Friday, May 6, 2022
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Weekend
Teen rapper with a message Page 07
Rising above it Local artist takes wing after overcoming adversity
pgs 08 +09
02 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, May 6, 2022
home
Avoiding common living room mistakes
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ometimes it’s not what you get right that people notice first, it’s that ‘something went terribly wrong here’ feeling. In design, probably more of those ‘oops’ moments happen in the living room than anywhere else in the house. Why? Because unlike a kitchen that demands appliances, counters and cabinets or a bedroom where the bed is the focal point, the living room is a blank canvas, a space into which you can put whatever you want. That kind of freedom can lead to a lot of mistakes from stuffiness to overcrowding. Here are six of the most common errors. Hopefully be recognising them, you can avoid the traps and make the most of your living room space. • Mistake number one – creating a room for show instead of one that invites you to live in it. Remember that’s why it is called a living room. It is supposed to be a place where you and the family can plop down on a comfy sofa and watch TV, talk or chill. Stuffy, formal living rooms have gone the way of the fax machine. No one but doctors’ offices have them anymore. Don’t be afraid to mix and match, making the space personal with throw pillows and accessories chosen just because you like them, not because they ‘match.’ • Mistake number two – awkward spacing. In the living room, arms and legs matter. Leave a comfortable distance between the sofa and coffee table. Around 16- 18” leaves enough space for adult legs to walk through but brings the table close enough that you can lean over comfortably to grab the remote or a cup of coffee. Keep chairs and sofas relatively close for easy conversation. Leave enough space for a side table for lamps or to store goods. • Mistake number three – pushing furniture against the wall with no proper layout planned. When planning layout, decide a focal area and group your sofas, sectionals or chairs to face this focal point in a way that allows for easy conversation. If you have to float a sofa in the middle of a room, the trick to doing this well is to put a console behind the length of the sofa to create a boundary and define the space. It provides a zone and changes the view from looking at the boring back of a sofa. •Mistake number four – the wrong size area rug. All of your furniture should be able to sit either fully on the rug or at least have the front legs on the rug. The purpose of the rug, other than comfort, is to create cohesion and a visual boundary that groups all of your furniture together. Centre the furniture on the rug to create a feeling of balance. It helps to ground any floating pieces with an area rug to define the living area. •Mistake number five – the wrong-sized coffee table. It is a common mistake to use a coffee table that is either too large or too small relative
to the room and furniture. A good rule of thumb is to buy a table that is around half or two-thirds the size of your sofa. You can also do a cluster of tables of different sizes and play with the arrangement until it feels balanced. • Mistake number six – blocking the flow. It should be easy to maneuver in the living room and if you have a view through a large window or glass doors, it is important to consider this as well. Make the room easily accessible by choosing sectionals with chaises that are on the opposite side of the entry, or place smaller sitting pieces nearer the entrance in your layout versus a sofa so it is easier to get around. Using different sizes and shapes for seating makes this a lot easier to play with, for example, pairing a sofa with two arm chairs or a sectional with a few ottomans. Make sure there is LIFE BY 30”-36” of space in any pathway without any DESIGN breakables that can be BROOKE PYFROM knocked over.
AN AREA rug grounds living room space, too big or too small spoils it. (Image: Pure Salt Interiors)
COMFY is in, stuffy and formal have gone the way of the fax machine. (Image: Amber Interiors Inc)
THE COFFEE table should be about two-thirds size of sofa. (Image: Pure Salt Interiors)
The Tribune | Weekend | 03
Friday, May 6, 2022
entertainment
Bahamian writer shortlisted for Commonwealth Short Story Prize
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ahamian writer Alexia Tolas has once again made the shortlist for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Alexia, who actually won the competition in 2019 for the Caribbean region, uses her work to explore small-island life and local mythology to convey realities silenced by tradition and trauma. This year, 26 stories have been shortlisted by an international judging panel for the world’s most global literature prize. The writers come from 20 countries across the Commonwealth, including, for the first time, Papua New Guinea, Eswatini, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The 26 shortlisted entries range from forbidden love to coming-ofage stories, tackling subjects from bereavement to climate change, and span genres from speculative and literary fiction to romance and crime.
ALEXIA Tolas
Junkanoo returns tomorrow as part of “Dis We Ting” festival By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIANS who have worked up an appetite for Junkanoo after its long, pandemic-occasioned absence will get a big dose of it tomorrow when the “Dis We Ting” music, food and craft festival takes place. Alpa Sounds, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture, is presenting the event at the Carnival Grounds at 2pm. It is expected to open and close with an upbeat and high-energy Junkanoo performance. Trevor Davis, president of Alpha Sounds Promotions, said: “Junkanoo is going to play a very important part of the weekend. We intend to open up with a Junkanoo rush-out and end with a rush-out. We know what Junkanoo means to us and we realise how much we care about it after not
having it for so long. Everyone who misses Junkanoo this is an opportunity to engage.” The promotions company is also brining back its signature Carnival event, “Survival Weekend”, set for May 20-22, featuring a road parade and a mega concert with big names in soca music, including Allison Hinds, Destra Garcia and Patrice Roberts. Local performers Wendi, Patrice Murrell, Latis and Ebony are also set to take the stage. The road parade will be held on Saturday, May 21, at 8am, and the concert will take place later that night. A beach fete is also slated for May 22. However, party-goers will note that the road parade, in particular, will be done in a scaled-down version.
