Thursday, April 13, 2017
art gardening film poetry music food entertainment makeup
Weekend
belles of the ball Pages 14&15
Spring style Colourful Easter ensembles Fashion, pages 8&9
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
entertainment
Enjoy an eggs-xellent Easter By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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t’s the Easter holiday weekend and for Bahamians that means stuffing their faces with hot cross buns and fried fish on Friday and dressing in their Sunday best for church services. The extra days off combined with all those long daylight savings hours allow many an escape to “get of da rock”. The Easter weekend also usually signals the start of beach season, now that most Bahamians consider it finally warm enough to enjoy a day frolicking in the ocean. And once again, Tribune Weekend is here with a roundup of other events sure to help you maintain the Easter spirit all weekend long. This evening, the New Providence Community Church will have a public viewing of the movie “Risen”, which tells the story of a Roman tribune (Joseph Fiennes) in Judea tasked to find the missing body of an executed Jewish man rumoured to have risen from the dead. The film will be shown at 7pm at the church. The Church of God of Prophecy in Fox Hill will present a Good Friday production entitled “Healer of the Broken” from 3pm to 6pm on the Fox Hill grounds. There will also be an appearance by the renowned Bahama Youth Brass Band. Later that evening, at the
New Lively Hope Church, Edison Sumner and the Voices of Praise will present their annual Good Friday concert from 7pm to 10pm at the church. While admission is free, a love offering will be taken. A great event for the kids to attend will be the Junkanoothemed Easter egg workshop held the National Art Gallery on Saturday. This year, children will get to paste and decorate Fabergé inspired eggs, constructed from traditional Junkanoo building materials. Following the workshop, kids can participate in an Easter egg hunt accompanied by Junkanoo drums cowbells and whistles. They will also be able to take a picture with Nag-B, the resident Easter Bunny. The event takes place from 10am to 2pm and there is a cost of $12 which includes the workshop, egg hunt, a snack and a drink. Kids can also be on the lookout for eggs at the Mall at Marathon’s 20th annual Easter Eggs-travaganza. The event is also sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Fort Montague. The hunt starts at 10am on Satur-
A Junkanoo-themed Easter egg workshop is being held at the National Art Gallery on Saturday.
day and will include games and treats and eats for all ages. The entire family is invited to take part in the fun-filled day. Interested in combining a beach day with an Easter egg
hunt? Consider joining the crew at PappaSurf for their second annual Easter Paddle for the kiddies. Games and a big Easter egg hunt will follow. Call PapaSurf to book your
kids for the event, which takes place on Saturday at 11am. Don’t want to cook on Easter Sunday? Then consider heading to the Balmoral Club for a holiday brunch from noon to 3pm. There will also be all sorts of Easter fun and surprises followed by an egg hunt. Meanwhile, Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace also has holiday events planned for the Easter Monday holiday. The Adventure Learning Centre will hold a special ‘Funday’ with hunts for different age categories throughout the day. Additionally, there will be a three-lane shooting range, animal encounters, balloon art, horse and train rides, planetarium shows, a rock climbing wall, movies and games. The fun takes place from 11am to 6pm. If none of these events are your speed, the long weekend is also the perfect escape to curl up in bed and catch up on your rest.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt talks artist June Collie about how exploring one’s vulnerability can inspire great creations. Food 7 The Gourmet Lunch Box expands to a storefront location
Fashion 8 - 9 Colourful and enchanting kids’ styles for Easter
Gardening 10
My perfect Bahamian weekend Janice Bain Assistant manager at the Lyford Cay Club staff cafeteria
Things 2 Do this weekend
Poetry 11
Thursday
Shows that take unexpected turns
Makeup 13 International stylists to attend Nassau expo
Belles of the ball 14 -15 The beauties of the 17th Cacique Awards
Film 17 BIFF hosts film workshop, plus positive reactions to the ‘Fate of the Furious’ Music 18 Willis Knowles announces new single and new studio Art
19 - 22 Woodturners ‘Branch Out’ at Doongalik; 3rilogy celebrates ‘huge success’ with debut exhibit, plus Je’Rome Harris Miller explores ‘Colours...Above and Beyond’.
Literary Lives 23 - 25 Kim Philby was a spy among friends and one of the notorious ‘Cambridge Five’
Forgotten Facts 26 Nassau after the American Revolution Animals 27 Mickey the potcake’s Peruvian adventure, plus Pet of the Week Cover photo | Terrel W Carey
Q: Weekend away: where would you go and why? “South Carolina, because that’s where my boyfriend lives and I love it there. It reminds me a lot of home, especially the scenery.”
Q: Beach or sofa? “I love my sofa, I’m sorry. I’m really not a beach person.”
(See page 2 for Easter activities)
Podcasts 12
Q: What could you not do without? “I can’t live without my TV. I love watching movies and documentaries.”
Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch? “Sunday lunch, because I don’t like to get up early on weekends when I’m off. I like to sleep late.”
Jack Hardy on the beauty of bulbs
It’s rhyme time for the Commonwealth Writers of the Bahamas
Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or a cocktail? “Wine. My favourite is white wine; it helps me relax, especially before I go to bed.”
• Hookie! The Ultra Premium Day Fete Time: 12noon - 2am Venue: Botanical Gardens There will be 100 per cent Bahamian and soca music, Absolut and Kalik specials all day and food on sale. Admission is free. For more information call 565-7641. • 33: ‘til now Time: 6pm - 9pm Venue: The Pro Gallery, University of the Bahamas ‘33: ‘til now’ is a retrospective exhibition focusing on the life, work and thoughts of Bahamian artist, writer and educator Keisha Oliver. • Happy Hour Trivia Night Time: 6pm - 9pm Venue: The Bearded Clam Sports Bar Come test your knowledge for the chance to win free alcohol, respect and more. Admission is $25 per team and that includes a Well drink or a Sands Beer. • Cigar and Whiskey Night Time: 8pm - 11pm Venue: Harbourfront Coffee & Lounge An evening for the gentleman with fine tastes. Exotic cigars and some of the finest whiskeys will be available. • Just 90s Music Time: 9pm - 3am Venue: Smugglers Pub (formerly Pirates) Kick off the Easter weekend with
sweet sounds of the 90s. The dress code is of course 90s gear, but it’s optional.
Friday • Being-ness with Panache Desai Time: 5pm Venue: Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat, Faith Avenue Join Panache Desai, a worldrenowned teacher of vibrational transformation. Learn how to experience presence, the source of true joy, abundance, love, and well-being; how connecting to being-ness unlocks your power to fully and freely express your destiny, and self-empowerment, self-love, and mindfulness to connect to your highest self and your best life. Register at www.panachedesai.com. • Haeven Live Time: 10pm - midnight Venue: Compass Point The band Haeven live in concert is where funk meets rock, R&B is love, and soul and hip hop embrace pop, and then there’s soca.
Saturday • Impulse: Adria Jenée & Footy Bethel Time: 9pm - midnight Venue: Hard Rock Café Featuring upcoming R&B/hip-hop stars Adria Jenée & Footy Bethel live in concert. Admission is $15 and includes one free drink.
Sunday • Easter Gospel Fest at Clifford Park Time: 7.30pm Venue: Clifford Park The Ministry of Tourism presents its Easter Gospel Concert with crowd favourites like Shaback, Denczil Rolle and Friends, Edison Sumner and Voices of Praise, The Rahming Brothers, Iana Cartwright, Mount Calvary Praise Team and Bishop Lawrence Rolle among others. Admission is free.
Monday • 3rd Annual Soca, Sand and Sea Sail Away Time: 9.30am - 6pm Venue: Colonial Island Boats leave from the Prince George Dock starting at 9.30am and every 30 minutes after, with returns starting at 4pm. The last boat leaves at 6pm. Enjoy music, games, entertainment and more. The dress code is beachwear. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Bahamas Masqueraders Mas Band Camp or at Bahamas Welding and Fire Co Ltd. Visit BahamasMasqueraders.com for more information. • St James Easter Monday Fest & Raffle Time: 12noon -7pm Venue: St James Anglican Church in Adelaide Enjoy chicken and fish dinners, as well as conch, fish, shrimp and lobster fritters; conch salad, pastries and home-made ice cream. There will be games like hoopla, a bouncing castle, prizes and surprises.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
interview She is inspired by European artists of the 17th and 18th centuries, but also finds creative stimulation in the works of local painters and sculptors. But most importantly, June Collie is not afraid to explore her own vulnerability in an effort to express her artistic spirit. She tells Cara Hunt about how even simple things like the freeing experience of taking off a bra at the end of the day can inspire new artwork.
