06302023 WEEKEND

A luxurious ‘neo-noir’ cabaret experience

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

Inspired by the Bahamas, the Miami Beach-based Faena Theatre has created a new show, a neo-noir cabaret production, to be shown in Nassau in partnership with the SLS Baha Mar.

“Luxuria” is the name of the show which will be staged this weekend at the Cable Beach resort.

“The arts have always been a large part of the Bahamian culture. That’s why the timing seemed perfect. On property, we will be celebrating the 50th year of Independence in many ways and we wanted to add to the theatrical aspect,” said Norman Lightbourne, Marketing Manager at SLS Baha Mar.

One of the main acts of the show is a fire dance accompanied by a drum solo by Bahamian drummer Reuben Deleveaux, who goes by the stage name ‘Ruppapumpum’.

Mr Lightbourne said it was important for the resort to include a Bahamian element in the show. There will also be Bahamian models and drummers, and music that is Junkanoo-inspired.

The team behind this neo-noir cabaret show, the Faena Theatre, is known for its bold and artistic productions and captivating cabaret performances.

Located in the Faena Hotel overlooking Miami Beach, the theatre is inspired by Europe’s grand opera houses and the glittering allure of Old Hollywood. The intimate gilded theatre showcases ambitious artistic productions and Faena’s very own highly-acclaimed cabaret performances.

The Bahamas exclusive “Luxuria” event will be hosted at Bond, Baha Mar’s nightclub, for two consecutive nights: tonight, and tomorrow, Saturday, July 1.

Crafted specially for SLS Baha Mar, “Luxuria” draws inspiration from the beauty of the islands and aims to immerse the audience in the vibrant tropics through a sizzling performance of dance, music and other forms of entertainment.

Bond is being transformed into an Old-World theatre for the occasion, featuring cocktail-style seating to showcase the sultry music, dazzling light technology and intoxicating choreography that is featured in “Luxuria”.

Guests will be able to pre-order specialty food and beverages that have been curated exclusively for the show.

“Faena Live is known to host soldout shows nightly in Miami, which guests travel from around the world to see. You will be spellbound by the vibrant, glamorous and fun costumes that reflect the Faena Live and SLS brands,” said Mr Lightbourne.

He said this type of show has not been see in the Bahamas for a long time and he believes an opportunity to have a world-class performance brought to locals doesn’t happen every day.

“Often times we have to travel aboard to experience a show of this magnitude. In that vein, it is extremely beneficial that we can enjoy it right here at home. At SLS we are all about service, luxury and style. Here is where the show gets its name ‘Luxuria’. The theme is all things Bahamian and all things luxurious. It’s important to us to have productions such as this one to offer additional value to our guests and the community at large,” he said.

SCENES from Faena’s cabaret shows

‘Volta’ on ‘Vola’ – Filmmaker celebrates the ‘King of Junkanoo’

Upcoming

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Filmmaker Travolta Cooper is taking Junkanoo around the world with his latest project that will put the Bahamian cultural phenomenon in the spotlight like never before.

The focus of his upcoming film, “The King of Junkanoo”, is the man who has earned that title over the last 50 years: Percy “Vola” Francis, leader of the Shell Saxons Superstars.

The film, set to debut by next Summer, explores Vola’s unique story, his passion for the parade and the Saxons’s many victories over the decades, as well as the African roots of Junkanoo.

Travolta, who is known for his film “Founding Fathers: Sir Stafford Sands” and “The Black Moses”, said he was working on another film when the idea for “The King of Junkanoo” suddenly came to him.

“I was in Kenya last year working on the Myles Munroe docu-series (which will be released in 2024) and at that time I got an e-mail from Anthony ‘Ace’ Newbold (former Parliamentary Secretary). He said that he was following my work, was very impressed, and wanted to know if I would be interested in producing a movie on Percy ‘Vola’ Francis,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Travolta said he was surprised to learn that there hadn’t yet been a film documenting the life of the Junkanoo legend.

“My first reaction was this surprise that it had not been done already. I came back home to Nassau from Africa, and Ace, Vola and myself met. Within five minutes of the meeting, it was clear that ‘The King of Junkanoo’,” he said.

The final film, he said, tells the history of Junkanoo through the eyes Vola, but utilising modern-day techniques.

“While it is the history of Junkanoo in the Bahamas, primarily told through Vola’s lens and stories, we’re going to employ all kinds of new technology. There’s lots of blue and green screen we’re working with. My challenge is adapting Junkanoo to cinema and giving audiences a different, but hopefully even better, theatrical experience

than they would’ve witnessed live on Bay Street at Boxing Day. Much of what Vola has brought to Bay Street in this theatrical experience of Junkanoo we hope to translate to the screen,” said Travolta.

While spectators have enjoyed Vola’s theatrical displays and performances in Rawson Square year after year, what Travolta found interesting

is the fact that very few really know his story.

