one of the largest Gullah speaking societies in the world.

Every Memorial May the Gullah/Geechee culture is th

celebrated in Beaufort at a huge festival now in its 24 year and considered one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. Eighty miles up the road from Beaufort is the city of Charleston celebrated in music and history. Everyone should know George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” and Nina Simone’s rendition of “I love you Porgy”. This is the city that inspired it all.

Trade between The Carolinas and the Caribbean was primarily sugar, rum and molasses from Barbados, Cuba and Jamaica, and seafood from the Bahamas. Up to the mid 1770’s, one of the most important sources of protein in the American colonies was turtle, and the waters around the Bahamas thrived with this food source. The Bahamas once hosted healthy seal and whale stocks, one of the reason we have so many islands and cays named after these two marine species.

The Gullah/Geechee presence in Charleston is pronounced, evident, and well accepted. The historic slave market is now a thriving flea market, but pride of place is reserved for the sweet-grass products. All the stalls at the main entrances are reserved for these vendors and they make a good dollar selling baskets, hats, trays and other quality items that sell for over $150 a pop.

The similarities between Charleston and Nassau are also fascinating, and why not, we were once owned by the

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21

bahamaIslanders

same people. Charleston’s main street

she-crab soup and when he was

is Bay Street, and they have a Duke

finished, the bowl did not have to

Street, a Queen Street, a King

be washed, it was clean.

Street, a Princess Street, an East

I had to speak to the owner, the

Street, a West Street and of course a

experience was so overwhelming.

Market Street.

He introduced himself, he was

We went to Hymans restaurant on

Jewish, what else, Hyman? I said:

King Street, and on the menu they had

“you didn’t cook this, this is

steamed snapper, fried turbot, conch

Bahamian food.” He said “no” to

soup, she-crab soup and stew fish and

both questions and invited me to Photo by Diedre Laird.

grits. I told the waiter I wanted a taste of all and he was happy to comply, returning with several

meet the chefs. I went into a huge kitchen and there were

saucers filed with my order.

six young Black men having a good time throwing down

When I tasted the stew fish I said to my fellow travellers and confederates: “this is my grandmother’s food.” There was no difference in the texture and taste from what I remembered as a child, all they added was a

over the pots and cauldrons. I was proud for them, for me and for all the people of Gullah ancestry.

I left saying to myself, this culture is not going to die out anytime soon.

sprig of parsley on top. One of my companions had the

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23

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Bahama

Next to God, we are indebted to Women, first for life

M

Art by Lowree Tynes.

Currently on display at the PTAP Exhibition

Lowree Tynes “I feel my art is driven mostly by emotions and my passion to abstract female figures. Painting is an outlet for my joys and frustrations. Every brushstroke is healing to my soul.”

24 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

agnificent women, hallelujah women. phenomenal, ordinary, courageous, everyday women. They are all there – resplendently captured at the Bahama Mamas’ Public Treasury Art Program (PTAP) Inaugural Exhibition (September 2011-February 2012) at the Public Treasury building, East St. Women hold up half of the world. Especially in the Bahamas where they constitute about 60 % of its populace.

Indeed, internationally, they are being recognized among the 6 billion that comprise our planet, as having ‘pride of place.’

In fact, 3 women were recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their achievements. However, here the walk in the art world was not a smooth one. Women were excluded in the 2008 “Artists of the Bahamas” and Bahamian Art 14921992.

According to Dr. Gail Saunders, in her Foreword to said Exhibition, “Women are not only painting, they are potters, graphic artists and have been described by Patricia Glinton Meicholas as “among the committed to the concept of the artists as teacher, as an agent of change in society and as preservationist in terms of culture.”

It is that theme that is embroidered in this exceptional, extraordinary exhibition that encapsulates the awe, magnitude and diversity of the ‘Bahama Mama.’ “This year we are portraying works from artists, photographers, designers and writers from a diverse group of women living in The Bahamas, said Eugenia Cartwright, Treasurer of the

by Gina Morley

Mamas

itself and then for making it worth having.

Commonwealth of The Bahamas. From such humble beginnings, PTAP presents Bahama Mama celebrating our native women, representative of the kaleidoscopic Bahamas.