June Collie
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lthough she always considered herself to be a creative person, it was not until June Collie became a student at the College of the Bahamas that she fully embraced her passion for the arts. “I was studying accounting at the College of the Bahamas and it just was not my thing. I took a few art classes and decided I wanted to change my major. It was not until then that I started to take art seriously and
thought, OK, this is something that I can do; I can make it work. I had to get my parents on board, and they were like, ‘If this is what you want to do then go for it’, and so I ended up changing my major from accounting to art,” she said. It turned out to be an inspired decision, her college professors were able to help her develop the skills that stemmed from her artistic passion. June said she is inspired by a number of Bahamian artists, including the
likes of John Cox, Antonius Roberts and Sue Bennet-Williams, as well as traditional masters such as Vincent van Gogh and Henri Matisse. “Those would be at the top of my list. I am inspired by a lot of the work that was done in the 17th and 18th century, when art was beginning to take what would then be considered a contemporary turn, but I wouldn’t say that I have a particular type of art that I am interested in. I like it all, even the ones that you may not necessarily
‘get’,” she said. When it comes to her artwork, June has developed her own unique style. Her creations tend to be bold and colourful – the type of pieces that you look at multiple times, seeing something different each time. “All of my art is personal. I’ve taken bits and pieces of my inwardness and created portions of time where we tend to get lost. With this intrinsic character, we’re open, weak and vulnerable. During this time, when we have spilled all
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
Photo/Rosemary Clarice Hanna
of our weaknesses and experiences, we welcome strength. Hence, my paintings are always set in some kind of domestic commitment, where we can explore our personal space, time and our identity. It’s a place where pretending is renounced and allows us room to meditate on memories and actions. Above all, each piece of work has no right or wrong message; it is about me, the viewer, or anyone you wish it to be. In essence, the purpose is for the viewer to understand their own beauty and identity, and also explore their personal experience in each painting.” June said her inspiration to paint comes from simple places. “I paint for myself, my family and my friends, and conversations that I may have or heard. I also feel that representing everyone in my art is very important so that we can develop a sense of national pride. That is my focus,” she said. Initially, she admitted to being skeptical of how her work would be received, but while participating in an artist-in-residency at Popopstudios she was encouraged by owner and artist John Cox to “just do what you want to do”. “So that’s what I do; it may be different, but really it is just June Collie,” she said. June has participated in several artist-in-residency programmes. “It basically allows an artist to live in an art space for a certain period of time which gives them a chance to isolate and immerse themselves in their art,” she explained. In addition to the Popopstudios residency, June completed a residency at the Hillside House Art Gallery, just in time to greet patrons attending the Transforming Spaces art tour earlier this month. “Every artist residency is different and you learn something else,” she said. “There are some where you can take the time you need to grow and research ideas and creativity, and then there are some like the one I just finished at Hillside House where you get a chance to speak to the public and get their feedback about how they view your work, and this time around I was pleased that there was good feedback and people seemed to get it.” The collection that she worked on during the residency focuses on those vulnerable moments when women, in particular, are at their most relaxed and have let their hair down, so to speak. As she explained during Transforming Spaces, one of the pieces was the result of a conversation she and a
“Above all, each piece of work has no right or wrong message; it is about me, the viewer, or anyone you wish it to be. In essence, the purpose is for the viewer to understand their own beauty and identity, and also explore their personal experience in each painting.”
friend had about how it felt to come home at the end of the day and remove your bra. “And so that inspired one of my paintings,” she said. “It’s about being vulnerable and how important it is to have that time by yourself where you can truly break it down as a woman.” In her spare time, she plays rugby. She also works in the marketing department of a local real estate company. June’s career highlights include a number of group shows: ‘Single Sex’ at The National Art Gallery Of The Bahamas; ‘6x6x2012’ at the Rochester Contemporary Art Centre in New York; ‘Matters Of The Heart’ at The
Ladder Gallery; ‘Fibre, Pink’ at the Cottage; ‘Fallen Transitions’ at Popopstudios, and more. Her first solo experimental art film show, ‘Situations’, was hosted at New Providence Art & Antiques. Which in turn led to discussions in creating the Bahamas Video Cooperative Group, which resulted from one of her films. Her film ‘Devotee’ was also shown at the Bahamas International Film Festival in 2011. Despite these achievements, June does not feel like she has “arrived as an artist”. “I’m still taking it all in,” she said. “At this point, I am just really enjoying it. I just want to be able to paint.”
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section
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
food Photos/Shawn Hanna
Gourmet Lunch Box wrap with calypso chicken and a garden salad
BBQ ribs with rice and coleslaw
Gourmet Lunch Box expands from home to storefront By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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usband and wife team Philip and Denise Poitier have turned what was a shared pastime into a lucrative restaurant and catering company offering fresh and tasty food. After operating their catering and lunch delivery company, Gourmet Lunch Box, out of their home for the last two years, the couple realised a new goal two weeks ago when they moved into a retail space in the Island Plaza. “We started Gourmet Lunch Box about two years ago,” Mrs Poitier told Tribune Weekend. “We both like to cook and my husband would put a lot of photos of our dishes on Facebook. People starting asking us if we sold lunches and my husband eventually told them, ‘Yes, we do’.” The couple started preparing lunches for delivery and eventually expanded to include catering functions.
Jerk chicken fettuccine As the business expanded, so did their need for more space. “I started thinking about us renting a space, but when you think about renting then you have to think about staff and salary and it can be a lot. I decided that if my husband brought it up then that would be a sign that we should go ahead with it, and the very next day he mentioned to me that we should get a place,” she said. “He posted on Facebook that we were looking and someone suggested that we try this place, and within two hours we had our space.” The brick and mortar store meant hiring an additional chef to handle the
majority of the catering, allowing the couple to focus on further additions to the business. “Now we have the chance to expand and we are looking at doing cooking classes and themed dinners,” Mrs Poitier explained. The Gourmet Lunch Box now has a dining room that can accommodate up to 30 persons, meaning guests can enjoy their meals on-site or book the space for a private event. “We also have people who are more comfortable now that we are in a retail setting,” Mrs Poitier added. “So we have had people come in who have said, ‘I have been following you on Facebook for the past two years and now that you are here I can stop by’.” Chef William Buchanan, who was hired to work in the kitchen, has been cooking for the past 20 years. “I was inspired by my aunt who was a cook and had a stall at Goombay downtown when I was small. I used to go with her and help out,” he explained. Although he took several professional courses, he is mostly self-taught
and has the experience he gained working at several resorts in the country. “I just love cooking. Food is my thing; it is my passion, and I love making people happy by preparing them tasty food,” he said. Chef William said his dishes are tailored to the preferences of his customers. “For example, for a vegetarian I may do a coconut curry Thai fettuccine. For the breakfast lover I may prepare my version of banana pancakes where I deep fry them like a fritter,” he said. The difference between working at a large resort and a small family-run restaurant like Gourmet Lunch Box, he said, is that while restaurants on hotel properties are hectic and fast-paced, the atmosphere here feels like home. Gourmet Lunch Box is located in the Island Plaza on Shirley Street. It is open from 7am to 4pm, serving breakfast and lunch, and is available for catering services.
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fashion PHOTOS/TERREL W CAREY
Endearingly fashionable for Easter Shades of blue dominate the Spring season By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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aster is just days away, and that means parents are searching for the perfect Spring ensembles to dress their little darlings in for all the ‘eggsciting’ and ‘eggstravagant’ events happening around town. Whether it be Easter Sunday church services, holiday tea parties or an Easter egg hunt, the season’s fashions include a wide away of pastel patterns, soft or bold florals, and matching items for all the younger members of the family to be perfectly coordinated this holiday weekend. Danielle Anusiem, owner of the Kalico Bay children’s boutique, explained that this Easter season there are a number of exciting trends for both boys and girls. Having a major moment right now is the colour blue. The Pantone Colour Institute selected the shade Niagara, a classic denim-like blue, as the officially colour for Spring 2017. “This Spring in the world of fashion, particularly where children’s trends are concerned, we are witnessing a perfect alignment and continuity with the announcement of Pantone’s colours at the beginning of the year. There are several colours that have dominated this Spring, especially with florals in every shade making such a huge statement. What we are seeing in this Spring floral rage is
Thursday, April 13, 2017
“Dressing without accessories of some sort is the equivalent of having carrot cake without that delicious buttercream icing.”