“What surprised me, and I think will surprise most audiences, is how Junkanoo, and Vola’s story specifically, aligns with major and important dates in Bahamian history – Majority Rule, Independence, etcetera. But beyond all that, at it’s at core, it’s really this underdog story of a Bahamian who suddenly found himself at the centre of the Junkanoo phenomenon,” said the filmmaker.

Travolta believes this will be an important film for the Bahamas and will have a lot to offer audiences.

“Just last week we began planning a trip to Ghana with Vola for the film. The signs and wonders that ensued? There’s not even time to go into it. But Percy ‘Vola’ Francis in Ghana for the very first time… Ghana holds the roots of Junkanoo that they call ‘Jan Kwa’… is a movie alone. We hope to make Junkanoo this alchemical and cinematic experience for audiences all around the world. From Ghana to the Bahamas, to the UK and beyond,” he said.

‘I was in America for the holidays last year. And I remember seeing what the Junkanoo group One Family accomplished on Bay Street... with the Black Panther theme specifically. That was so inspired; I felt like I was watching the greatest show on earth. And that’s the impact we want for this around world. We aim to show audiences the greatest show on earth and take all this to the next level.”

In addition to “The King of Junkanoo”, Travolta has three other movie releases planned for next year.

“We have a different movie coming out each quarter of 2024. All my films released next year in one way or another spotlight a Bahamian ‘king’. One friend of mine calls it ‘The Bahamian King Series’,” the filmmaker said.

movie uses new technology to showcase ‘greatest show on earth’

FILMMAKER Travolta Cooper with Percy “Vola” Francis

Baha Men

With a career spanning nearly 50 years, the Baha Men are still booked and busy to this day, and this weekend they will help the country celebrate the ‘Road to 50’ with a live concert. Speaking to Cara Hunt, singer-songwriter Dyson Knight reflects on the group’s history and the reason for their longevity.

They may be international superstars, but this Saturday, the Baha Men are set to rock a hometown crowd in celebration of the country’s 50th anniversary of Independence.

Tribune Weekend caught up with band member Dyson Knight just before the group headed into an all-day rehearsal.

Dyson grew up with a musical father, has won Elevation Awards, the Bahamian Icon Award, and has been nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award, and multiple times for the Cacique Award. He’s also been named as Island FM’s Artist of the Year.

Dyson has appeared on albums with iconic Bahamian artists such as Ronnie Butler, KB and Ira Storr.

He performed and co-wrote six of the nine tracks on Baha Men’s “Ride With Me” album. One of the album’s tracks, “Night and Day”, made it on to the 2014 World Cup compilation album along with international artists Pit Bull, Shakira and Ricky Martin.

In 2018, Dyson co-wrote the song “Bumpa” with Baha Men which has been featured on Live with Kelly and Ryan as well as on ABC’s The Bachelorette.

This Saturday, he said, the group will be taking fans on a journey of classic Baha Men music.

“We will be bringing the classic Bahamian vibe to the concert. This show is really designed for the Bahamian fans who are a bit older and grew up with some of our classics like ‘Who Let the Dogs Out.’

“It is these classic songs that have made the band so well-known around the world and have kept them relevant since their formation back in 1977; it’s almost a golden jubilee for (us),” he said.

The group was originally known as High Voltage and they got their start doing gigs at hotels and nightclubs around the country.

Things picked up for the group in 1991 when Steve Greenberg of Atlantic Records heard one of their selfreleased albums and signed them to their subsidiary label Big Beat, and thus the Baha Men were born.

The group found success with hits such as “Going Back to the Island”, “Kalik” and “Dancing in the Moonlight”.

It was undoubtedly the 2000 cover of “Who Let the Dogs Out” which propelled the band to international stardom. The group won the highly coveted Grammy Award in 2001 for Best Dance Recording, a Billboard Music Award for World Music Artist of the Year and World Music Album of the Year, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award for Favourite Song.

In 2002, they won another Kids’ Choice Award for Favourite Band.

DYSON Knight

The song has been featured on several movie soundtracks and is a staple rally call for many sports teams. The song has been viewed over 45 million times on the band’s YouTube channel alone.

Dyson said the secret to the group’s longevity is constancy and dedication.

“We are focused on leadership and we are all about maintaining the brand of the band. It doesn’t matter who the current members of the band are, we are Baha Men, and that stays constant,” he said.

“People may leave, get sick or quit; we have lost members, but the focus is the same. The brand keeps moving on.”

He said that they are also always seeking opportunities to keep the band relevant.

Additionally, he said that being at the top of their game requires dedication and commitment.

“All bands rehearse, but we rehearse like it’s a nine-to-five job. We rehearse at least 30 hours a week,” he said.

Dyson said is essential to take the music seriously.