‘Keisha Oliver (also an artist), came up with the theme and we went along with it,” explained PTAP’s Administrator, Laroma Seifert. ` The participants are all female, aged 22-29 in the visual arts category and older in the poetry. One photographer, Sacha Hadland, could have been speaking for all artisans, “I like people...trying to capture (the) realness and everyday

Bovee.

stories – things we drive past and don’t actually see.” Her pieces are in black and white, colour and depict Olympian Alana Dillette in Vogue mode. Hadland also explores repression/ oppression and windows being pathways to the soul.

Historical in educating its viewers about the contributions of Bahamian women’s unsung heroines, we are subtly reminded in word, art and mixed media collages.

This treasure throve of collector’s artworks is a testament to the “untrammeled power” inherent in our

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Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

women. Intangibles of life, love, reverence, angst, weariness are amplified in colours, textures and tones.

Her quintessential pathos is magnified. We see through these artisans’ eyes the women who do hold up half the sky.

Their calls for parity, diversity, equality are laid bare by the ubiquitous hallmark of ‘hard work.’

Poets affirm that theme. In Beatify Her, Meicholas writes, “…beatify her and place the golden crown of her sainthood on the now silvery head…give rather, the constant rain of your love and praise and plant fragrant flowers of honour to perfume the quotient of her well-deserved days.

And, when she lays her blessed head to rest, write. Lest we forget the history of her deeds, inscribe her name in the book of our remembrance.”

Ashley Powell 26 IslandScene / Vol.1/4

That same tone and resonance is evident in these classic snippets from the contributors: Yasmin Glinton, in Bahamian Woman Lullaby -“...She was tucked away in a nursing home of her own making. Built on sacrifice missed opportunities.”

Maelyn Seymour –Major’s Bahamian Woman Long Island Roses -“…a grand mother the island bleat of sheep an afternoon of sun Bahamian Woman Long Island Roses has tissue paper skin makes wind chimes of sea shells bakes bread…”

Lyn Sweeting’s The Impossible Garden -“…you are surviving in a place...where everybody know its impossible…making home in between truth and a hard place…”

“I am a Bahama Mama because I am a Bahamian woman who embraces my culture. Bahama Mamas of the new school represent what Bahamian women are today... strong, beautful and wise.” Ashley Powell

Keisha Ellis’ -3 stories about Bahamian women is telling social commentary… - “(ll) Twenty five. No children.

No boyfriend.. Lesbian? (lV) “I do,” despite your other women. (Vl) Sons give her Father’s Day cards. (VII) 10 mouths. Five dollars. Miracle worker (VIII) Bank Lane – ‘Not my good boy.” (XIII) Bahamian women strike. Bahamian economy collapses.”

There is Ashli Fox’ s Her Soul speaks of Islands,“…She is a societal stronghold. Pulling the fabric of the Bahamian lifestyle. Even with all its rips and dry rot she manages to sew us all back together…”

Asha Rahming’s Woman’s Work, “We cannot stop/ restoring the fragments/painting the rawness of slit psyche/ guitaring grief into melody…” and from “She Saves

Ashely Powell is an artist in every sense of the word.

With her extreme knack for color and vibrancy, she is not one to exclude any one color from her palette. She enjoys incorporating colors that would not generally be used together in order to express otherwise realistic themes.

She graduated from Queen’s College in 2007 and entered the Art Program at the College of The Bahamas where she studied for two years under the tutelage of Sue-Bennet Will-

Herself” by the same author, “…she is gasping a new story.”

Unemployment is part of that new story. In Emerging, the hairstyle could be the problem. Says Leah Eneas, “This crochet wall hanging is a representation of my current situation. With no business savvy, I am an actress, I’m an artist and I am jobless. I consider myself a modern Bahamian Woman and I wear my hair in Natural Locs. This has resulted in my inability to get a job in many places of business. I’ve still got my talent though!!”

Each artist has placed a caption next to their work. It is helpful.

PTAP’s Bahama Mama’s exhibition is authentic and

Continued on page 29.

iams, Heino Schmid, John Cox and Katrina Cartwright. Ashley is presently studying BA Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Atlanta and is slated to graduate in the Spring of 2012.

Her current body of work delves into the feminine as it relates to spirituality and being born with gifts and talents from above. These talents can’t help but be expressed and it is almost as if it is dripping off of us and growing out of our hands.