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the incorporation of either bold shades of blue or lighter, more invigorating, shades of blue. This is not to minimise the impact of other key colour players like pinks, oranges, greens and yellows that have and will always have their place in this season, but the many shades of blue have made their presence felt,” said Mrs Anusiem. She said the biggest fashion statements for girls this season are ruffles, tassels, fringes and eyelet lace in all colours, shapes and sizes. “If you’ve purchased a dress, pants, shorts, or a top with ruffles, fringe tassels, or eyelet on it for any girl in your life since the opening of the Spring season, she’s definitely on-trend,” the boutique owner added. “Off-the-shoulder and ‘cold shoulder’ styles of tops and dresses for women and girls are also all the rage and give moms and daughters an adorable, yet fashion-forward trend to share.” Another exciting trend for both boys and girls are designs that include detailed embroidery and patches, said Mrs Anusiem. “Boys’ shorts featuring embroidered whales, sharks, turtles and the like, and girls skirts, linen dresses and pants featuring beautiful, heavily embroidered designs and trims, as well as the highly popular and growing trend of denim pants, cardigans, jackets, skirts and dresses with fun character patches,” she said. And she emphasised that no outfit is complete without the right accessories. And as far as they are concerned, trendy items such as hats – for infants to pre-teen boys and girls – sunglasses, neck- and bow ties for boys, and jewellery and handbags for girls, are all items parents should pick up in addition to their Spring clothing selections. “There’s definitely a reason why we carry such an extensive accessories line for boys and girls. We pay very close attention to the details and we view accessories as the icing on the cake. Dressing without accessories of some sort is the equivalent of having carrot cake without that delicious buttercream icing,” said Mrs Anusiem. “Accessories also provide a distinct avenue for kids to early on express themselves through fashion. It is also the most affordable way to bring life to a very simple outfit, or even renew your faith in an article of clothing that you may have otherwise tossed out or given away. You would be surprised at what a beaded collar, choker, fedora, embroidered belt, handbag or stackable bracelets (all available at Kalico Bay) can do to renew your faith in an otherwise lacklustre or underwhelming garment.” Kalico Bay is located at number 84 Christie Avenue in Stapeldon.
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gardening
Bulbs Jack Hardy talks about the importance of bulbs and how to correctly identify them
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henever the word ‘bulbs’ is used you may be sure that the term also includes other forms of plant-starting material that have another name. Often called bulbs are plants grown from corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes. You can easily identify a real bulb by cutting it in half, which is almost as silly as proving a pearl is genuine by dissolving it in acid. An onion is a bulb and when you cut it in half you can observe the internal layers that typify a bulb. Bulbs (and rhizomes, etcetera) play an important part in a perennial garden, one that produces wonder after wonder as the year unfolds without the sowing of seeds. A tropical perennial garden may take years to establish but once achieved is a joy forever. Following are some of the most popular bulbs grown in Bahamian gardens. The largest and showiest of bulbs is Hippeastrum, invariably sold as amaryllis in nurseries. A Hippeastrum bulb is the size of a very large onion and should be planted so the top of the bulb is just below the surface of the soil. The flowers are massive and long lasting; the bulbs are expensive but worthwhile. Immensely popular is the gladiolus, a tall and showy plant that nowadays comes in any colour you can imagine. Bury your bulbs deep in the soil, at least five inches from the top of the bulb to soil level. You can leave the
The gloriosa lily
The gladiolus flower hole partly open as the green sheathes develop then firm the soil around. If planted too shallow the plant will need staking and I hate to see beautiful plants staked. The English plural of gladiolus is gladioluses, quite a mouthful but things are what they are. Gladioli should be reserved for botanical usage. Lilies include thousands of examples and many of them can be established in our gardens while others last a season then die. These usually come from nurseries at Easter or Christmas time or are one-off specials. Those that stay around will usually flower at a later time in the year than the original blooming. Calla lilies are large plants and have tubular ice cream cone folded petals. They can be grown in clumps or as individual specimens. A late season flowering bulb that suddenly seems to be everywhere is Zephyranthes (rain lily, August flower). These diminutive but pretty plants have leaves that much resemble St Augustine grass. If they encroach into a lawn (and they usually do) the decision has to be made: grass or flower? The yellow Zephyranthes are particularly striking. The gloriosa lily is grown from tubers
and is one of the most fascinating of all flowering plants, being vinous and extravagantly showy. Make sure your gloriosa lilies have somewhere to climb. I have several that trail into rose bushes and make some visitors to my garden do a double take. Caladiums also come from tubers and are a godsend for shaded areas. The green, white, red or pink leaves survive summer heat as long as they are not in direct sunlight. Predominantly white leaves can be used in areas of deep shade while reds and pinks can decorate shaded borders. Caladiums usually take a rest during winter but sometimes flower year round. A great number of tropical plants grow from rhizomes that often look like unprepossessing bits of stick. Canna is grown from rhizomes and can be stunning when planted in stands. The plants can be untidy from wind damage so a sheltered location is preferred. I hate to see cannas of mixed colours grown together and much prefer a stand of red, a stand of yellow, etcetera. The Zingibers of the family Zingerabaceae form a large group of easily grown plants that develop from rhizomes. The starter for edible ginger can
be bought at a food store and planted a few inches deep when green shoots begin to develop. A small bed – one square yard – will keep you in ginger for the rest of your days. Very popular in recent years is turmeric. Turmeric gives curry powder its distinct yellow colour and has become a noted constituent of savoury smoothies. If you are into such things you may as well grow your own makings. Turmeric likes fertile soil so you may have to plant your rhizomes in large pots to guarantee a successful harvest. The plant will flower then die back and allow you to pull up a mass of new rhizomes. Save some for your next harvest and bake the rest in a 350 degree oven for three-quarters of an hour, then turn them into powder in a commercial grade coffee grinder or high speed blender. The Zingibers include many plants such as torch ginger, shell ginger and ginger lilies. Some of these can grow out of control and become invasive, so take care in your selection. • For questions and comments e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
poetry
Rhyme time New awareness month to bring the spoken word to life By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
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NCOURAGING people to get lost in the writings of poets is the focus of Poetry Awareness Month, which was launched by the Commonwealth Writers of the Bahamas. The organisation will host a series of events to encourage exposure to literary works from writers both locally and internationally. Commonwealth Writers of the Bahamas is a non-profit organisation whose vision it is to reach the Bahamas and the world through the written word and ensure that all its members who are interested in becoming published authors or have a career in writing receive the basic skills. “National Poetry Month is the most celebrated literary event in the world, inaugurated in 1996 by the American Society of Poets to increase an awareness and appreciation of Poetry,” said Vera Chase, president of the Commonwealth Writers Association “Although never celebrated in the Bahamas as a special month, the Commonwealth Writers of the Bahamas instituted ‘The Annual Short Story/ Poetry Competitions and Writing Awards’ in 2005 to increase awareness and appreciation for the spoken words in the Bahamas.” The organisation’s celebration in the lead-up to Poetry Awareness Month kicked off with the 11th Annual Writing Awards, a red carpet affair at the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort in February. Winners of the short story/poetry competition, which was first launched by the group in 2005 to help young people hone their writing skills, were awarded during the event.
Lauren Scriven, 8, a student of St Francis/St Joseph, was the winning poet/writer for 2016 in her age group.
“Our goal is to introduce the Bahamian culture of poetry and spoken word to the world.”
Yamille Moss,15, a student of Aquinas College, won the Writing Competition in 2016 in her age bracket.
Jason McAulay, 13, a student of the RN Gomez AllAge School in the Berry Islands, took third place in the Writing Competition in 2016 in his category.
Chloee Deveaux, 15, a Shavon Smith, winner of student of St Augustine’s 2016 Writing Competition. College, was the second place winner in the 2016 Writing Competition in her bracket.