Baha Men continue to play at international venues and are in fact scheduled to perform in the US after their Independence gigs at home.

this weekend in history

June 30

• In 1908, an enormous explosion, believed to have been caused by a comet fragment colliding with Earth, flattens approximately 500,000 acres of pine forest near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in central Siberia, Russia.

• In 1937, the world’s first emergency telephone number (999) is launched in London, England. The system was introduced following a fire at

Dyson noted that there are differences in their local and international fanbases.

“Internationally, people come to hear us based on the one song that they know, but then they stay and

a doctor’s house on Wimpole Street on November 10, 1935, in which five women were killed.

July 1

• In 1979, Sony revolutionises the way people listen to music when it begins selling its Walkman, the incredibly successful portable cassette player. By 2010, when production stopped, Sony had built about 200 million cassette-based Walkmans.

• In 1997, the former colony of Hong Kong reverts back to Chinese rule, ending 156 years of British rule. The handover ceremony is attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles of Wales, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and US Secretary

they want to hear what else we sing and they want to know more about the band.

Locally, when people come to see us, they want to know the songs that

we are singing, so it’s different,” he said.

Dyson said another thing that makes Baha Men stand out is the fact that their music is not what many may consider a traditionally Bahamian sound, but is unique to them.

“I think when you think Bahamian music, people are imitating KB and using his template. That is really the sound that you are hearing now,” he said.

And as the country celebrates the ‘Road to 50’, Dyson offered the following advice. He said it is difficult to break into the music industry because the market is so saturated. While it is easier to get music produced these days, he said, it is harder to get it out to the wider public.

“I think the best piece of advice I can give is to believe in yourself; no one else is going to lotion you,” he said.

Dyson also encourages artists to work not just on one song, but on a brand. He said artists should find whatever works for them as a promotion gimmick to get their brand out into the world.

Baha Men will take the stage on Saturday evening at the Bahama Rock – All Bahamian Concert at the Western Esplanade. Gates opens at 4pm and the show starts at 6pm.

for American abolitionism, as the mutineers were deemed to be kidnap victims rather than merchandise. The US Supreme Court ruled the Africans were entitled to take whatever legal measures necessary to secure their freedom, including the use of force.

of State Madeleine Albright.

July 2

• In 1839, a slave rebellion breaks out on the Spanish schooner La Amistad. Their trial the following year was a victory

• In 1964, US President Lyndon B Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, a hallmark of the American civil rights movement. The sweeping legislation – which was passed after a lengthy, heated debate in the Senate – prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education, and outlawed racial segregation in public places such as schools, buses, parks and swimming pools.

LA Amistad on August 26, 1839

THE BAHA Men in 2020

TOdAY’S 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.

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

Across

1 Rose and made a speech without a single drink (10)

6 Mole takes food beside river (4)

10 A capital seat I snuggle into (5)

11 Thought new item dated (9)

12 Nice form of entertainment held in camera (8)

13 The current means of escape for the world (5)

15 Jazz composed by a man in a temper (7)

17 Strange charm that is pure fantasy (7)

19 Plunder piled so haphazardly (7)

21 Foundation garment replaced in the right closet (7)

22 Kicking oneself for getting rug in bad condition (5)

24 Genuine currency (8)

27 All agreed to distribution of a union sum (9)

28 Shed light (5)

29 Still divisible by two (4)

30 Of use to writers still we hear (10)

Down

1 To turn us in or turn us out? (4)

2 Breaks in and bangs on the head? (9)

3 I am taking a long time to get the picture (5)

4 Cupboard that will give more air (7)

5 Directions a worried medic follows in one area (7)

7 In the meantime I’m after it (5)

8 Coarse toast enjoyed by those who are fit (4,6)

9 Let’s hire out a place in Jersey (2,6)

14 Main thoroughfare used by merchants (5,5)

16 Inflexible hold on a club? (4,4)

18 Inelegant sort of climber (9)

20 Endure the French type of beer (4,3)

21 The secret’s out; it’s come to light (7)

23 Being stupid I upset Anne (5)

25 Look around a ship for a rope (5)

26 Freedom of movement on the stage (4)

Across

SmAll CROSSWORd

SmAll CROSSWORd

ACROSS

1 Class or division (8)

6 Utilised (4)

Good 10; very good 15; excellent 19 (or more).

Solution next Saturday.

THE ALPHABEATER

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 Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

8 Rub out (5)

11 Is unable (6)

12 Winged creature (4)

14 Creative works (3)

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers

lAST SATURdAY’S SOlUTION

15 Under (5)

16 An unspecified amount (3)

17 Cassette (4)

N H e r B o t r a

19 Just short of (6)

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here?

20 Compressed (5)

21 Knowledgeable (4)

22 Benchmark (8)

DOWN

1 Absurd cop (anag.) (9)

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.