Alexia’s submission for this year is the short story “No Man’s Land”. It tells the story of a desperate hotel developer who journeys into the forest to reclaim his paradise, and discovers that he may not be the predator but the prey. Told partially in resurrected Taino, “No Man’s Land” asks, what if nature could fight back? Born and raised in the Bahamas, Alexia draws heavily on local folktales and mythologies in order to convey realities silenced by tradition and trauma, especially from a female perspective. Alexia’s writing has been featured in Womanspeak, Granta, Windrush, adda, and The Caribbean Writer. She was also shortlists for the 2020 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. She is currently working on her first novel. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize is awarded annually for the
best piece of unpublished short fiction from any of the Commonwealth’s 54 member states. It is the most accessible and international of all writing competitions, In addition to English, entries can be submitted in Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. In 2022, 408 entries were in languages other than English. The stories on the 2022 shortlist were selected from a total of 6,730 entries from 52 Commonwealth countries. Shortlisted writers receive invitations to participate in literary events and publication opportunities also arise. Regional winners will be announced on May 23, the overall winner will be announced during an award ceremony on June 21.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, May 6, 2022
interview
Sonovia Pierre Best known as a singer with the band Visage and for performing at events like regattas, there is much more to this entertainer than meets the eye. The vocalist and educator tells Cara Hunt about her latest songwriting endeavours and passing on appreciation of Bahamian music to the next generation.
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onovia Pierre has been in the limelight for more than three decades, but the singer wants people to know there is more to her than what they see on stage. “I got my start back in 1989 when I won the Hal Jackson Miss Talented Teen contest,” she told Tribune Weekend. “After my reign ended and I gave up my crown, I was discovered by Visage and asked to sing with them. I think that was when I really realised that I could actually make money as a singer.” For Sonovia, music is life. “Singing is as natural to me as speaking; it’s my everything, it’s my gift and if I couldn’t sing, I don’t know what I would do,” she said. Sonovia, affectionately known as “Novie”, sang with the popular band from 1990 to 2012. But while that may be what made her a household name in the Bahamas, she said there is much more to her when it comes to her music. “I don’t want people to put me in a box, because there are so many facets to me. Yes, I am an entertainer who you may see sing at events like regattas, but I also write all genres of music. I have a degree in music,” she said. She attended the College of the Bahamas before completing her undergraduate studies at Florida Atlantic University where she attained a Bachelor’s in Music Education with emphasis on voice, paedagogy, choral conducting and arranging. Then, at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Sonovia attained a Master’s degree in Music Education and Music Composition. Currently, she teaches Bahamian music appreciation at the University of the Bahamas.
“I started teaching in 1996 and so I have actually been singing longer than I have taught,” she said. Her primary goal for the class is to expose her students to Bahamian music. “Appreciation comes from exposure to something, that is the first step. Many of my students tell me they don’t like Bahamian music or they don’t listen to it, but as they become more exposed to it and the history behind it, then they can find something to appreciate it about,” she said. “Culture is ever changing. For example, I tell my students, ‘Look at conch salad… traditional conch salad was conch lime and salt and now you see that you can get it with mayonnaise or pickled conch or you can get a tropical salad with the fruit, you may not like some of those, but you can appreciate the tradition and the culture behind them.’ My job is to give people a chance to be exposed to the music in the country, not to tell them what to like. What I hope will happen is they can develop an understanding and respect for the music,” she said. Another fact people may not know about Sonovia is that she is a composer. “I started writing music back in 1996 for Visage, but I never thought that the songs I wrote were that worthy,” she said. In addition to writing for the band, she has written classical music for the Bel Canto singers and the Bahamas National Youth Choir, as well for the Mississippi State Singers. “My musical dimensions are vast,” she said. Sonovia said she draws inspiration from many places. For example, the inspiration for her song “Jungalist Gone to Court” came to her when
The Tribune | Weekend | 05
Friday, May 6, 2022
she witnessed some women trying to enter court dressed inappropriately. “I noticed the security guard tell them they couldn’t enter dressed how they were. That was hilarious to me and that’s how that song came about,” she said. Her song “Stray Dog” takes note of the potcake problem and also compares the strays to men. Her newest song is a collaboration with the ‘Queen of Junkanoo’, Sweet Emily, called “Another Day”. It is a joyful nod to the relaxation of COVID-19 regulations. Sonovia originally wrote the song for Emily to sing as a solo, but Emily convinced her to sing it with her. “I didn’t want to write a song about COVID, because I wanted to see the back of COVID, and we lost so much and so many people that we have to be grateful to see another day,” she explained. “This is an anthem of gratitude that we have made it through
these past few years. When Emily asked me to sing it with her, I did rewrite a few of the lyrics to express my own gratitude.” The two singers worked with composer Fred Ferguson remotely for most of last year before finally putting the final recording together in person during the Christmas season. It was released recently. Sonovia said that song is intended for everyone to enjoy. “I don’t want people to think that this is a gospel song, because we all can be grateful for another day,” she said. Despite her success in all her many endeavours, Sonovia still feels that she has a long way to go. “I definitely would not say I have ‘made it’,” she said. “I am always trying to achieve the next step, tackle the next project. I think that is the biggest challenge for musicians, staying relevant and current… finding a way to bring new flavour and flair to the music.”
this
weekend in history May 6
May 7
• In 1840, the first adhesive postage to be used in a public postal system, the so-called “Penny Black”, is introduced in United Kingdom. The stamp featured the profile of Queen Victoria.