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Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

“We modern Bahama Mamas are intrinsically connected to our country and must navigate through its passageways while we balance the future generation. And on a good day, we are elevated to iconic status and honoured through celebrations of motherhood through song, poetry and art.”

28 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Carla Campbell Carla Campbell received her BFA in Painting with cum laude honours from the University of Massachusettes in 2005. Campbell has had several solo exhibits and participated in numerous group shows since 1998.

Her work can be found in the collections of noted Bahamian art patrons such as the late Vincent D’Aguliar.

She is an Art Teacher at the CR Walker Senior High School in Nassau, Bahamas where she has been nspiring the youth of The Bahamas for the past ten years.

Carla says she is also a loving daughter, caring sister, dedicated mother and loyal friend.

She is currently working on several pieces for an upcoming show.

Continued from page 27

audacious. We see her everywhere ‘mirroring’ us. These artisans are trailblazers in visual arts, photography, poetry and mixed media art forms. Bahama Mamas rise like the eponymous phoenix out of their ashes of drudgery, hard work and oppression. Mother and child images are prevalent as are explosions of colour vitality and temperance. Recycled glass, yarn acrylic and mixed textiles are some of the materials used.

Life – the celebration of it is a theme that dominates.

That fervor is perhaps best captured in Ashley Powell’s Elation. She explained, “Elation speaks to my expression of freedom and vindication after a battlefield in my mind over who I am now and who I’m trying to become.”

Dede Brown’s piece, Ms. Nicey Bernice Elizabeth Brown that was selected as the feature artwork for PTAP’s promotional material expresses the same concept. “There are no limits, there are no rules to my art, and I merely seek to evoke some sort of response from my viewers, good or bad.”

An exposition in ink and graphite on paper, Ms. Nicey is a Mastic Point Androsian, born in 1925. She has 10 children – grand and great grandchildren – she epitomizes the definition of a true Bahamian woman who currently lives and still works in Nassau.

Her story which is OUR story, the original Bahama Mama is a salute to our rich ancestry that is woven together in the assemblage of the 25 extraordinary artists. They remind us of the repository of our untapped talents, which are awaiting an awakening literally and metaphorically. The women are drenched in history - black woman prototype - big breasts, lips and hips, profound and compelling .

Part of what makes this exhibition and its images (visual, graphic and poetic) so enthralling is that it captures the essence of the everyday ordinary Bahamian. She is laid bare.

Recognizable. Whether in batik, acrylic, yarn or words. She is present. Relevant. Revered. No art form overpowers the other. It delivers.

Thea Rutherford sums her up eloquently in Bahamian Woman:

“If I seem rowdy it’s only cause I have my family in my fist and the world on my back if I flinch The whole thing falls.

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 29

Bahama Mamas

“I t

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

is very encouraging that the Public Treasury has decided to establish an Art Program. I am honoured and thrilled to be participating.

No doubt this program will serve to encourage and support artists, male and female, budding and professional in our ever growing arts community.”

30 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Dede Brown Dede was born in Freeport, Grand Bahama in 1984. She lived and grew up in Nassau on New Providence Island. After graduating from High School Dede enrolled at the Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah Georgia where she earned her BFA in Interior Design with a minor in Photography.

Returning to Nassau in late 2005 she began working as an Interior Designer at a local architecture and design firm. In April 2008 Dede joined Popop studios International Centre for the Visual Arts, formerly Dillet’s Guest House where John Cox serves as a Director.

She shares studio space at Popops with her partner and fellow artist Dylon Rapillard.

After three succesful art exhibitions, several frelance art projects and blossoming career in wedding and portraiture photography, she made the life-changing decision to becoming a self-employed, designer and photographer.

Ms. Nicey Bernice Elizabeth Brown

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 31

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

~

“Bahama Mama represents all Bahamian women that are strong and independent and who know how to hold their own.

She is a motivator; innovator and self generator.

She spreads her wisdom and knows where she come from and God keeps her strong.”

32 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Latisha Knowles Latisha Knowles was first introduced to art at the age of fourteen when she attended the FINCO Summer Art Program with Mr. Antonius Roberts. She says “The experience opened a whole new world for me.”

Latisha has participated in several of the Finco Art Exhibitions and Central Bank of The Bahamas competitions where she has received many awards and referrals for new work.