2 Rip (4)

TODAY’S TARGET

Good 25; very good 38; excellent 50 (or more). Solution tomorrow

For today’s solution call: 0907 181 2583

*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

lAST SATURdAY’S SOlUTION

ACROSS 1 Exchange, 6 Look, 8 Toast, 11 Pretty, 12 Cent, 14 Oil, 15 Votes, 16 day, 17 rain, 19 Oldest, 20 Tease, 21 Kiss, 22 Crystals.

dOWN 1 Elucidate, 2 Corn, 3 Attitudes, 4 Gay, 5 Stillness, 7 Operate, 9 Other, 10 Spirits, 13 Toils, 18 Asia, 19 Oar.

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Cast off, 5 Round, 8 Easy-going, 9 Ago, 10 Pack, 12 Crossing, 14 Travel, 15 Set out, 17 All at sea, 18 Asia, 21 Fan, 22 On arrival, 24 Check, 25 Express.

Down: 1 Cheap, 2 SOS, 3 Orgy, 4 Friary, 5 Register, 6 Unanimous, 7 Drought, 11 Challenge, 13 Textbook, 14 Traffic, 16 Debate, 19 Atlas, 20 Trap, 23 Vie.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Dressed, 5 Incur, 8 Roughcast, 9 Nob, 10 Each, 12 Round off, 14 Dinner, 15 Medals, 17 Skipping, 18 Stun, 21 Aft, 22 Redbreast, 24 Today, 25 Secrete.

Down: 1 Dirge, 2 Emu, 3 Soho, 4 Dragon, 5 Intended, 6 Consonant, 7 Rebuffs, 11 Convicted, 13 Hen party, 14 Distant, 16 Anodes, 19 Nitre, 20 Eric, 23 Axe.

EASY PUZZLE

1 A good or fortunate thing (4,2,4)

6 Wound with a dagger (4)

10 An appointed meeting-place (5)

11 Beautify (9)

12 A salve (8)

13 Totally exhausted (3,2)

15 Never growing old (7)

17 Leafstalks cooked as dessert (7)

19 Confront boldly (7)

21 Climbing plant (7)

22 A defect (5)

24 Introductory statement (8)

27 Central Italian mountains (9)

28 Complete trust (5)

29 Catch sight of (4)

30 Person strongly resembling another (4,6)

Down

1 A programming language (4)

2 Mental feeling (9)

3 Thoroughly proficient (5)

4 But on the contrary (7)

5 A shellfish (7)

7 A troublesome thing (5)

8 In jail (6,4)

9 Enjoyment (8)

14 Conceal by disguise (10)

16 Calling for much effort (8)

18 Dreadful (9)

20 Wide continuous area (7)

21 Wrinkled (7)

23 Consume entirely (3,2)

25 Expounder of Muslim law (5)

26 Make black by burning (4)

3 Chivalrous fellows (9)

4 Long-tailed rodent (3)

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

call 0907 181 2585 for today’s target solution

5 Seasoned by the elements (9)

7 School subject (7)

*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

9 Automaton (5)

10 Screenplays (7)

13 Transactions (5)

18 Largest continent (4)

19 Social insect (3)

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.

2345678910

ABORIGINe bairn bane bang banger

caN you crack the alphabeater? each grid number represents a letter – or black square. as in alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet is used. But you have to complete the grid too! Use the given letters and black squares below the grid to start. the grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down.

Solution tomorrow

bare barge baring barn baron bean beano bear bearing began begin begonia being berg bier binge bingo boar bogie bone bong bonier borage bore boring born borne brae brag brain bran brig brine bring garb gibe giber grab orbing robe robin robing

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

Call 0907 181 2586 for today’s Target solution *Calls

● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobile, text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your usual operator

WORD BUILDER

Answer the clues so that each word contains the same letters as the previous word, plus or minus one.

Up-and-coming artist showcases resilience with her debut exhibit

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

In her first solo exhibit, Keeya hopes to showcase not only the spirit of resilience, but also her own artistic growth

Although she has painted for more than a decade, she admits that until now she just hasn’t been ready to put a collection of her work out there for public consumption. So what changed?

“Now I am ready. I feel like I can fill a room. I also feel that I have reached a certain level of maturity, both in my art and in my personal life,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“I have been making art for as long as I can remember. In many ways, my creative career has saved me.”

Keeya’s exhibit, which is titled “You Can’t Kill Me”, will feature a collection of self-portraits in which she hopes people can see themselves and inspired them to create their own stories in their minds.

“I paint myself to allow people to forget themselves. They can create their own story. I become everyone. I am a blank canvas,” she said.

Like many people, the COVID-19 pandemic gave Keeya a chance to reflect and recalibrate.

“I have been thinking a lot about questions of resilience and survival. Quarantine was a recalibration. I started making paintings for myself; something I had not allowed myself to do since I was a child. I was making work for an audience of one, which allowed me to tap into ideas that are universal,” she explained.