• In 1867, the explosive material known as dynamite is patented in England by Swedish chemist, engineer and inventor Alfred Nobel (whose fortune established the Nobel Prize). This new safe way of harnessing the power of nitroglycerin was soon used worldwide for mining and infrastructure development.
• In 1889, the World’s Fair in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch. While it was initially criticised by some of France’s leading artists for its design, it has since become one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
May 8
• In 1937, the German passenger airship Hindenburg bursts into flames during its attempt to dock at the Naval Air Station in New Jersey, killing 35 passengers and crew and one person on the ground.
• In 1896, one of the first well-known serial killers, H H Holmes is hanged Philadelphia. Born Herman Mudgett, Holmes confessed to 27 murders, but
• In 1348, a ship from Bordeaux believed to be carrying the bubonic plague docks at Melcombe Regis (now Weymouth) in Dorset. It’s the beginning of the Black Death in England. By autumn it had reached London and by the following summer it covered the entire country. Fatalities may have reached as high as two million people (in a country with a population of five to six million). was only tried and convicted for one murder, that of business partner Benjamin Pitezel. His story will be the subject of the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese show, The Devil in the White City.
• In 1933, Mahatma Gandhi begins his 21-day fast in protest against the British oppression of India. He went on hunger strike several times, but this was the longest. Fasting was a weapon Gandhi used as part of his non-violence philosophy.
down: 2 Hospitable; 26 A J U O E 3 Pile; 4 Strict; 5 Unrest; J B D May GE6,PA2022 6 Disperse;Friday, 7 Veer; O U L 11 Under water; M H Q G O 13 Enormity; 16 Bowing; X C F F H 17 Detail; 18 Drug; 20 Digs. S T G V E
26 Malice, removing quiet location (4) 27 Involved tea in complaint at restaurant (6,3)
06 | The Tribune | Weekend
E K R O W S Z A O A K Y Z L S Z X S
A l t An E DrH
Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)
HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals. Verb forms ending in s permitted’. TODAY’S TARGET Good 26; very good 39; excellent 52 (or more). Solution tomorrow
Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudoku forAnswer today’s target solution
*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Promoter of mixed doubles? (10) 6 It’s just not raining (4) 10 Cream and gold seen in a plant (5) 11 So in love as to be transformed in demeanour (9) 12 Painless treatment for animals (8) 13 Builder of a lodge (5) 15 He reads about what paste does (7) 17 The case for schoolbooks (7) 19 Meals for father in breaks from work (7) 21 Untidy fringe in which there’s nothing alien (7) 22 Country dropped a point in its old money (5) 24 Ann becomes engaged to a lean historian (8) 27 Charge follows an agreement for an instrument (9) 28 Unusual Maori girl’s name (5) 29 One outstanding among the best artists (4) 30 It’s very well known to have had a festival (10)
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Yesterday’s Easy Solution
Down 1 Letters an Irishman Across: 1 Vis-a-vis, 5 Charm, 8 Come clean, 9 Ass, 10 Late, brought up (4) 12 Splinter, 14 Depend, 2 Nothing unusually posh in 15 Eulogy, 17 Villainy, 18 Reap, a voyage in this (9) 21 Lag, 22 Tempt fate, 24 Pithy, 25 Limited. 3 Handy arrangement Down: 1 Vocal, 2 Sum, 3 Vice, for a composer (5) 4 Sleepy, 5 Continue, 6 At a 4 Never seeming to get stroke, 7 Miserly, 11 Top-flight, 13 Infantry, 14 Develop, older or younger? (7) 16 Enamel, 19 Plead, 5 How time flies! (7) 20 Stem, 23 Act. 7 Hanging in a French town (5) 8 Together they may make a catch (3,3,4) Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution 9 He trains regularly before work (8) Across: 1 Steal up, 5 Salad, 8 Throws out, 9 Nod, 10 Page, 14 Twin propellers (4,2,4) 12 Not at all, 14 Noodle, 16 For those sick 15 Legend, 17 Tells off, 18 Prig, and tired of work? (4,4) 21 Ass, 22 Ready to go, 24 Lures, 25 Residue. 18 An irritating habit (4,5) Down: 1 Sit up, 2 Ear, 3 Lawn, 20 One minute - it’s not 4 Proton, 5 Satiated, 6 Lend a land measure (3,4) an ear, 7 Diddled, 11 Good loser, 13 All sorts, 14 Netball, 16 Affair, 21 Money can be converted 19 Grope, 20 Eyes, 23 Odd. into capital (7) 23 Bill’s getting a new car that’s capital (5) 25 Spirit rises after the French animal appears (5) 26 Four-inch bananas (4) Across Down 1 Full of activity (4) 1 Stuck in a morass of work (6,4) 2 Roman arena 6 7 8 6 Walk doggedly (4) fighter (9) 9 10 Resistance to 3 Reach eventual attack (5) state (3,2) 11 Volatile (9) 4 Fault (7) 12 Go in different 5 Missile’s directions (8) explosive 13 section (7) 13 Wary (5) 7 Situated (5) 15 Appeal to (7) 8 Dawdle (5-5) 17 Predicament (7) 18 9 Brawny (8) 19 Enter a side 14 An expert (4,6) road (4,3) 21 Sunshade (7) 16 Baldness (8) 22 Point of view (5) 18 Contemptible (9) 24 Shrub of culinary 20 Huge sum of money (7) use (8) 27 Moral 21 Part of horse’s 25 baseness (9) foot (7) 26 23 A prickly 28 Secret intrigue (5) shrub (5) 29 Strong 28 disagreeable 25 Large South smell (4) American parrot (5) 30 Make no 26 Exultant joy (4) progress (3,7)
EASY PUZZLE
FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off. Solution tomorrow 1
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V V F G P O G O
P A D S A H X R
THE ALPHABEAT
TARGET Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.