“Everything I have obtained in my adult life is because of my artistic talent. I am trying to pass on the legacy to my daughters

who love painting. I know that later on in life, art will help them evolve as women who appreciate art in every form, because art can make one see in a special way that touches one’s soul.�

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 33

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

“The Public Treasury Art Program is a Godsend to the Bahamian art community. The country will never be too small to open its arms to another organization bent on the advancement of art, no matter what form.�

34 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Kachelle Knowles Kachelle Knowles is a 21 year old aspiring artist based in Nassau, Bahamas. She completed her Associates of Arts degree at the College of The Bahamas in June of 2011.

Kachelle will enter Pacific Northwest College of Art, in Portland, Oregon during the Spring of 2012 where she will major in Illustration. She is currently engaged as an intern at the Popop Studio Center for the Visual Arts.

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 35

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Keisha Oliver My practice is not tied to a specific medium. Many artists identify themselves by the primary methods they work with, but I see myself as an artist who adapts to whatever form of expression suits my concept.”

36 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Keisha Oliver was born in Nassau, in 1983, where she lived until moving to London in 1997. She later pursued her studies at the University for the Creative Arts where she earned both a Foundation Degree in Art & Design and a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design.

She went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Graphic Design at the University of The Arts, London, in 2009.

Apart from her commissioned work she sees herself as a graphic design author who is passionate about “making the complex clear” through her editorial designs where most of her recent work is underpinned by historical and educational contexts.

As an artist she often uses experimental approaches which marry text and image. Her recent work embraces concepts which visualize her interpretations of Bahamian history and culture.

She currently works as a freelance designer and

artist with projects in Europe, Africa and The Caribbean. She recently moved back to The Bahamas to commence work on her sculpture commissioned by NAD for phase two of the new terminal at the Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau.

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 37

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Leanne Russell Leanne Russell was born in 1982 and grew up on the small island of Green Turtle Cay in the Abacos.

After obtaining a BA degree in Commerce from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she returned home in 2002 and went to work in the hospitality industry.

Driven by the urge to create and the encouragement of her family and co-workers, Leanne took a 2-year sabbatical in 2009 to focus on her craft.

The self-taught painter works in watercolor and acrylic on canvas or reclaimed materials such as recycled antique clapboard shutters.

“Creating an aesthetically-pleasing painting will always be important to me, but I also strive to be an artist that does not simply conform to making marketable art.”

38 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

“Elements in my painting for this exhibition bring into play the beauty, mystery, promise and simultaneously the regret, superstition, and stereotype that being a Bahama Mama encompasses.�

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 39

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Tiffany Barrett Tiff (Tiffany) was born in Nassau, and was introduced to the art of Batik at the age of eight while attending St. Andrews School where she obtained her early education.

Tiff has always possessed an unparalled love for nature and the outdoors. She was one of the founders of East End Adventures, and was twice nominated for the prestigious Casique Award for her work in Nature/Eco Tourism.

Her creations have been exhibited in art galleries in Harbour Island, Lyford Cay, Paradise Island and the United States.

“The Bahama Mama has always been the backbone of the Bahamian family. She is strong yet gentle, beautful yet modest and always unwavering in her faith.”

Mardia Powell While Mardia may appear shy and quiet, her artwork speaks volumes. She has managed to capture sharp and tight expressions of images using fabric.

After a lull in trying to find a muse and a drive to produce artwork, Mardia did much research and as a result, was inspired to do away with acrylics and watercolor for a much more tactile medium.

Her recent work expounds on a woman’s basic need to produce and emotionally express herself.

“My pieces depict the many beauties in The Bahamas in all their splendour and vibrancies.”

40 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 41

Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Lyndah Wells With her unique style Lyndah’s work captures the beauty of The Islands of the Bahamas.

“I explore photography fully. What may seem ugly and uninteresting to some reveals itself to me with inherent beauty.

Captivating warm lifestyle stories that hold on to time for the subject. It is my goal to create images that are memorable and deliver exceptional photography with every press of the shutter.

Photography makes me happy, it allows me to reveal myself and express my creativity. I see the beauty of light, and that is what photography is about, light that allows me to capture the most beautiful of stories.”

42 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

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Bahama Mamas

In Celebration of Bahamian Women

Lillian Blades Blades’ mixed media assemblages, which often bear an aesthetic kinship to African and American traditional quilting, are her trademark. She opts for the challenge of finding new items from everyday life to use as a medium with which to work, rather than implying imagery with paint.