This body of work, Keeya said, is a love letter to all of the people who share in the many identities she inhabits.

“People who have survived and are surviving a world with hostilities rebranded alongside each wave of progress. Themes of identity and an exploration of what it means to be joyful in a world filled with such vitriol have been at the center of all my creative work,” she said.

“The format of my creativity is not limited to a specific vocation, and my music career has both fed and drawn from my visual arts practice. Reflecting on the work I have made over

the last decade, I am most struck by a shift in how I have approached the power dynamics inherent to questions of identity. Where my earlier work asked the question ‘Am I?’, I am excited to be making work now that asserts ‘I am’.

“I’m interested in the conflation between advocacy and living an authentic life. The subject matter of my work is not defined around questions of sexuality. My work bears witness to my reality. I believe that the work of advocacy is both necessary and important and I see the position of my work and its subject

matter to be in support of the people who put their lives on the line for these issues.”

Keeya said she is beyond excited about the exhibit.

“I feel like I am losing my mind. This is a year of big firsts for me. My first solo exhibit and then my first international show later this year. Bahamian art is having such a moment right now; artists are thriv ing on the world stage and I am excited to be a part of it, she said.

Keeya’s exhibit opens tonight at 6pm at Baha Mar’s The Current Gallery.

‘God Got Flowers For Me’

‘I Wanted To Show You Something Beautiful’ ‘Family Portrait’

Pruning and cleaning

Good day, gardeners. It is the time of year again that we have to be aware of how the wind affects the garden.

On some of the properties that I look after, we’ve just completed the cleaning of coconut palms, by removing all coconuts and cleaning up the leaves to lighten the load and to allow easier air flow with less weight stress on the palms. The sole purpose of this has to do with two words: hurricane season.

When trimming palms, it is recommended to not remove more leaves than to represent “9 to 3” as it were, which relates to the hands of a clock. This allows enough fronds to remain for the production of “food” for the palm to create new leaves and keep the palm as strong as possible.

When more leaves or fronds are removed above the “9 to 3”, the palm is weakened and has to work harder to produce the necessary number of new fronds to keep growing at an optimal rate. You may notice palms that have trunks that are not an even thickness the whole way up the trunk. This can be one of the negative effects of over pruning. Time for gin and coconut water!

We also concentrate on removing any large branches of trees that may be hanging above or close to buildings or structures. Some of these branches can weigh several hundred pounds, and in a storm the last thing that one may wish to worry about is branches falling onto or into a building.

There’s enough stress when a major storm threatens, and there are preventative steps that can be taken to negate any worry. It only makes sense to take those preventative steps.

To provide the maximum amount of airflow through a large tree, it is suggested to thin the branching of a tree by removing any branches that are not particularly involved in the main structure of a tree. Any branches that are growing upwards or inwards ought to be removed. Not only does this allow for increased

Unless one is skilled at tree pruning, it is recommended to hire a professional crew to do major tree work. Things can get quite dangerous when mistakes are made in tree work, to the point of loss of life or limb. Pun intended.

For very tall coconut palms, I use a team with a bucket truck to provide a safe environment for workers and to take all steps to protect buildings and structures from damage, and to prevent falling limbs or bunches of coconuts that are heavy enough to do damage.

Is it OK to top off the branches of a tree? The general rule of thumb is, no. Do not top off trees. The reasoning behind this is that unless one is growing a fruit tree orchard where specific and targeted topping may be used, the topping of trees weakens the branching structure and creates branching that is prone to breakage, which in effect is the opposite result of intentional and proper tree pruning methods.

Once again, it is suggested to consult a professional who is schooled in proper tree branching and pruning techniques, even better is to use a certified arborist. Many out there make lots of claims, but not all are properly trained or fully aware of correct techniques and methods. Choose wisely!

Always get more than one quote. Have a look at your garden, are there any heavily laden coconut palms? Are there trees that are heavy with branches and full with foliage? If yes to either, you may want to consider calling a professional to help reduce your liability and risk in the hurricane season. As always, I wish you happy gardening.

airflow through a tree, it also allows for more light to penetrate through the tree onto any lawn grass or plant material that may be planted underneath a tree.

This will increase the strength of the lawn grass or plant material that had been heavily shaded before cleaning the tree.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com

PALMS should only be pruned to what is called a “9 to 3” cut, which represents a horizontal line from 9am to 3pm on a clock

Celebrate Cat Island culture in the capital this weekend

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net

This Saturday, the Cat Island Day Festival is bringing a taste of the Family Islands to the capital.

Starting at 12noon at Nassau’s RM Bailey Park, the event to promises to be one for family, fun and fellowship.

Organisers said the event is also an opportunity for Cat Islanders to showcase their native dishes and pastries such as Benny cake and flour cake, as well as their crafts and music.