X B B R N U B K
3
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1 x Battleship
3 x Destroyer
2 x cruiser
4 x submarine
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your u
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The Tribune | Weekend | 07
Friday, May 6, 2022
music
Teen rapper releases album with a message for his peers By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
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ixteen-year-old Caleb Johnson has a message for his generation. And that message is that the answer to whatever they are going through is God. Caleb is no stranger to gospel music. His father is Kent Johnson, a reggae artist and part of the successful music group Christian Massive. However, he was not bitten by the music bug until just a few months ago. “I was working on a project with my mom for her class and I was writing some things for her, and when the words came out, I knew that I wanted to turn them into a song,” he explained. “I just was able to express myself as I started writing and it turned into about seven rap songs.” These songs now comprise his new debut album called “A Message For My Generation.” “My inspiration came from real-life situations, and I took the time to really hear from God during the writing process, and that is why I think everything came together and flowed so well,” he said. “My target audience is any up-and-coming youth, so between the ages of maybe 12 and 25, but really anyone who is struggling because I want them to know that God is the answer. There are so many issues out there, but I think that a lot of them stem from the fact that people don’t know how to talk to one another. They are just short-tempered. And that is why we have so many young people have been murdered because there is no conflict resolution,” he said.
“There are so many issues out there, but I think that a lot of them stem from the fact that people don’t know how to talk to one another.” “We also have a lot of other issues such as single parents, broken homes and young girls getting pregnant, and instead of people offering to help them, we say, ‘Well, she knew what she was doing so she has to accept the consequences.’ These things bring a lot of inconstancy, but if we walk with God, He is our constant.”
Caleb said he wrote each of the rap songs in three stages – first getting the sound in his head, then letting the words play in his head throughout the day, and then, usually late at night, he would blend the beats and the words into songs. The album was released a few weeks ago and Caleb said that the response has been great so far. “A lot of my friends have told me that the songs have really met them where they are and helped them. They were also surprised that it was me singing because I am usually quiet,” he said. “I am also happy that my message is getting across, because as one of my friends told me, ‘I don’t usually listen to gospel music, but your music is giving me a different perspective’.” “A Message For My Generation” is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, May 6, 2022
gardening
Liquid gold
G
ood day, gardeners. Have you noticed at how plants tend to jump up during and after a good rain? With longer daylight hours and the beginning of the rainy season upon us (it is raining as I write this), garden plants are using all of that extra light and the nitrogen charged rainwater to flush with new foliage growth. If your garden does not respond immediately to a solid rain, you may have compacted or poor soils in your garden and the rainwater is likely not penetrating the soils sufficiently. As I mentioned in the last few weeks, drainage, airspace and water holding capacity in the soils tend to dictate the quality and health of garden plants. Now is a great time to fertilize. Most gardens will benefit from an application of nutrients now. Trees and palms may require supplemental nutrients as our native soils tend to not be nutrient rich. Palms have different nutrient requirements than fruit trees, shrubs, or vegetables, so be sure to use a palm specific fertilizer, there are many available on the market. Fruit trees often need supplemental nutrients to maintain plant health and vigor and different types of fruit trees require different nutrients. Consult with a professional before beginning any fertilization programme to ensure the most effective, efficient, and economical options are employed. I am seeing many folks dealing with poor fruit set and damaged new growth on mango trees this season, I am seeing the same issues throughout the region, north and south. I have noticed mention of anthracnose affecting mango trees, with the flowers or new growth tips being severely affected by shriveling up and dying back. For small trees, a fungicide drench may help the issue, but for the early flowering mango trees it is all but too late to do much about it, and to treat a large tree is an expensive and challenging ordeal as it is difficult to spray a large tree without a spray truck. In lieu of going all out on a sprayer to drench your tree, there are several things that can be done to manage
the infection. Nutrient application with a low nitrogen fertilizer, deep watering (obviously not necessary if it is raining), pruning out infected parts of the tree, and sanitation (cleaning up fallen leaves and branches underneath and around the tree) are all key components of disease management. Generally, this season will see a small mango harvest and if you are not experiencing anthracnose on your mango tree(s) then consider yourself lucky! Here’s the kicker; anthracnose is spread by the same liquid gold that causes gardens to flourish. Rain and splashing water tend to spread fungal or bacterial infections on plants and trees. Another thing that liquid gold does: it helps the weeds grow, really quickly. Good luck with that. I’m kidding, but at times I also think that if humans were to disappear, the entire world would be readily colonized by weeds within one growing season! Something I get repetitive about on our property is, “pull weeds, please’! It is constant, and it is time consuming, but I stay away from chemical herbicides save for the most drastic need for weed removal.