She feels that the implication and associations of meaning are stronger with actual objects and their juxtapositions with or on one another.

The process of gathering objects that carry connotations also stimulate her creative process as she is able to take note of the relationships that are formed and used as the theme of the quilted assemblage.

Shorlette Francis Shorlette’s work involves recycling used glass bottles and jars and processing them into terrazzo, counter-tops, and art.

“My work is an expression of artistic beauty, created from discarded and forgotten garbage. Materials that were destined for destruction and the city dump, are recreated into everlasting precious pieces.”

44 Islandscene / Vol.1/4

Islandscene / Vol.1/4 45

46 IslandScene Vol.1/4

Nassau & Paradise Island

I

n the heart of New Providence lies the capital of our country.

Welcome to Nassau, bustling hub of The Bahamas since the shipwrecking days of the legendary pirate Blackbeard.

Prized for its sheltered harbour, history was made and

beautifully preserved here in Victorian mansions, cathedrals, 18thcentury fortresses and a Queen’s Staircase, whose 66 steps lead to a not-to-be missed view.

Bordering the harbour is Bay Street, Nassau’s oldest thoroughfare lined with cosmopolitan restaurants and shops. Here, you can buy goods, from around the world, duty-free, or in our famous Straw Market, handicrafts you won’t find anywhere else.

Pick your favourite straw hat and explore the rest of the island.

There are botanical gardens to visit, glass-bottom boats to ride and beaches to bask upon. Then, head to the Cable Beach strip or Paradise Island, where the nightlife is nonstop, from the glittering casinos to the stars in the island sky, marking the end of another near-perfect day.

There’s so much to do and see in New Providence, the best place to start is with an overview of all the plush resorts, colonial forts, local clubs and international shops found throughout this nonstop island.

The gateway to Nassau is Rawson Square, where you’ll find the Ministry Of Tourism Information Centre with plenty of brochures, maps and helpful suggestions. It’s the place to start a free guided walking tour along the shady streets of Old Nassau or to engage a horse-drawn surrey for a pleasant excursion around town Just a short walk from Rawson Square you’ll find Prince George Wharf, the bustling waterfront where cruise ships dock and glass-bottom boats depart for sea-garden tours.

Photography by Antoine Ferrier

Islandscene Vol.1/4 47

Nassau & Paradise Island

Parliament Square, downtown, Nassau.

P

arliament Square in downtown Nassau is the traditional centre of the Bahamian Government. Here, picturesque pastel buildings built in the early 1800s by Loyalists include the Houses of Parliament, the old Colonial Secretary’s Office, the Supreme Court and marble statue of Queen Victoria.

Each January, April, July and October, the stately Supreme Court Opening Ceremonies are held, filling the square with pomp and pageantry.

If you were sentenced to a jail term in the early 19th century, you probably would have ended up in the octagonal building nearby. The former jail is now the Nassau Public Library, and it houses one of the finest Bahamian book collections, fascinating old prints, maps, photos and Arawak artifacts.

In contrast to Old Nassau, Bay Street is very much upto-the-minute with its cosmopolitan restaurants and shops.

Here you can find British woollens, French perfumes, Japanese cameras, Swiss clocks, English china, Italian leather, South 48 Islandscene Vol.1/4

American gems and many more goods from around the world, at duty-free prices.

For original Bahamian handicrafts, our colourful Straw Market is the place to go where you strike your own bargain on mats, hats, baskets, handbags, jewellery and wood carvings.

One block west of the Straw Market is Pompey Museum, home of Bahamian art.

Just a short walk from downtown you’ll find Fort Fincastle, built in 1789 in the shape of a paddle-wheel steamer. The nearby Water Tower is the highest point on the island, giving a stunning panoramic view from over 200 feet above sea level.

Getting to both is easy .Just climb the Queen’s Staircase, 66 steps carved from the limestone hill overlooking Nassau and the harbour.

You’ll likely recognize the Government House even if you’ve never been to Nassau. Built in 1801, the elegant pink and white neoclassical mansion is one of The Bahamas most photographed landmarks.

The statue of a proud Columbus on the front steps com-

Nassau & Paradise Island

Fort Montagu.

memorates his first landfall in the New World in 1492 on the shores of San Salvador. A change of the Guard ceremony takes place here at 10 a.m. every other Saturday morning.