Writers of all ages from Nicholls Town Primary in Andros; RN Gomez All-Age School in the Berry Islands; Orange Creek Primary in Cat Island, Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Academy in Grand Bahama, as well as schools in Abaco and New Providence, read their winning entries in front of a large audience. The gala event was what initially sparked the idea to continue the poetry
celebrations in April. Activities for Poetry Month include a special church service at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, a writers brunch at Luciano’s of Chicago, a book launch and open mic night event, school tours and more. Dates and times will be announced later. “Our goal is to introduce the Bahamian culture of poetry and spoken word to the world. This we will do by
Journey Higgs, 10, a student of Hope Town Primary, came second in her category last year.
Jere Cumberbatch came third in last year’s Writing Competition in her category.
attending festivals and using our social media pages to create awareness,” said Ms Chase. She said the hope is also that people will become inspired to read and writer in more creative ways. “We want people to buy a poetry book, read a poem every day, write their own poem, write a Mother’s Day poem, know your Bahamian poets, and share a poem at work/school,” she said.
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podcasts
Unexpected stories By STEPHEN HUNT shunt@tribunemedia.net
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his week’s podcast takes a diversion down an unexpected path. A show that started off appearing to be about one thing quickly took a very different turn – and led this week’s review selection to ask the question “Who are we – and who has the right to talk about us after we’ve gone?”
S-Town S-Town is a new show from the creators of Serial and This American Life. And it’s an oddity. Ostensibly, this starts out as a reallife crime show in which the host, Brian Reed, is asked to come to the town of Woodstock, Alabama, to investigate a murder. It then takes a very, very different course. Reed was invited to come to the town – the S-Town of the title, but that’s just an abbreviation of the curse word used to describe it by John B McLemore, a cranky old man who tinkers with clocks, drinks cheap whiskey and berates the world for all that is wrong. He tells Reed of abuse of people across the state by police officers, he talks about the land he has where he keeps stray dogs as the unofficial animal shelter of the area, he hangs out with his buddy as he sharpens his chainsaw. And he presses Reed to investigate a murder that doesn’t appear to have happened. Reed tries to find out more about the murder – but there’s nothing. No trail, no newspaper reports. Nothing. He begins to think McLemore might have made it all up. And so begins the real journey of the show, examining McLemore himself. Now, there’s no two ways about this, I’m going to have to give a spoiler for the events that happen in the show. You see, in the second episode, McLemore commits suicide. The news of this comes to Reed as he’s mid-investigation and it changes the whole path of the show.
What happened when John B McLemore drank cyanide in the hit podcast ‘S-Town’? Suddenly, it becomes about McLemore, who he is, his sexuality, his lack of a will that leads to all sorts of family contention, the rumours of quantities of gold that he owned. It becomes, in essence, a look at mid-American life, and the secrets that we keep. S-Town was released recently in a block of episodes, so you can binge listen to the first seven episodes already. It’s a slightly uneasy listen – McLemore invited Reed to investigate a death, but it was never his death. Or his life. At times, this feels slightly voyeuristic, disrespectful even. But the story that is told really makes you think about what lies behind the faded facade of Americana, and what goes on in those small towns out there. Website: https://stownpodcast.org/
church. The show includes reaction to the piece – but one of the concerns is again that, unfortunately, the story comes after the fact. Ned passes away. So is his story someone else’s to tell? Ought we to be discussing, no matter how compassionately, their sex lives, their loves? It fits into the same territory as the discussion of McLemore above – and while I have no answers to the questions it raises, it is beautifully done and thoughtfully executed. Modern Love is very well worth a listen – even when it raises awkward questions. Website: http://www.wbur.org/modernlove
Modern Love
This show – a quick listen at about half an hour – looks back over people’s lives, highlighting parts we might not be familiar with. The latest episode is about John Candy, who died far too young at the age of 43 in Mexico. The show looks back at his early days starting out, failing to make a career as a salesman and being dismissed by someone who said they would never hire an actor again. That was a spark for Candy, who was
I’ve reviewed Modern Love before – it’s an excellent show – but by chance a remarkably fitting companion piece to S-Town this week is the latest show featuring a reading by actress Laura Dern of a piece by Rhonda Mawhood Lee. She reads about a pastor speaking to her parishioner, a 78-year-old man who had fallen in love with a 28-year-old man – to the shocked reaction of his
Remarkable Lives, Tragic Deaths
at least being described as an actor, something he would devote himself to more fully, first in comedy in Canada before breakthrough roles in movies, especially when he hit the big time in ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’. It’s a quirky format for a show, with scenes from Candy’s life being played out in short vignettes, sometimes effectively, sometimes less so, but always putting a spotlight on parts of the actor’s life we might not be familiar with. There are his struggles with reviews that highlighted his weight, there are the times he is wrestling with the need to look after his family but being taken away from them by his work – his life is stressed with different influences, while always being recognised as a good guy. The length of the show perhaps doesn’t allow us an in-depth view, but for a quick listen, it does help to show us more of the person we thought we knew – and wonder if we ever really did, and that’s no mean trick to pull off. Other recent episodes cover subjects as wide-ranging as Marvin Gaye, Joan of Arc and Julius Caesar – so it’s fair to say the show has ambition in its targets. But start with someone familiar – or someone you thought was familiar. Website: https://www.parcast.com/ lives/
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
makeup
Let your beauty stand out Industry leaders to attend Nassau expo By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
A
ll beauty enthusiasts are asked to mark their calendars for what could turn out to be their favourite event of the year – an expo for all things hair and makeup. Industry leaders and international professionals will descend on Nassau this June for the two-day Stand Out Hair and Makeup Expo at the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort. The event will feature big names such as celebrity master hairstylist Andre Edwards from Bravo TV’s ‘Tabatha Take Over’; internationally known stylist Melvin Foster; noted hairstylist Ryan Johnson out of Dallas, Texas, as well as the Bahamas’ very own makeup artist Lisa Wallace. Patrons are invited to “Look n Learn” as they sit in on tutorials that will feature styling techniques such as weaving, relaxers, colouring, cuts, and makeup application. Highlights will also include fashions by Bahamian designer June K Woods, a performance by Dyson Knight, and music by the Mighty Pencil. Prizes and surprises will also be provided throughout the event. Originally scheduled for April 10, due to technical difficulties the expo had to be pushed back to June 25 - 26. More details to follow. The local organisation behind the expo is Felicity Clake’s ‘Fearfully and Wonderfully Made’. Ms Clake, who is also the event’s host, said she is passionate about raising awareness of all types of hair textures and skin tones. She believes everyone should see themselves as beautiful.
“I want to assist women with managing their unique selves, because sometimes hair and makeup can only cover the outside beauty. Many of us have made the statement, ‘I wish I had good hair’, but all textures of hair are good hair, and whether it’s relaxed, natural, weaved or coloured, once it’s healthy and managed correctly, that is all that matters,” she said. Ms Clake believes she is taking a leap of faith, inspired by God, in hosting this event, as it ties in to her goal of opening her very own hair and cosmetics store in the future. With the upcoming expo she also hopes to reach as many women as she can who may suffer from depression. “January of this year I came out of a two-year depression stage and a period where I didn’t love myself. I never in all my life would have ever thought I, the happy- go-lucky me, would have such an experience. I want to share what I have learned with others, because as simple as it may sound, some of us cover our hurt by our hair and makeup
“...all textures of hair are good hair, and whether it’s relaxed, natural, weaved or coloured, once it’s healthy and managed correctly, that is all that matters.”
being done. I want us all to understand that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. I want us to be able to love ourselves so that we can wear the hair and the makeup and not let the hair and makeup wear us, just enhance,” she said. Ms Clake hopes to be able to host the event twice a year and add a third day of to highlight spiritual illumination, transformation, business skills and family life. “I am looking forward to seeing all the different ethnicities being in one room receiving holistic information on the fact that beauty comes from within. I don’t want a division between natural or relaxed hair. I believe that we all can use the information provided, whether natural or relaxed,” she said. For more information, call 803-8002 or e-mail standouthairandmakeupexpo@gmail.com.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
celebrity With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
HIT
HIT
SPLIT
FAIL
Katy Perry “Chained to the Rhythm”
Pharrell Williams “Space Jam 2”
Lily Collins “The Last Tycoon”
Caroline de Maigret, model and author
Karin says: “First of all, I’m really liking this short hair on Katy; even the blonde looks nice on her. And I like the ensemble. It looks just the right amount of stylishly messy. And for once I like the slight Chinese influence because it doesn’t look cheap.” Cara says: “This is cute. My only compliant is that I really don’t like the white trim on the pants or the white handbag. They just stick out like sore thumbs. I’m cool with everything else though.”