Charliece Rolle, chair of this year’s festival and a proud Cat Islander, said it is their aim to attract not just Family Islanders, but all Bahamians from near and far to experience a “cultural explosion”.

She said she is amazed by the event’s longevity. Charliece first attended the Cat Island Day Festival as a child with her mother. Now, she is a mother herself and will attend with her own daughter.

“It gives me a feeling of nostalgia. I am just in awe to see where the festival came from and where it is headed,” she said.

The festival is the biggest of several fundraising efforts by the Cat Island Sailing Club to support the annual Cat Island Regatta.

When asked about the festival’s appeal, Charliece said: “Some come just to support the (Cat Island Sailing) Club and the Regatta. Some persons, like myself are proud to be firstly Bahamian, and most importantly a Cat Islander, and look for any opportunity to meet up with my extended family and longtime friends. Some come for the food, fun, flour cake, and some for the music. Oh, how we love the Lassie Doe Boys!”

Now is the perfect time for the festival, she added.

“The country is in celebratory mode as we gear up to celebrate our 50th year of independence. We join in the celebrations as we have named this year’s 67th annual Regatta in honour of our native son, Cat Island’s first Prime Minister, Philip ‘Brave’ Davis.”

This year’s Regatta is set to take place in New Bight, August 4 - 6.

The Cat Island Sailing Club is a non-profit organisation.

“We are body of professional Cat Islanders with the goal of bettering our community. The Sailing Club for the past 67 years has brought economic boosts to the local economy through sloop sailing and Bahamian entertainment,” said Charliece.

She said the team is elated for every opportunity to give back to Cat Island.

“We are the future of Cat Island Day. We are the future of Cat Island. And by we, I’m referring to my generation and the generations before me and the ones after me. We must continue to push for the success of our island. Cat Island Day Festival was and will always be one of our most anticipated events of the year,” she said.

Charliece said this weekend, festival-goers can shop, sample the delicious food and enjoy the entertainment and competitions, while the youngsters enjoy a full kiddie corner that includes a bouncing castle, popcorn, toys, and hoopla.

“For the first time we will have an official opening by the Prime Minister. This is set for 6pm, followed by

a mini concert. And this year, for the first time also at Cat Island Day, we will be showcasing young talent, the C V Bethel Pop Band and Dancers along with Bahamian artist Shine, the Lassie Doe Boys and DJ Rev,” she said.

There will be several competitions, including, crab catching, watermelon eating and rake n’ scrape dance contests. A special presentation and giveaways will be made by the Bahamas Games 2023 committee.

“You’ve tried the rest, now try the best,” said Charliece. “I have some persons who told me they never ate a flour cake before. The first thing I would do is secure a bag or two to drink with hot tea the next morning. Thank me later. There will be

a number of other stalls to choose from. Try as many as you can. Everything may not be your taste, but I’m sure there’ll be something just for you.”

literary lives – Maria Mitchell

A pioneering astronomer who redefined the role of women in science

Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals the life and works of the American astronomer, librarian, naturalist and educator who discovered a comet – later known as the “Miss Mitchell Comet” in her honour. She was the first internationally known woman to work as both a professional astronomer and a professor of astronomy when elected at Vassar College in 1865.

“I am just learning to notice the different colours of the stars, and already beginning to have a new enjoyment.”

– Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was born on August 1, 1818 on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts to Lydia Coleman Mitchell, a librarian, and William Mitchell, a schoolteacher and amateur astronomer. The third of ten children, all of whom were raised in the Quaker religion, Mitchell particularly showed an early interest in astronomy and advanced mathematics. Her father taught her to operate a number of astronomical instruments including chronometers, sextants, refracting and Dolland telescopes. She often assisted her father with his observations of the night sky, and his work with local seamen.

Mitchell’s parents, dedicated Quakers, valued education and made sure that their girls received the same education as the boys. Initially attending Elizabeth Gardner small school, she attended North Grammar School when her father was appointed Principal. Two years later, when she was eleven, William Mitchell founded his own school where she was a student before becoming a teaching assistant to her father. He taught her astronomy using his personal telescope, and, when she was twelve years old, she helped her father to calculate the exact moment of a solar eclipse in 1831.

Eventually her father’s school closed and she attended Unitarian Minister Cyrus Peirce’s school for young ladies until she was sixteen. She then worked for Peirce as his teaching assistant before she opened

her own school in 1835. Mitchell introduced experimental teaching methods in her school and made the brave decision to allow nonwhite children into her school when the local public school was still segregated.

“The greatest object in educating is to give a right habit of study.”

– Maria Mitchell

In 1836, Mitchell became the first librarian of the Nantucket Atheneum and held that position for twenty years. While there she helped her father with his astronomical observations and geographical calculations for the US Coast Survey. They worked in a small observatory on the roof of the Pacific Bank building with a four-inch equatorial telescope.