Farther west of downtown stands one of Nassau’s most impressive forts. Fort Charlotte was built in 1788, complete with a moat, open battlements and dungeons. For all its imposing fortifications, it never fired a shot in anger.

O

ne of The Bahamas’ first marching birds is one block west: the famous, flamboyant marching flamingos of the Ardastra Gardens and Zoo. The tropical gardens and exotic animals here also put on quite a show.

Nearby, the Nassau Botanical Gardens have an extensive collection of plants native to The Bahamas, as well as lily pools, tropical fish, cactus gardens and a quarry stone grotto.

Arawak Cay, located on West Bay Street across the street from historic Fort Charlotte, is a nice spot for a quick, local style lunch. Known to the Nassau residents as “The Fish Fry.” Arawak Cay is one of the best places to chat with locals.

Heading farther west, you’ll notice you’ve left the quick pace of Nassau behind. Indeed, the winding section of West Bay Street that leads to Cable Beach is nicknamed “Go Slow Bend,” as people frequently stop to view the luxurious resorts, restaurants, shops and beautiful beaches.

Beyond Cable Beach, the road curves along the coast through a series of small villages and quiet beaches, revealing stunning views of the ocean around each bend.

The Caves, carved out of limestone by the waves, are said to have sheltered Arawak Indians long ago. Just beyond the historic hilltop of Gambier Village is Love Beach, said to be the prettiest stretch of sand on New Providence. The underwater view rivals that of the scenery above water with its acres of sea gardens and colorful coral reefs.

The road continues along the southwest coast of the island, then winds its way past the Clifton Heritage Park then east past the historic villages of Adelaide and Carmichael and a pine forest dotted with palmetto palms.

On the eastern part of New Providence you’ll find The Islandscene Vol.1/4 49

Nassau & Paradise Island

Paradise Island Bridges. Photography by Antoine Ferrier.

Retreat, the headquarters for our national parks, with one of the largest private collections of exotic palms in the world.

Both New Providence’s oldest fort and The Bahamas’ oldest church are nearby. Fort Montagu was built in 1741, and unlike Fort Charlotte and Fort Fincastle, saw action when it was seized for one day by the Americans during the Revolutionary War. St. Matthews Church, noted by its unusual tower and steeple, opened for service in 1802 and still retains its original stained-glass window.

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ext is the bridge to Paradise. But before you walk, cycle or drive over it, be sure to visit the lively fruit and vegetable market and Bahamian food vendors on Potter’s Cay. The bustling market here at Potter’s Cay is where fishermen bring their fresh catch of the day and where farmers ship their fresh fruit and vegetables. The pace is always pleasantly busy from the locals cracking conch to the mailboats hauling their goods from The Islands.

Once over on Paradise Island, the winding street is lined with plush resorts, fine shops and gourmet restaurants.

The lush, peaceful Versailles Gardens are on the eastern part of the island with statues, fountains and elegant terraces that lead to the French Cloisters, stately columns that overlook the Nassau Harbour. Built in the 14th century by Augustinian monks, the Cloisters were shipped here 600 years later.

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The Cloisters, Paradise Island.

The lovely Paradise Island beach is a perfect place to relax. It’s also one of the many places to delve into New Providence’s many sports.

You can dive, windsurf or waterski almost everywhere in Nassau and Paradise Island, and learn to parasail at major Nassau and Paradise Island Hotels.

New Providence has excellent dive sites. There are shallow reefs, deep blue holes, old shipwrecks, caves, drarnatic dropoffs and colourful sea gardens surrounding the island.

Two James Bond thrillers were filmed in these waters: Thunderball, shot in the shallow Thunderball Reef and Never Say Never Again, filmed on location in one of The Bahamas’ most spectacular shipwrecks.

Boats of any size can be chartered for hours or days at a time, from marinas along the north eastern shore of New Providence. Big game fishing, reef fishing and tackle fishing are also popular, fully equipped boats are available for halfand full-day charters. Various tournaments are held throughout the year.

One of the inviting things about New Providence is that you can enjoy both water and land-based sports in the same vacation.

The Bahamas is an official golf destination of the PGA Tour and PGA of America. You can play a round of golf in Nassau, Cable Beach or Paradise Island on your choice of two top-rated courses: Cable Beach Golf Course (7,040 yds. and The Paradise Island Golf Club (6,770 yds., par-72).