Karin says: “Pharrell clearly has found his style and he’s sticking with it – sporty with a hint of sparkle. And ladies, I’m sure we’re all a little bit envious that men can walk the red carpet in something so comfy and still look fabulous.” Cara says: “Pharrell just makes me … I don’t want to say it… happy, lol. He looks great and I love, love, love, the bling at the waist and sleeves. Those tennis are awesome, too.”
Karin says: “OK, I like the outfit, it’s just that we’ve seen it too many times before. There is nothing original in the way it’s styled here either. Also, the Chanel skirt suit kinda wears her instead of the other way around. The strappy undershirt doesn’t really work either.” Cara says: “Oh, this is so classic Chanel. I love her jacket and skirt. However, I have to say that I’m am not a fan of the inner shell. I don’t think it’s the best choice to go with the outfit.”
Karin says: “Where is that effortless style that all models are supposed to possess even when wearing the most hideous outfits? It sure can’t be found here. Her hair, that shirt, that undershirt – they’re all hideous. I hope this isn’t the look she’s promoting with her book ‘How to Be Parisian Wherever You Are’.” Cara says: “This outfit is trying to be hip and edgy and just doesn’t work. I love the idea of the soft comfortable, oversized cardigan that you can just throw on, but somehow I am just not feeling it with the rest of the look. It doesn’t move me.”
PHOTOS/RICHARD SHOTWELL/INVISION/AP
The Weekend Fashion Report Chanel Dinner to Celebrate Gabrielle
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
film
First reactions from ‘The Fate of the Furious’ screening
“T
he Fate of the Furious” is in, and it’s good according to first reactions to the
upcoming film. Universal Pictures surprised CinemaCon audiences on Wednesday with an unannounced screening of the eighth film in the franchise and praise spread quickly on Twitter. The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Ford said it was perfection, while the trade publication’s Aaron Couch said it is “exactly what you buy your ticket for,” calling out Jason Statham’s film-stealing sequences. Couch also noted that there are a few “so bad they’re good moments” that the improbable franchise has become known for, including a particularly over-thetop sequence with a submarine. IMDB’s Keith Simanton said director F Gary Gray, a newcomer to the franchise fresh off of “Straight Outta Compton,” is “up to the task.” Slashfilm’s Peter Sciretta wrote that it “takes the ridiculousness to a whole new level, but feels very different.” And Steven Weintraub of Collider.com singled out Dwayne Johnson in particular who he called a “straight up superhero.” Johnson, among other things, deadlifts concrete and coaches a girls soccer team. “The Fate of the Furious” reunites the Los Angeles street racers, including Michelle Rodriquez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Nathalie Emmanuel, taking them to the streets of Cuba, New York, Berlin and to the frozen Russian landscape. Charlize Theron joins as a dreadlocked baddie with nuclear ambitions and Scott Eastwood teams up with Kurt Russell as an agent in training. “The Fate of the Furious” hits theatres on April 14. LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
BIFF hosts 2017 film workshop for students, public
F
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hobbs
Charlize Theron as Cipher and Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto
or more than 13 years, the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) has organised film workshops for 1,000 students in Nassau, Exuma and Eleuthera. BIFF has striven to positively impact the youth in these communities through educational initiatives that allow them to explore their creativity and gain knowledge about the film industry as a whole. Students are introduced and work in all the different jobs on a film set: as actors, directors, in sound and lighting – all the essentials of making a film from pre-production to editing. This month, the BIFF film workshop returns to teach 120 students from give schools on two islands for three weeks. From April 24 to May 12, students will learn from BIFF-approved film professional Assatu Wisseh, of the University Of Georgia, and Bahamian filmmaker Jennifer N Simms. The participating schools for 2017 are the Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute, the Bishop Michael Eldon School, Centreville Primary School, Genesis Academy and St John’s College. Student films created during these three weeks will be showcased at the 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival scheduled for December 10 -13 in Harbour Island and December 14 - 17 in Nassau. In addition to the film workshop in schools, BIFF offers the workshop to the public on Saturday, April 22, Saturday, April 29, and Saturday, May 6, from 9am to 4pm at the BIFF office. The cost of the film workshop is $75 before April 15 and $100 before April 20. The deadline for registration is April 20. In these hands-on workshops, BIFF promises that participants will learn about script writing, casting and character selection, acting, cinematography, film scoring and film editing. Sponsors for the workshops include URCA, Sunshine Insurance, Sandyport Beach Resort, Bahamasair, University of Georgia, Dunkin Donuts Bahamas, Avis, Bahamas Local and Club One Fitness. For more information and to register, call 698-1800 or e-mail festasst@bintlfilmfest. com.
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music
‘Better Days’ for Willis Reggae artist announces new studio and new single
W
illis Knowles, the lead singer of Bahamian reggae band Willis and The Illest, has announced the launch of a new rehearsal and recording facility in the Western part of New Providence. The Duncantown Studios, named after the main settlement in Ragged Island, where Willis’ family originates from, took a full year to complete and is now home to an impressive array of technical equipment, in part thanks to Grammy Award-winning singer Shakira. “We were able to purchase a lot of our equipment from Shakira, who had a home recording studio here in Nassau, but the space, we renovated it on our own. It’s on the second floor of an old stable, so it’s cool and has inspired a lot of new music,” Willis explained.
“We were able to purchase a lot of our equipment from Shakira, who had a home recording studio here in Nassau, but the space, we renovated it on our own.” Willis’ newest single, “Better Days”, was written in Duncantown Studios and was released on local airwaves and distributed digitally by VPAL on April 7. The song was produced by Bahamian Preston Stuart of the Cyclone Music Group, in collaboration with Jason Farmer of J-Vibe Productions . The song is an uplifting tune, with a strong ‘trap’ hip hop fusion and continues to
The cover art for Willis Knowles’ newest single, ‘Better Days’. put Willis at the front of the local reggae scene. “Better Days” is part of a second body of work that Willis and The Illest are releasing this summer. According to Willis, the song was inspired by the realities of the Bahamian and world economies, the high unemployment rate, crime and the amount of people who are resisting the urge to hustle. It’s asking that they continue to
look ahead to the “Better Days” that will come. The single is available for downloaded on all music platforms and is being played popular Bahamian radio stations. For more information, contact Willis Knowles at willis.knowles@gmail.com or search the band’s Facebook page for upcoming performances, www. facebook.com/theillest242.
Drake, The Chainsmokers lead with 22 Billboard Award nods RAPPER Drake and EDM duo The Chainsmokers are the top contenders at the Billboard Music Awards with 22 nominations each. Dick Clark Productions announced Monday that the performers set a record for most nominations in a year. The 2017 awards show will air live May 21 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Other big contenders include twenty one pilots (17 nominations)
and Rihanna (14). Nominees for the biggest award, top artist, include Adele, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, the Chainsmokers, Drake, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Rihanna, twenty one pilots and the Weeknd. Albums from Beyonce, Drake, Rihanna, twenty one pilots and the Weeknd are up for top Billboard 200 album. NEW YORK Associated Press
Drake and The Chainsmokers are tied for the most Billboard nominations.
Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall make up The Chainsmokers.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
art
Woodturners ‘Branch Out’ at Doongalik
F
or a third year, the Doongalik Studios Art Gallery on Village Road is hosting a woodturners exhibit from 3pm to 7pm throughout the month of April. This year’s show, entitled “Branching Out”, demonstrates the participating artists’ ability to explore new techniques, forms and functions of their preferred medium: wood. David McGorrin, Robin Hardy and Jeremy Delancy have over 40 years’ experience in woodworking, and are well known for producing artworks that are timeless. Inspired by the success of their last two shows, the three artists have once again come together to show off their new work. In their current show, Mr McGorrin has a collection of fish that was inspired by the aquariums at the Atlantis. Using a special oven to heat the wood, he was able to shape and bend single pieces of wood in the forms of fish. Mr Delancey used his expertise to make bespoke men’s items such as cuff links, pocket watches, and also created drinking glasses that can be flipped over to become candle tea light holders. Meanwhile, Robin Hardy has created fabulous home accessories such as side tables and bowls which are on display. Mr Delancy, who is also the organiser of the event, said: “This show will have something of interest for everyone. I am sure that people who have been to our previous two shows will be just as impressed as those who will be coming for the first time.” ‘Branching Out’ was also a part of the recent Transforming Spaces Art Tour and was very well received. During the art tour, the three woodturners participated in Doongalik’s ‘Inside/Outside Naturally’ exhibit. “We took items that would normally be displayed inside and placed them outside, and things outside where displayed inside,” explained Pamela Burnside, manager of Doongalik Studios. Mr Hardy, Mr Delancy and Mr McGorrin exhibited inside, while other eight artists had their art displayed in the garden outside of the studio.
A table by Robin Hardy
Fish by David McGorrin
Glasses by Jeremy Delancy
The history of woodturning Woodturning can be traced back thousands of years. However, the archaeological record of woodturning is limited to illustrations because wood is a fibre and therefore prone to rot over time. It is the craft of using the wood lathe with hand-held tools to cut a shape that is symmetrical around the axis of rotation. Like the potter’s wheel, the wood lathe is a simple mechanism which can generate a variety of forms. There are Egyptian monuments that illustrate a strap used by a
helper to rotate the lathe while another worker cut the wood. Early bow lathes and strap lathes were developed and used in Egypt and Rome. Meanwhile the Chinese, Persians, and Arabs had their own variations of the bow lathe. Between 500 and 1500 AD, turned wooden vessels served as the everyday bowls and cups of most of the population of Europe. As early as 1568, a separate fly wheel powered a lathe via a drive belt. A master would cut the wood
while an apprentice turned the crank on a huge wheel, often several feet in diameter. This was a continuous revolution lathe, which led to adaptation to external power sources such as water, steam, and electricity. Turned wooden items have been of major importance to the development of mankind from the production of simple domestic utensils, farm implements, maritime articles, joinery such as staircase parts, furniture, musical instruments, sports equipment, measuring and drinking vessels.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
art
3rilogy celebrates ‘huge success’ with debut exhibit By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
W
ith the magic of ‘50 Shades of Paint’, the 3rilogy artists last week celebrated the opening of their first joint exhibition at the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery. 3rilogy is a group of three artists made up of ‘The Celebrity Artist’ and Tribune cartoonist Jamaal Rolle, award-winning mural artist Allan P Wallace and Airbrush Junkies’ Stefan “Legend” Davis. So far, they have been known to the public through their fun and interactive ‘ParticiPAINT’ party events. But last Thursday, the trio got to show the public just how talented and versatile they are. According to the artists, the pieces for ‘50 Shades of Paint’ were designed
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
PHOTOS/TERREL W CAREY
“to educate, entertain and give viewers an engaging experience that explore beauty in the characteristics of humankind.” In an interview with 3rilogy’s public relations consultant Nikki Jae, Mr Rolle expressed his thanks for the tremendous response and impressive turnout during the show’s official opening. “This gave us an opportunity to present parts of us that the world has never seen, particularly me. I am known as a portrait artist and an editorial cartoonist in the newspaper, but this has given me an outlet to do figure drawings and things that I feel are more creative, as doing portraits doesn’t afford me that much room,” said Mr Rolle. He spoke highly of pieces done by Mr Wallace and Mr Davis, saying he is not certain of what goes on in their minds during their creative process, but that he appreciated the camaraderie and the amount of work they put into this show. Mr Rolle said his ‘Ten Virgins’ piece was inspired by the Renaissance period and it challenged his “inner Michelangelo”. He hoped people would be “blown away” by the talent of the three artists, and on opening night it seemed like his wish was coming true. “I am appreciative that persons seem to be feeling what I do. It shows that it has a purpose. I am happy for the support,” he said. Meanwhile, airbrush artist Stefan Davis said while his work for this exhibit was nothing new to him, he knows that many members of the public have not seen this side of his art. “I was just keeping it away from most people. The canvas is actually my first love, but when I found the airbrush I really focused on perfecting that craft and developing it,and that was it,” he said. While each artist is currently involved in personal projects for the near future, fans of the 3rilogy group can look forward to the third edition of the successful ‘ParticiPAINT’ party. More details and updates will follow on the 3rilogy Facebook page. ‘50 Shades of Paint’ will remain on display at the Central Bank of the Bahamas Art Gallery until April 28. The artwork is available for purchase.
Stefan “Legend” Davis
Allan P Wallace
Jamaal Rolle
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
art
Colours of the horizon By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
A
rtist Je’Rome Harris Miller is set to show the colours of earth and sky in his new art exhibit called “Colours...Above and Beyond” which will open next week in the Christ Church Cathedral Hall. The new exhibit is the 11th in a series of annual exhibits that Mr Miller has hosted to help raise funds for the University of the Bahamas Winston Saunders Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mr Saunders was a Bahamian educator, lawyer, actor, playwright and cultural director. “This is my way to use my talents to contribute to a very good cause,” the artist told Tribune Weekend. “Giving back is something that we all need to do in whatever way we can. Community service is very important.” Mr Miller’s exhibits for the scholarship fund are usually always held around this time of year. “It’s a convenient time at the church because Sunday School is not in and that allows us time to leave the exhibit up for five days in the hall without disturbing anyone,” he said. Mr Miller explained that every year he chooses a different theme for the collection to be displayed. “This year I chose the theme ‘Colours...Above and Beyond’. The collection depicts the colours on the horizon, both in the sky and below it,” he said. The exhibit will feature about 35 to 40 pieces, all specifically done for this exhibit.
Regatta Line-up
Junkanoo Beller
Colours...Above and Beyond “I started preparing at the end of last summer when I started doing all my research and I was finished all the work just before Lent when we had a preview show of the collection,” he said. Mr Miller said he was inspired by his grandmother Netta Riley who recognised his artistic talent and nurtured it. After completing high school in New Providence, he embarked on a career in fashion design and hairstyling. He has travelled far and wide, gaining experience and knowledge in places such as Paris, London, Montreal and the US. He became one of the
Bahamas’ most sought-after hair and personal stylists. He also produced some of the most sensational fashion events held in the Bahamas. His talent in the visual arts was encouraged and uncovered by art teacher Joan Bethel, who helped him find his own style – abstract expressionism. Mr Miller was also encouraged by the late Winston Saunders and his wife Gail, his rector Canon Patrick Adderley and Governor General Dame Marguerite Pindling. He works in acrylic using special textures and finishes, and describes his style of art as “bold and abstract”.
He said he has been inspired by Picasso, Rembrandt and Auguste Renoir. Mr Miller’s works can be found in collections around the world, including Europe and the US, and in the private collections of Ian and Eleanor Phillips, Winston and Gail Saunders, Joe and Lynda Gibson, Lady Sharon and Sir Franklyn Wilson, Gary and Cleopatra Christie, Elaine Pinder, Scott Godet, Ferron and Carolita Bethel, among others. His work has been donated in support of many local charities and fundraisers. His first exhibition ‘Bold’ was held at the Azure Spa, British Colonial Hilton Hotel, in 2006. “Exuberance” followed in 2007. At this time, he auctioned off a number of his pieces in the exhibition to raise funds towards the College of the Bahamas Winston
Saunders Memorial Scholarship. This was continued in 2008 and 2009 with ‘Exuberance II and III’. In 2010, he hosted an exhibition called ‘Brilliance’, from which he also donated part proceeds to the scholarship fund. Other exhibitions have been ‘Vision’ in 2011, ‘Pieces of Eight’ in 2012, ‘Spirit and Colours of the Bahamas’ in 2013, ‘The Gift of Light...Seeing Colours’ in 2014, ‘Beautiful Inspirations...Heavenly Gaze’ in 2015, and in 2016, ‘Behold...The Beauty of God’s Creation’. Mr Miller has been a great supporter of the C R Walker High School musical department, where he is on the school board. He is also on the programme advisory committee at BTVI. His philosophy is to not make his exhibitions commercial events, “but an opportunity for patrons to come out and enjoy themselves in an atmosphere conducive to artwork”. ‘Colours...Above and Beyond’ opens on Thursday, April 20, at the Christ Church Cathedral Church Hall on George Street at 6.30pm. It will remain open from April 21-23, 2pm-6pm, by appointment only.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
literary lives kim philby
A spy among friends Sir Christopher Ondaatje looks at the brilliant senior member of British Intelligence who worked as a double agent before defecting to the Soviet Union.