They looked for nebulae and double stars, and produced latitudes and longitudes by calculating the altitudes of stars and the culminations and occultations of the moon.

Mitchell left the Quaker faith and began to follow Unitarian principles. She was a very independent thinking person. She did not actually go to a Unitarian church for more than twenty years, and her decision did not cause any rift with her family, with whom she always maintained a close relationship.

On the night of October 1, 1847, Mitchell discovered Comet 1847 VI (now known as C/1847 T1) using a Dolland refracting telescope with three inches of aperture and forty-six inch focal length. She had noticed the unknown object flying through

the sky in a space where she had not seen any other activity.

“I have worn myself thin trying to find out about this comet, and I know very little now in the matter.”

– Maria Mitchell

The comet later became known as “Miss Mitchell’s Comet”. She published a notice of her discovery in Silliman’s Journal in January 1848 under her father’s name.

The following month she submitted her calculations of the comet’s orbit, ensuring her claim as the original discoverer. She was celebrated at the Seneca Falls Convention for the discovery and calculation later that year.

On October 6, 1848, Mitchell received a gold medal for her discovery by King Christian VIII of Denmark. The award has been previously established by King Frederick VI of Denmark to honour the first discoverer of each new telescopic comet – one that was too faint to be seen with the naked eye.

For a little while the verification of her discovery was questioned because Francesco de Vico had quite independently discovered the same comet two days after Maria Mitchell had reported it to the European authorities.

The matter was resolved in Mitchell’s favour, and her medal was inscribed “Non Frustra Signorum Obitus Speculamur et Ortus” – a quote from Virgil’s Georgics (Line 257 Book 1), translated as: Not in vain do we watch the setting and the rising of the stars.

Though the award was sent by letter in 1848, Mitchell did not receive the award in Nantucket until

MARIA Mitchell served as a professor at Vassar from 1865-1888. (Photo_Courtesy Vassar College)

March 1849. She was the first American to receive this medal and the first to receive any award in astronomy.

“We especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.”

– Maria Mitchell

In the years following Mitchell’s discovery and awards, with many awards and newspaper articles about her, she became a celebrity – especially in her home island of Nantucket – where she entertained many well-known academics including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglas, and Sojourner Truth.

She worked for the US Coast Survey in 1849, mostly tracking the movements of the planets – particularly Venus – and compiling tables of their positions to assist sailors in navigation. She joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1850. She travelled to Europe in 1857 and toured the observatories of contemporary European astronomers Sir John and Caroline Herschel and Mary Somerville.

She also conversed with philosophers Alexander von Humboldt, William Whewell and Adam Sedgewick. She travelled with Nathaniel Hawthorne and his family. She never married, remaining close to her family, and for a time lived with her sister Kate in Lynn, Massachusetts.

Mitchell was appointed professor of astronomy at Vassar College in 1865 – even though she did not have a college education – and became their first female professor of astronomy. She became director of the Vassar College Observatory – a position she held for more than twenty years. She edited the astronomical column of Scientific American and, thanks to her leadership, she enrolled more students in mathematics and astronomy than Harvard University from 1865 to 1888.

Mitchell continued her unconventional teaching methods, and advocated for small classes and individualised attention. She incorporated technology and mathematics in all her lessons.

“I cannot expect to make astronomers … but I expect that you will invigorate your mind by the effort at healthy modes of thinking. When we are chafed and fretted by small cares, a look at the stars will show us the littleness of our own interests.”

– Maria Mitchell

She took pictures of planets, including Jupiter and Saturn, as well as their moons, and she studied nebulae, double stars, and solar eclipses. She developed original theories around her observations, such as double star formations and the influence of distance and chemical composition in star colour variations.

She began recording sunspots in 1868 and began photographing them in 1873.

They were the first regular photographs of the sun, and she explored the hypothesis that sun spots were cavities rather than clouds on the surface of the sun. On July 29, 1878, Mitchell and five assistants travelled with a fourZZ-inch telescope to Denver, Colorado for observations of the total solar eclipse.

She taught at Vassar College until her retirement in 1888 – one year before she died.

“People have to learn sometimes not only how much the heart, but how much the head, can bear.”

Maria Mitchell was a fiercely independent woman who became involved with the anti-slavery movement as early as 1841, when she attended the anti-slavery convention in Nantucket where Frederick Douglas made his first speech.

She refused to wear cotton clothes made of Southern cotton. While a professor at Vassar she befriended social issues pertaining to women’s suffrage and education.

After returning from a trip to Europe in 1873 she helped found the Association for the Advancement of Women (AAW), a group dedicated to educational reform and the promotion of women in higher education. She served as the second president of AAW in 1875 and 1876, before stepping down to form and head a special Committee on Science to analyze and promote women’s progress in the field.