Nassau & Paradise Island Tennis buffs have no fewer than 100 courts from which to choose at hotels and resorts throughout Nassau, Cable Beach and Paradise Island. Many courts are lighted for evening play.

Instruction in daily clinics and private lessons are also standard at most large resorts. Tennis tournaments are part of the year’s calendar of events.

Celebrations Our country is known for its variety of exciting festivals and we’d love to have you join in the fun.

On December 26, we celebrate our most famous festival of all, Junkanoo. Rest up: the festivities don’t even begin until 3 a.m. For this thrilling African-borne festival, thousands of revellers parade through downtown Nassau in spectacular costumes and masks, setting the night ablaze with colour. The pulsating rhythm of cowbells, horns and whistles, and goatskin drums can be heard for miles as the dancers compete for prizes awarded to the best costumes, music and performances.

On New Year’s Day, the entire entourage comes back for a stunning repeat performance.

There is an intense rivalry between groups to create the most colourful, imaginative costumes. In fact, many groups begin creating their costumes as early as August, though costume themes are a closely guarded secret until the actual event.

Discovery Day, October 12 commemorates Columbus’ landing on San Salvador in 1492.

July 10 marks the anniversary of the independence of The Bahama Islands with parades and fireworks throughout the week.

Emancipation Day, the first Monday in August, commemorates the liberation of slaves in 1834. Fox Hill Day is celebrated the following Tuesday with a variety of cultural events.

Dining All this activity is bound to make you hungry. New Providence offers many choices in the way of dining: European, American, Chinese, Greek, Polynesian but our Bahamian fare tops the list.

Bahamians have depended on conch and fish for centuries, and have learned a wizardry with the foods of the sea that will delight and tingle the palate.

Everyone who visits the Bahama Islands should try our native specialities at least once. Conch fritters, grouper fingers, peas’n rice, boiled fish, johnnycake and guava duff are just a few of our tasty dishes, all of which go nicely with our famous tropical drinks.

Dining can mean anything from informal beach barbecues to casual cafes to romantic gourmet restaurants with breathtaking views. You decide.

Nightlife There aren’t enough hours in a day to experience all the nightlife New Providence has to offer .

In Nassau and Paradise Island, you can choose from bistros, nightclubs, discos and two of the most spectacular casinos that are to be found anywhere.

There are bands that play everything from Jazz to Calypso music to our own “Rake ‘n Scrape” and “Junkanoo.”

The two casinos, one on Paradise Island and the other located on Nassau offer slot machines and a complete selection of games, including blackjack, roulette and baccarat. They will also teach you how to play if it’s your first try. Guests over 18 may gamble.

The Dundas Centre, Nassau’s performing arts theatre, stages plays and performances by local troupes and out-oftown artists throughout the year.

Getting Around So now that you know the places to go, how do you get around? There are taxi-cabs at the airport, downtown Nassau and major hotels; rental cars at the airport and various locations (please remember, we drive on the left side of the road); motor scooters at hotels and in downtown Nassau (helmets are compulsory); rental bicycles at various locations and jitneys that run throughout the island from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. If you’re not in a big hurry (you’re on vacation, after all) try some of our more scenic ways of getting about New Providence.

We have day cruises to nearby islands where you can sun, swim and snorkel; catamaran sightseeing tours and romantic dinner cruises through the Nassau Harbour.

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50 th Anniversary of the

Bahamian Women’s Suffrage Movement By: Gina Morley

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n Thursday, 24th November, 2011, a group of 200-plus women galvanized their support behind the Women’s Forum organized by the Zonta Club of Nassau and the National Women’s Advisory Council (NWAC), to preview the upcoming documentary of “The Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas,” by Attorney, acclaimed poet, Writer and Producer Marion Bethel.

The two groups also hosted a fundraising luncheon the following day highlighting the Bahamian perspectives on the 2011 Global Women’s Progress Report.

Said Bethel, “I am committed to the upliftment of women…this documentary about the women’s suffrage movement has been an extraordinary experience so far, it has taken me into the hearts and homes of these women. I’ve interviewed people who have let me into their homes and shared with me what life was like during that period – a very honest account – and we have covered a swath of Bahamian women.”