I choose to be conscious of the bees, birds and pollinators, as well as the beneficial insects or any creature that is harmless to whatever it is that I am growing. Having weeds nearby a fruit tree will increase pollination rates. Eradication doesn’t make sense to me. Regardless, the rain helps the weeds to grow like crazy, and other than a fertilizer application, some may choose to treat for weeds in the lawn grass or the garden, before they get too far along. The rain also spreads weed seeds and allows them to sprout rapidly. Liquid gold. The rain replenishes the ground water and helps our gardens to perk up and push new growth, but it also helps to spread pests and disease. It is particularly important to manage infections, infestations, or deficiencies before they get too far along, and the rainy season has a way of letting us know which plants are struggling and which are not. If hibiscus or citrus, for example, do not green up quickly after a rain then there is certainly a nutrient deficiency present, coupled possibly with an infection or an infestation. Black or dry tips on a mango tree?
Infection, coupled possibly with a nutrient deficiency or infestation. It is now time for plants to grow much more vigorously than in the past six months, and one of our jobs as gardeners is to aid in the optimum growth of our cultivated gardens. May the rains bless you all and allow your gardens to flourish! As always, I wish you happy gardening. • Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.
The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Friday, May 6, 2022
community
Sustainability in action By Victoria Sarne
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CE is the acronym for ‘Incubator for Collaborative Expression’, and now with the help of Starbucks, the meaning and intent of those words was recently expressed in a very real way. A sense of community is what Project ICE is passionate about, a reflection of its creator, Antonius Roberts’ philosophy and work ethic. Now entering its third year of existence, it’s hard to believe that it was once an ugly, deteriorating warehouse no longer in use when one sees its transformation today. A beautiful space for young artists to come, to use their own creativity, to be mentored and to learn how to not only express themselves through their art but to make it economically feasible. Project ICE will initiate its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programme this year for young students. Dates and times to be announced at a later date. ICE is also about sustainability, functioning entirely on solar power, its own well water supply and growing a vegetable and fruit producing garden. Its newly opened gallery is currently exhibiting works by its young creatives and is curated by Reagan Kemp, the current artist in residence. It is also great space for staging community events. Project ICE is a Bahamian registered non-profit and is supported by entities within the community with private and corporate donations. The Bahamas Starbucks Management team, with its well-established corporate community commitment, approached Antonius with a plan to partner ICE in two ways. The first, that their team would, for the month of April, participate in the existing Wednesday coffee mornings at ICE with presentations covering topics such as: from which country the coffee beans come, how they are grown, how the flavour varies from each country and what gives each variety of coffee its particular flavour. Guests were able to enjoy samples and were shown different methods of brewing to get the best taste experience. How many people know, for instance, that to get the authentic coffee taste that Baristas would like you to have, you drink it black with no sugar and no milk, but at the same time, eat a small piece of chocolate or a pastry bite, surprisingly sweet enough and delicious. The second part of the plan was much larger in scope - to clean up and enhance the surrounding outdoor space refreshing or augmenting existing landscaping. So, on April 23, if you had been on Old Trail Road at the ICE location, you would have seen a hive of activity with people, equipment and big piles of gravel and plants. Starbucks brought their staff volunteers to get down to serious work cleaning up the property and doing some landscaping additions. The work involved refreshing the existing pathway and creating a new one, adding more flowering plants to certain areas as well as making new beds, a wonderful addition to
the space. Four Seasons provided dozens of plants and gravel for the paths, Bahamas Waste the skip and Starbucks the labour - everyone working together. Starbucks volunteers were all staff members and either came from doing their shift or were going back to work when finished at ICE. On Saturday morning they honoured their stated mission and commitment to “acting with courage, challenging the status quo and finding new ways to grow the company and each other by being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.” These values are synchronistic with the mission of Project ICE sharing a mutual, honest expression of the meaning and intent of community and collaboration at every level. A very satisfying morning’s work for ICE as the recipients and their Starbucks partner.