J
ohn Le Carré, the great British author of espionage novels has said of Kim Philby: “The scale of Philby’s betrayal is barely imaginable to anyone who has not been in the business. In Eastern Europe alone, dozens and perhaps hundreds of British agents were imprisoned, tortured and shot ... To me Philby’s motive for betraying his country smacked a great deal more of an addiction to deceit. What may have begun as an ideological commit-
“The ‘Cambridge Five’ were all committed ideological spies inspired by the myth image of Stalin’s Russia”
ment became a psychological dependency, then a craving. One side was not enough for him. He needed to play the world’s game.” Harold Adrian Russell “Kim” Philby was born in Ambala in the Punjab Province of British India. His father was a member of the India Civil Service, and a well-known author, orientalist and a convert to Islam – also advisor to King Ibn Sa’ud of Saudi Arabia. Nicknamed “Kim” after the boy in Rudyard Kipling’s novel, he, like
his father, went to Westminster School and then won a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge, from where he graduated in 1933 with a degree in History and Economics. After graduating, while working to aid refugees from Nazi Germany in Vienna, Philby met and fell in love with Litzi Friedmann, a young Austrian Communist of Hungarian Jewish origins. He admired her bravery and determination. Philby and Litzi married in
February, 1934, thus, using his British passport, helping her to escape to England with him two months later. Despite general opinion that Guy Burgess lured Philby into Soviet espionage, it was almost certainly Litzi Friedmann who made the introduction that lured him to the Soviet cause. Arnold Deutsch, a quasi Austrian/ Czech/Hungarian academic who was an NKVD (Soviet Peoples Commis-
Continued on page 24
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The former British diplomat who was at that time accused of spying for Russia, during a press conference at his parents’ home in London on November 8, 1955. (AP Photo/ FILE)
The rights for Ben Macintyre’s 2014 bestseller ‘A Spy Among Friends’ have been optioned by Lionsgate for a potential television show.
Continued on from 23 sariat for International Affairs) agent in London, made contact with Litzi Friedmann, and actually recruited Kim Philby. He asked him directly whether he was willing to spy for the Soviet Union. He accepted. Philby also dealt with Deutsch’s successor, Theodore Maly, Anatoly Gorsky and a German known as Reif. All were shot in Moscow between 1936 and 1938 during Stalin’s purge. Philby’s first task for Deutsch was to provide a list of his Cambridge contemporaries who might respond to Soviet recruitment. The seven names he provided included Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess and he arranged for their meetings with Deutsch. Deutsch recruited 20 agents during his time in Britain. The most successful, however, were the “Cambridge Five”: Philby, Maclean, Burgess. Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross. All were committed ideological spies inspired by the myth image of Stalin’s Russia. Deutsch encouraged Philby to establish an impeccable right-wing persona. But Litzi Friedman, a Jewish communist, was going to be a continuing handicap. It was obviously better for Philby to operate alone. The outbreak of the Spanish Civil War provided the opportunity and solution. Philby was instructed to go to Spain using freelance journalism as a cover. His main objective was to report back on troop movements and the military support being provided to Franco’s forces by Germany and Italy. In 1936, Philby and Litzi Friedmann separated but remained friends, and only divorced ten years later. Philby met his second wife, Aileen Furse, in London on September 3, 1939, the day that Neville Chamberlain declared war on Nazi Germany. He was, at the time, working as The Times correspondent with the British Expeditionary Force. He went to France reporting both for The Times and the Daily Telegraph and left for
England less than 24 hours before the French surrender. Returning on the train from Plymouth to London with the correspondent from the Sunday Express, he was introduced to Marjorie Maxse who offered him a job in the War Office – which he accepted. On his first meeting in her office he was surprised to see Guy Burgess already working there. Philby was appointed as an instructor in the art of clandestine propaganda at the Special Operations Executive’s training establishment in Hampshire. There he was again contacted by the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) and asked to provide names of British agents being trained to enter the USSR. Philby replied that none were sent and none were being trained. He did, however, provide Stalin with the advance warning of the Japanese intention to strike south at Singapore instead of attacking Russia as Hitler had urged. This warning contributed to Stalin’s decision to transport troops from the Far East in time to use them in the counter offensive around Moscow. By 1941, Philby was working for Section V of MI6 responsible for offensive counterintelligence in charge of Spain and Portugal. These responsibilities were expanded to include North Africa and Italy in 1942-3 under Major Felix Cowgill. On instructions from his KGB office he manoeuvred successfully to replace Cowgill as head of Section V. This move aroused the first suspicions of Philby but they were ignored. Also that year, Philby met the young American counter-intelligence officer James Jesus Angleton in London. It was the beginning of a long friendship. He, too, became suspicious of Philby when he failed to pass on information about a British agent (also an informant for Moscow) who was executed by the Gestapo in Germany. Again the warnings were ignored. With the removal of Felix Cowgill, Philby was now in
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charge of Britain’s anti-Soviet intelligence operations and in a single, clever manoeuvre he had got himself in a position to inform Moscow of Britain’s espionage activities, and also what it was doing to counter Soviet espionage. There were other lapses by Philby arousing suspicions in both Moscow and London, but nothing materialised. In August,1945, Konstantin Volkov, an NKVD agent and Vice-Consul in Istanbul, asked for political asylum in Britain and offered to give the names of three Soviet agents in exchange for quite a lot of money. Philby was told to deal with Volkov. Instead, he warned his Soviet controller of his mission and made his slow journey to Turkey – by which time Volkov had been hurriedly returned to Moscow. Again Philby managed to escape any blame. A month later Igor Gouzenko, a cipher clerk in Ottawa, asked for political asylum in Canada and gave the Royal Canadian Mounted Police names of all agents operating within the British Empire known to him. When Jane Archer was appointed to Philby’s section, he again cleverly moved her out of his department in case she became suspicious and learned of his double role. Philby was awarded an OBE in 1946. Philby divorced Litzi Friedmann on September 17, 1946, and married Aileen Furse a week later. By then, Aileen and Philby had three children and she was pregnant with their fourth child. In February, 1947, Philby was appointed head of British Intelligence for Turkey and posted to Istanbul with his family. Although holding a position as First Secretary, his true responsibility lay in overseeing British agents and working with Turkish security services. During the next few years Aileen Philby’s mental health deteriorated and, worried about Philby’s heavy drinking and frequent depressions, she experienced a severe breakdown, staging an incident where she injected herself with urine and insulin to cause skin disfigurations. She was immediately sent to a clinic in Switzerland only to experience another burning accident when she returned to Istanbul. She was sent back to Switzerland. Philby was moved to the job as chief SIS representative in Washington, DC, where they arrived in September,1949. He thus became the top British Secret Service Officer working in liaison with the CIA and FBI, and handled secret communications between the British Prime Minister, Clement Atlee, and President
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union issued a postal stamp commemorating Philby.