“It is fair to say that the women’s suffrage movement came out of an emerging black middle class because you had women like Georgiana Symonette who was a shopkeeper, Mabel Walker, social worker and Dr. Doris Johnson. It was supported by a popular movement of working class women.”

“All of these women belonged to a lodge. Lodges were training grounds for women’s leadership and many of them travelled with the Elks and were exposed to Caribbean and black American women who also influenced them.”

“This documentary has been with me for a while. I started in 2001. It was in hibernation for lots of different reasons. That was just as well – nothing before its time – in fact, it would have been a very different product if we had pushed it through then. I am determined to make this documentary a very multilayered and high quality one.”

2012 will mark the 50 th anniversary of the

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women’s suffrage movement in the Bahamas, so in a collective effort, Bahamian women, far and wide have pledged their support to Bethel’s efforts to produce this documentary in honour of Mary Ingraham, Eugenia Lockhart, Georgiana Symonette, Mabel Walker and Dr. Doris Johnson, the leaders of the movement and their views, the focus of the documentary. he documentary also features the women who stood among them: Dr. Willamae Saunders, Ethel Kemp, Gladys Bailey, Mildred Moxey, Madge Brown, Mother Mildred Donaldson and Althea Mortimer.

Interviews with family and close friends of the aforementioned five, along with viewpoints from both male and female politicians, religious and social personalities are all featured in the sixty hours of footage.

Bethel says she needs to raise an additional $90,000 to produce and complete the documentary, hence the presentation of a sample of its content to the women who made their contribution and came out to further show their support.

A point often missed in history is the fact that it was the ‘ordinary people who brought about ‘the quiet revolution’ that Dr. Doris Johnson wrote about, not the ‘high falutin tea party’ type women but ordinary housewives who had harnessed their collective power to make a stand for themselves and make a difference.

Archivist, Kim Outten Stubbs says, “50 years ago, the right to vote was a major achievement. Especially in light of slavery and at a time when both men and women in the country did not have the right to vote.”

Even though women were fighting to

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vote, it was important for black men who did not own property - and property was the means by which you were allowed to vote – to also have that right. There was property in many islands – so for a poor black man who had no property - he could never vote until 1959. He remained disenfranchised, she clarified.

With respect to the Movement, she explained that these were people in our country who fought against the situation that they were in. These women had no rights so the first reported period was just prior to the period that the documentary is focusing on (1952).

The lodges were the base from which the women started the movement – in particular, the Order of the Improvement Benevolent Society (the Elks) – that is where Mable Walker and Mary Ingraham came out from – there were 430 others.

A lot was happening in the world and at home. In fact, the late Sylvia LaramoreCrawford, in 1954 in a letter written to Sir Etienne Dupuch, editor of The Tribune, posed a question to Bahamian women “how long would it take – what are we, women waiting for?” Sir Etienne responded and she shot back - “we need to do it now.”

Why did the women come out?

According to Mrs. Stubbs, “The women came out because they knew that they needed to be among the women working in this direction. Many of the women that I spoke to talked about how they cooked meals, so that they could raise monies to help support the movement. So there was an active movement developing in this country.”

At the time Sir Randolph Fawkes

identified some of the issues for the women: the lack of education and training and guidance in the schools; labour issues and the lack of child care facilities.

By 1958, Dr. Doris Johnson came on the scene.

She was well educated and became a ‘natural leader’ of the movement and the ladies rallied around her and she was able to steer their actions. y late 1958, the women were constantly petitioning the House of Assembly and had gotten about 2,000 signatures behind their efforts.

In 1959, Doris Johnson made her keynote speech.

She addressed members of the House of Assembly in a Magistrates’ court as she was not allowed in the Assembly. Women were finally afforded the right to vote in February of 1961 and Ruby Ann Darling was the first woman to register. In November, 1962 the women of The Bahamas voted for the first time.

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“Nevertheless,” Outten Stubbs concluded, “the level at which we function today, we are still not being accepted in accordance with the Fullness of our rights.”.

The documentary embroiders the myriad personalities who played a pivotal role in the enfranchisement of women in Bahamian politics. It brings the Movement and the suffragists’ front and centre into the minds and psyche of all promulgating a new layer of history in the development of the Bahamian people.

Usually in oral traditions, the history of a people is ‘lost in translation’ or upon the death of the elders. Not so here. While some personalities have vacated the political landscape, some have remained via their descendants to tell the story and give it a voice.

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