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Literary lives – Sergei Diaghilev
The showman who created modern ballet Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario and founder of the Ballet Russes – from which many famous dancers and choreographers would arise. “Of all the wonders that the world had to offer, only art promises immortality.” – Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev was born in Selishchi, a rural locality in Russia, on March 31, 1872 to a Tsarist army officer Pavel Diaghilev. His mother died soon after he was born. The next year, Pavel Diaghilev married Elena Panaeva, who raised Sergei as her own child. The House of Diaghilev in Perm was a local cultural centre and the Diaghilevs hosted a musical evening every Thursday. Modest Mussorgsky, the composer, was a frequent guest. The young Sergei Diaghilev attended Saint Petersburg Imperial University and, instead of the usual four, it took him six years to graduate. While at university Diaghilev’s cousin Dmitry Filosofov introduced him to a circle of art-loving friends who called themselves “The Nevsky Pickwickians” – one of whom, Alexandre Benois, helped Diaghilev develop his knowledge of Russian and Western art. Within two years, he was the most learned and most respected in the group and he created several art exhibitions, introducing local artists first to the Russian public, and then to Europeans. In 1897, the exposition of German and British watercolourists at the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts was a huge success – repeated in 1898 with an exhibition of Russian and Finnish artists – the first of the newly formed “Mir iskusstva” (World of Art). A magazine of the same name was created by Diaghilev to promote modern art.
Diaghilev had no private fortune, but managed to glean protection and support from the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and even Nicholas II. On March 6, 1905, Diaghilev opened an exhibition “Russian Portraits of the 18th and 19th centuries” at the Tauride Palace. Over 4,000 paintings from four hundred owners were shown. Diaghilev travelled to collect the art works and wrote a detailed catalogue of the collection. The exhibition was enormously successful and raised Diaghilev to the top of art and society elite. Passionate to promote Russian art abroad, Diaghilev organised “Two Centuries of Russian Art and Sculpture” in Partis at the Salon d’Automne. Designed by Léon Bakst, the exhibition occupied twelve rooms in the Grand Palais, and its success paved the way for the future Ballets Russes. France was soon immersed in fashion à la russe. In 1889, Prince Serge Wolkonsky received directorship of all Imperial Theatres, and he appointed Diaghilev to the post of “Officer on a Special Duty”. Although only a nominal position, Diaghilev began to actively engage in the theatrical world, and was soon made responsible for the production of the Theaters’ Annual. As editorin-chief he completely reformed it and invited members of “Mir iskusstva” to work with him on transforming the magazine with different paper, original illustrations, advertisers, and distribution channels. He became an indispensable and successful promoter of the magazine. At about the same time Diaghilev started going to performances of the Imperial Ballet. The ballerinas were at first amazed to see this oversized dandy with a grey lock in his hair. They nicknamed him “Chinchilla”. He was particularly interested in a young ballerina called Mathilde Kschessinska, who was flattered by the now famous art connoisseur. Curiously, despite a sometimes-stormy relationship, the friendship lasted throughout their lives. Diaghilev introduced members of “Mir iskusstva” to the Imperial Ballet and encouraged them to work on designs and costumes. In 1900, Prince Serge Wolkonsky asked Diaghilev to stage Léo Delibes ballet Sylvia. Together with Alexandre Benois, a member of “Mir iskusstva”, Diaghilev established an elaborate production plan that startled the established personnel of the Imperial Theatres. Violently antagonistic opinions resulted in Diaghilev refusing to continue editing
the Imperial Theatres’ Annual, following which Prince Wolkonsky discharged Diaghilev and was later discharged as well. The Emperor, persuaded by the young ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska, took Diaghilev’s side. But, fed up with the scandal and situation, Diaghilev left Russia for France. “Your Majesty. I am like you. I do no work. I do nothing. But I am indispensable.” – Sergei Diaghilev Diaghilev was determined to present Russian music to Paris – the world’s culture capital. He organised the “Concerts historiques russes” with Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Glazunov, Feodor Chaliapin and Félia Litvinne. The tour was sponsored by the Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. This was followed in 1908 by his production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, starring Feodor Chaliapin at the Paris Opéra. Boris Anisfeld created the sets, designed by Bakst and Renois, and one of the artists even travelled to Arkhangelsk Oblast to purchase costumes. Its success was overwhelming – but incurred a loss of eighty-five thousand francs. The Russian state treasury refused to finance any more of Diaghilev’s tours. He was a gifted promoter but was developing a reputation as a dictator, devil, charlatan, sorcerer and charmer. He was also becoming quite sceptical about ballet, saying: “Anyone, with no special wit, can enjoy it. There is no sense or subject in ballet.” Later in his life he was heard to refer to his corps-de-ballet dancers as a “herd of cattle”.
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Undeterred, and with little hope of financing, Diaghilev turned for help to his new friend Misia Sert, the wealthy patron of Polish descent married to a French newspaper magnate. With her help they rented the Théâtre du Châtelet – a less prestigious destination than the Palais Garnier. Thus, on May 19, 1909, Diaghilev launched his first season of Russian ballet in Paris. Its success even overwhelmed the artists themselves. Audiences were dazzled by the dancing and striking designs. The first season included Le Pavillon d’Armide, Polovtsian Dances, Nuit d’Egypte, Les Sylphides, as well as the operas Boris Godunov, The Maid of Pskov and Ruslan and Lyudmila. The ballets followed the operas and were performed after the second intermission. A self-consciously Russian element dominated the productions. Innovative music magnified their impact, in particular that of Igor Stravinsky. The Company’s principal choreographer was the Russian dancer Mikhail Fokine, and the first Ballets Russes’ season was marked by the exotic designs of the Russian-born artist Léon Bakst. Leading dancers Vaslav Nijinsky, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Ida Rubinstein and Mikhail Mordkin became immediate world-known stars, and Diaghilev, despite creating another loss of 76,000 francs, was in demand across Europe. He then established the Ballets Russes as a yearround touring operation rather than a seasonal enterprise.