Philby’s second wife, Aileen Furse, in 1951. She was said to have suffered from Münchausen syndrome that manifested itself in episodes of selfharm and pyromania in order to attract sympathy and attention. Harry S Truman. On arrival in America, Philby was told about Meredith Gardner and how his team in Virginia has broken the “Venona” code used by Soviet spies. It was another serious threat to Philby
as it revealed that 200 Americans had become Soviet agents in the Second World War and that documents had been sent to Moscow by the British Embassy in Washington. The source, identified as “Homer”, travelled to
New York to meet his contacts twice a week. It was obvious to Philby that the agent was Donald Maclean, whose wife Melinda lived in New York. Philby was given the task of unmasking “Homer”. In January, 1950, several spies, including Klaus Fuchs and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were arrested. To make matters worse Philby’s homosexual and alcoholic friend Guy Burgess was appointed First Secretary at the British Embassy in 1950 and, despite heavy objections from his wife Aileen, Philby allowed Burgess to live in the basement of their house at 4100 Nebraska Avenue in Washington. Because of the inevitable discovery of Maclean it was important that Philby keep an eye on the unstable Guy Burgess. Philby relayed the dangerous situation to Moscow when MI5 decided not to arrest Maclean right away. He demanded that Maclean be extracted from the UK before he was interrogated and compromised the entire British spy network. Philby decided to use Burgess to warn Maclean that he must flee to Moscow immediately, and they both decided that Burgess must leave for London to make escape plans with Russia. Philby also made Burgess promise that he would not leave with Maclean because if he did it would be obvious that Philby was part of the Soviet network - and it would be the end of him. Burgess agreed. On May 7, 1951, Burgess contacted Anthony Blunt who got a message to Yuri Modin, the Soviet controller of the Philby network, and informed him that Maclean was going to be interrogated by the SIS on May 28. On May 23, Philby wired Burgess (about his abandoned car in the Embassy car park) saying that if he did not act immediately it would be too late. Two days later Burgess drove Maclean to Southampton, where the two men took a boat to France and then proceeded to Moscow. NEXT WEEK: Kim Philby, Part II – How MI5 missed the chance to expose the ‘Third Man’. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born Canadian-Englishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted information from The Climate of Treason by Andrew Boyle; The Philby Affair by Hugh-Trevor Roper; A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre; and Wikipedia.
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
history
Nassau after the American Revolution
This plan shows clearly that the centre of town was to the north of Marlborough Street and between West and Cumberland Streets, in the area now occupied by the British Colonial Hilton. The well marked is said to be Blackbeard’s Well.
Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha
J
ohann Schoepf came to America in 1777 as physician to the Ansbach regiment of Hessian troops fighting for King George III during the American War of Independence. After the British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown, he embarked on “Travels through the middle and southern united north American States, to East Florida and the Bahama Islands, undertaken in the years 1783 and 1784”, the wordy title (translated) of his 1788 book. His first view of the town of Nassau made a lasting impression. “The capital
of the island of Providence and, at the same time, of all of the other Bahama Islands, is the little town of Nassau, which hugs the hilly shore. The houses are of wood, all lightly built and of simple construction. According to the needs of the climate here, attention has been given only to roof, shade, space and air. No chimneys are to be seen, and but few glass windows. The houses stand apart, surrounded by trees, hedges and gardens. Most of the houses have, besides the frame, merely a plain covering of boards; the best are boarded double but, even then, the covering is light ... There is but one tolerablyregular street, or line of houses, which runs next the water”. Bay Street was usually called The Strand. The Governor lived in a rented
house on the ridge of a high hill, with cannons on the terraces and surrounded by a high wall, all built by the Spaniards because “a Spanish governor seems never to think himself safe, unless begirt with cannon”. Schoepf was also a botanist and a zoologist and his detailed writings paint a vivid picture of life in our islands at that time. It was the early days of the Loyalist period in Bahamian history and these newly-arrived ‘refugees’ had not yet had time to change the face of these islands by erecting things like churches and today’s public buildings at Rawson Square. Christ Church was the only church and not yet a cathedral. There was a jail and an Assembly house. The streets were not paved. He described the inhabitants as “a few royal officials,
merchants, shipbuilders and carpenters, pilots, fishermen, and what labourers are needed”. Schoepf talks about a coffee-growing industry, with “several large orchards full of coffee trees, growing well, bearing heavily and the beans are of the best taste”, but Starbucks is not mentioned and the centre of activity, where people got together, was The Bourse, “a building quite open, furnished with a roof only, where public sales are held of goods brought in, and all notices and regulations are posted. Here may be found, throughout the day, buyers and sellers, ships’ captains, and other persons of affairs ... who come to hear, or retail, the news”. • Comments and responses to islandairman@gmail.com
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Thursday, April 13, 2017
animals
Mickey is back in town
L
ast week a son of the soil came back to Nassau. He walked out of Nassau international Airport relaxed and “cool”, sniffing the air and enjoying the familiar smells of his native land. I was honoured to be there to greet him. Yes folks: Mickey, the Potcake, is back in town! Two years ago, his mom had to move to her native Peru. What to do with her beloved Mickey? She put in months of research figuring out an affordable way to get him to South America, but there simply wasn’t one. Not one to ask for help as she is an independent lady, Mickey’s mom finally broke down and posted a photo of her beloved Potcake on Facebook with a placard around his neck saying he needed help to get to Peru with his mom. That photo proved to be the turning point of Mickey’s (and his mom, Dany’s) life. Somebody tagged me and I got in touch with Dany, she told me how much it cost to fly him to Peru, I posted the information and the inquiries started flooding my inbox ... and then came the donations. One in particular was large and generous, from France, an animal-loving gentleman who has never met Mickey or Dany but still wanted to keep this family unit together and admired the young woman who would go to no limits to stay united with her Potcake. The dramas leading up to Mickey’s departure were a serious test of our determination and fortitude. We had to change Dany’s travel plans (more than once) because of which flights Mickey could travel on, the crate we had for him wasn’t quite big enough, he weighed too much for another airline ... and so
A royal pup By The Bahamas Humane Society “Good morning! My name’s RBP, short for Royal Bahamian Potcake, and I am one of many pups available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society. I’m a little older than most of the others, but I have a super friendly outgoing personality, and I’m really keen to have a home of my own. I’m almost a year old, just about to no longer be a puppy, in fact. I love to play and run, and I’m sure I’d enjoy the beach if you took me there. I’m very curious about things I haven’t seen yet. Do you have a home for me? If so, come in to the BHS to meet me and the other adoption pups, or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. I look forward to meeting you soon!”
Photo/Patricia Vasquez
Animal matters Kim Aranha
pet of the week
• Pull out those hippy outfits! The BHS Flower Power Party is back on Saturday, April 29, at the Nassau Yacht Club. The fun starts at 7pm. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Tickets are $75 and are available at the shelter. Have a rocking good time and support the animals while doing so.
Dany and Mickey arrive back on Bahamian soil last week. it went on. The departure deadline loomed and there was one complication after another. Nothing was going right. We finally decided that Mickey had to travel from Miami to Peru - an
entire new game plan. He had to get to Miami first. Odyssey stepped up and gave Mickey and his mom stylish travel on the Saga Boys flight to Fort Lauderdale. I saw them off and gave Mickey his last Bahamian hug. Several
people came out to wave them goodbye. The story did not end there. Mickey would now need a complicated US health certificate, and those can be very expensive. Up stepped Dr Val Grant, who arranged with the Hollywood Animal Hospital that Mickey could get his complimentary health certificate. Fortunately, Dany had an accommodating aunt in the Miami area so she could stay there. But it was still not over: once the certificate was obtained it had to be taken to be endorsed by the US, which would take a few days ... which they didn’t have. Up stepped Bahamas Humane Society (BHS) advisor Jim Crosby and after a few well-placed phone calls Mickey would be fast tracked somewhat. Dany and Mickey drove many miles during those days, jumping through hoops to get all the necessary paperwork. Finally Mickey climbed into his crate, Dany bid him a concerned goodbye and they both headed to Peru - on different flights. We all gave a collective sigh of relief, but it was still not over. When he arrived in Peru, Mickey was detained until Dany came up with an unnecessary and high “processing fee”. Finally, 24 hours after he took off, Mickey stepped out of his crate into an unfamiliar world of smells and sights. Dany still had hurdles to overcome, finding an apartment that would allow a large dog, living without a garden and so much more. For two years they lived “in exile”, Mickey learned Spanish and we all followed his adventures on Facebook. Last week, a triumphant Mickey flew back to Nassau with his soon to be married mom. Mickey will be the ring bearer at the ceremony. A long awaited wedding to unite two young people who remained dedicated to each other through thick and thin ... with Mickey in the middle. Why this story now? Because at Easter we all need a happy tale about a wagging tail and we at the BHS and other rescue groups are constantly having to try and re-home pet with families leaving the island, or worse changing homes to where pets are not welcome. People will walk away without a backward glance at the family pet left alone, confused and struggling. Not Dany with Mickey. Dany understood the commitment she had towards Mickey. They are family and she could never have just left him behind. Today they live back in Nassau, Mickey has a garden, Dany will make a beautiful bride and all that is left for me to do is wish them a great life and that they live “happily ever after!”
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Thursday, April 13, 2017