SERGEI Diaghilev with famous composer Igor Stravinsky in London, 1926
The charisma and virtuosity of Vaslav Nijinsky, one of the leading dancers of Ballets Russes, was such that no one who saw him perform would ever forget him. He became Diaghilev’s lover in late 1908 in an intense relationship dominated by Diaghilev. When in 1913 Nijinsky married, Diaghilev dismissed him. He returned briefly for two seasons but eventually suffered from schizophrenia, which ended his career. Diaghilev’s stagings included several compositions by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov, including The Maid of Pskov, May Night, and The Golden Cockerel. His staging of Sheherazade in 1910 drew protestations and public controversy from the composer’s widow. He also commissioned ballet music from Nikolai Tcherepnin, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, Manuel de Falla, Richard Strauss, Sergei Prokofiev, Ottorino Respighi and Francis Poulenc. His choreographer Michel Fokine adapted the music for ballet. Diaghilev also used ballet master Léonide Massine for choreographic assistance, and played a decisive part in the career of Sergey Prokofiev. The artistic director for Ballets Russes was Léon Bakst, and together they developed a more complicated popular form of ballet for the general public rather than just the aristocracy. Coco Chanel said that “Diaghilev invented Russia for foreigners”. The other notable composer-collaborator was Igor Stravinsky. Diaghilev was impressed with the drama of his early orchestral works and commissioned him to arrange some pieces by Chopin
BALLERINA Felia Doubrovska in a 1926 (New York Public Library for the Performing Arts)
for the Ballets Russes, and later scores from Stravinsky for The Firebird (1910), Petrushka (1911), and The Rite of Spring (1913). They also worked together on Les noces (1923) and Pulcinella (1920), together with Picasso who designed the costumes and the set.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the new Soviet regime condemned him as an example of “bourgeois decadence”. He never went back. He made Boris Kochno his secretary in 1920, and the following year staged Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty in London in 1921. It was a magnificent production but a financial disaster for both Diaghilev and Oswald Stoll – the theatre owner who backed it. The later years of the Ballets Russes were often considered too stylish and intellectual, and did not have the success and appeal of the earlier seasons –although young choreographers like George Balanchine (United States) and Ninette de Valois (England) seemed to hit their strides and went on to found ballet traditions of their own. Ballet master Serge Lifar also went on a technical revival at the Paris Opera Ballet, enhanced by Claude Bess and Rudolph Nureyev in the 1980s.
Sergei Diaghilev was known to be a terrifying and demanding taskmaster. Balanchine remembered that he carried a cane during rehearsals and banged it angrily when he was displeased. Ninette de Valois said she was too frightened to look Diaghilev in the face. However, he was also capable of showing great kindness, and dancers like Alicia Markova, Tamara Karsavina, Serge Lifar and Lydia Sokolova remembered him as a stern but kind father figure. “Tchaikovsky thought of committing suicide for fear of being discovered as a homosexual, but today, if you are a composer and not homosexual, you might as well put a bullet through your head.” – Sergei Diaghilev Diaghilev’s most famous lover was Vaslav Nijinsky, and only Léonide Massine, who replaced him, provided moments of happiness. Other lovers included Anton Dolin, Serge Lifar, and his secretary and librettist Boris Kochno. Diaghilev was terrified of drowning and of water. He avoided travelling by boat. He died on August 19, 1929 of diabetes in Venice, and his tomb is on the nearby island of San Michele – near the grave of Stravinsky in the Orthodox section. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Diaghilev (1979) by Richard Buckle; Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1989) by Lynn Garafola; and Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel And The Pulse of History (2015) by Rhonda K Garelick.
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history
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wonder how many Bahamians remember the glory days of our capital. It was a time, not long ago, when Bay Street was the business centre, in the latter part of the 20th century. Saunders and Cartwright said that it is not certain when New Providence was first settled, but it is believed to have been around 1666. It’s original name was Sayle’s Island but it was renamed FORGOTTEN FACTS Providence and then, to distinguish it from other places with that name, the word New was added. When Nicholas Trott became governor (1694-1697) the capital was called Charles Town and, in 1695, he formally laid out the town and changed it’s name to Nassau, in honour of the Prince of Orange-Nassau, who had become King William III of England. The boundaries of Nassau were East Street, West Street, Hill Street and the harbour, an area of one quarter of a mile from north to south and a half mile from east to west – 1.25 square miles in total– containing 160 houses, 1 church and 2 public houses. The East Hill Street and the West Hill Street, as we know them, were one continuous street - Hill Street. The April 27 issue of The Tribune published a letter by an unidentified writer called A BAHAMIAN OBSERVER, which I read several times. The letter opened with “Every time I drive through downtown Nassau, it depresses me.” I have exactly the same feeling whenever I drive along Bay Street and I long for the glory days that knew no T-shirt shops. Some years ago, I visited Johannesburg, South Africa, and was shocked by the downtown area, where shop after shop was shut and shuttered and the sidewalks were teeming with street vendors. I was told that it was not safe to wander downtown. I have no fear of walking on Bay Street, between East Street and Christie Street, but it would be depressing. In the days leading up to those glory days, the Bay Street merchant families lived upstairs over their shops. At night, when the shops were closed, there were still lots of people walking around, visiting friends. Downtown Nassau needs a host of new residents, with places to park off the street. Shops opened from 9am to 5pm. On Fridays, they closed at noon (and lots of Bahamians headed for the racetrack). On Saturdays, they stayed open until 10pm (later changed to 9 pm). On July 2, 1947, a press announcement listed 73 shops that that would stay open until 9pm. How many do you recognise/remember?
Nassau’s glory days
PAUL C ARANHA
• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail.com
PRINCE GEORGE HOTEL, Bay Street, in the 1960s
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animals Animal matters Kim Aranha
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o you ever wonder how somebody like me thinks of what to write about every single week? Let me tell you, me too. Sometimes I sit there and I think, oh no, the article is due tomorrow! What to say? what to write about? Writers cramp? Gee, I don’t know… more like a brain seizure. My mind becomes a unblemished piece of white paper waiting to be fed in to the typewriter – oops! No, wait a minute, wrong century; waiting to be put in the tray of the printer. So many things happen every week; good stuff, bad stuff, things that I want to share with you and other things that are just too brutal, or unpleasant, that I don’t want to share them with you, but that is life at the Bahamas Humane Society; week in and week out. This week has seen the recovery of some maliciously poisoned pups and a momma dog (Love, Sunshine, Gaia, and Hope; alas two didn’t make it)– names chosen by their saviour, shelter vet Dr Martyna. What a horrible experience that was for those poor dogs! Should we have spent time and money to save them? That is a discussion that we could have forever. There are those who say we should have put them to sleep immediately because they were suffering. I hear you, but mothers out there know that there is some serious suffering in labour, but it is worth it because it ends. The pups have come through and have the possibility of a wonderful life ahead of them. Was it the right thing to do? I will leave it to you to decide. These poor animals did nothing worse than exist. There was a neighbour who objected to them so he did what he thought was the “reasonable” thing to do: put down poison that was going to provoke a painful death. Excuse me, but what kind of mindful
PHOTO/LINDA GILL-ARANHA
Ramblings of an animal advocate
PET OF THE WEEK
monster does that? Really, is there no compassion in the Bahamas left? We did have it once; we were a kinder place. What has happened? Is it the influence of the TV, violent rap music, video games? Do you ever listen to the music that your kids listen to? I mean really listen to the words? Hey, skip the four-letter words; they are an essential factor, but whilst peppered with the required “curse words”… what is the sentiment? Anger, violence, more anger, abuse. And we wonder why there is no more compassion. If you spend time down at the shel-
A pup or two By The Bahamas Humane Society
K
yle is a recent arrival at the Bahamas Humane Society, having been surrendered with his sister Kyra. The two pups are about two and a half months old and wouldn’t mind being adopted together. Kyle is very people oriented as well. He’s smart and trainable and ready to find that special home of his own. Are you that home? If so, please call 323-5138 for more
ter and you allow your heart to play peekaboo with the control you have over your emotions, you will become absolutely appalled by the behaviour of your fellow man. We are in 2022 and sometimes I feel we have stayed stuck way back when, before we realised that we had a world to protect, animals to nurture, an entire ecosystem to pass on to our (perhaps) unborn grandchildren. We desperately need to get a handle on the unwanted cat and dogs born in the Bahamas, born only because people cannot be bothered to keep them on their property or (and, actually) have them spayed or neutered. What
information. Kyle looks forward to meeting you! • The BHS Thrift Shop is open and ready to sell you all kinds of wonderful things. Books, clothing, housewares, giftware, art, and much more. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 11am - 3pm and Saturday 10am - 2pm. Bring your bag!
stops these people from having their animals “fixed”? Some rather idiotic theory that every animal deserves the experience of becoming a parent. Oh, please spare me that lame and unrealistic sentimentality. You want your children to learn about life by seeing your dog have pups? Really? Your kid could probably teach you a thing or two. But seriously, the solution is at the tip of our fingers. We now have the amazing mobile clinic operated by BAARK! going from one community to another. They can become a huge part of the solution if the public allow them to. The Bahamas Humane Society is doing all we can to support spay and neuter, responsible animal ownership, love, compassion and kindness. We had a summer spay day campaign last year with BAARK! and spayed and neutered over 1,000 animals, but we really need more help. We need people to really care about tomorrow and what we older folks are going to leave behind. The years zip by and before you know it you are the older generation and then you look around and ask yourself, ‘Have I done anything useful?’ It is never too late. Meanwhile, you can help this country by being responsible, caring and mindful. Care for your animals, keep your trash home, spay and neuter your pets and be nicer people. Teach your kids the art of kindness and consideration. It is never too late to make a difference.
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