“The best than can be said of my life is that it has been industrious, and the best than can be said of me is that I have not pretended to what I was not.”

Maria Mitchell died of brain disease on June 28, 1889, at the age of seventy, in Lynn, Massachusetts. She was buried in Lot 411, in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Nantucket. An organisation, the Maria Mitchell Association, was established in Nantucket to preserve the sciences of the island and Mitchell’s work.

The Association operates a Natural History Museum, an Aquarium, a Science Library and Research Centre, Maria Mitchell’s Home Museum, and an Observatory named in her honour, the Maria Mitchell Observatory. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia.

– Maria Mitchell

– Maria Mitchell

STUDENTS play croquet in front of the Vassar College Astronomical Observatory in 1879. (Photo_Courtesy Vassar College)

ASTRONOMER Maria Mitchell (next to telescope) with her astronomy class outside an observatory at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, arou

Elections in the Bahamas

Aformer lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, my son Steve, took time out to obtain his PhD summa cum laude from the Max Plank Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory in Frankfurt, Germany, with a worldleading reputation for science and research, with 38 Nobel Prizes.

I do not consider myself an historian, just someone captivated by the history of my Bahama Islands, but this extract from Steve’s thesis, “Towards a Democratic Suffrage”, is something that no Bahamian should miss. Here is an extract from the introduction:

“When the members of the electorate, of a normally liberal and democratic system, exercise their right to vote mainly as a means to penalise incumbent governments, then their political system no longer lives up to the ideas, and ideals, it is based upon.

In the case of the Bahamas, there have been four general elections in the twenty-first century, thus far, but the last time an incumbent governing party succeeded, in its bid for re-election, was in 1997.

In addition, there have been two binding constitutional referendums, one in 2002 and one in 2016, and one non-constitutional referendum in 2013.

Legally, the latter amounted to nothing more than a non-binding opinion poll and it was politically treated as such, too, when the outcome did not suit the agenda of the government of the day.

All the elections and referendums resulted in clear defeats of the then government, or of the proposals they had put forward. Three of the four general elections resulted in supermajorities, reducing the outgoing government party to the role of official opposition, with only 17.5 percent of the seats in the House of Assembly, in 2002, 24 percent in 2012 and a mere 10 percent in 2017, respectively.

The constitutional referendums were, both, put to the electorate in the late stages of, by then, deeply unpopular governments and, in both instances, Bahamian voters, the majority of whom are women, voted

– amongst other things – against equal rights for women.

It is not farfetched to interpret the results of these referendums and general elections as polls on the popularity of the government of the day – rather than as carefullyconsidered decisions, on the issues at hand, or choices between the governing and opposition parties’ platform, as carefully articulated plans for the future, as Upendra Baxi (a professor of law) observes, often “post-colonial ‘citizens’ are hapless victims of ‘governance’ beyond the pale of accountability.”

This is not just a Bahamian phenomenon.

However, while the rise of popular parties and demagogic candidates, in many western democracies, may similarly be interpreted as an expression of apathy, or as disenchanted electorates expressing sentiments of figurative disenfranchisement, the political pendulum, in the Bahamas, has thus far swung back and forth between the same two parties that have dominated the political scene, since before independence: the so-called Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the so-called Free National Movement (FNM).

The 2012 election was, in fact, contested by a new party, the socalled Democratic National Alliance (DNA), which attracted enough votes that it may have acted as a spoiler and perhaps caused, but at any rate exasperated, the extent of the incumbent party’s defeat. Nonetheless, all thirty-nine seats in the House of Assembly were one by one of the two established parties. In the 2017 election, the pendulum swung to the other side, again, and even harder than before. THE DNA was not a spoiler anymore and returned to obscurity.”

• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail. com

DR Steve Aranha studied at the renowned Max Plank Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory

PAUL C ARANHA FORGOTTEN FACTS

animals

The fascination with the giant squid

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

I have always been fascinated by the giant ocean-going squid.

This enormous, elusive creature has tantalised my imagination for decades. Books have been written about this.

Jules Verne in “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” made a giant squid quite the villain.

In fact, when that dreadful tragedy of the disappearance of the submersible Titan unfolded last week, I found myself wondering if they had been attacked by a gigantic squid. Such is a vivid imagination!

Alas, we now know what happened to those five doomed men, but I thought that the squid deserved an article, as little is really known about them.

Their scientific name is Architeuthis dux, and scientist’s imaginations are just a captivated by it as the public’s has been for many centuries.

For a long time, we were not even sure if they existed. Because they are so enigmatic and elusive, they are intriguing. They are the absolute giant of the undersea kingdom, being the largest known invertebrate in the world.

It has been substantiated that they can to grow up to an amazing 59 feet and weigh over a tonne, but there are reports of them growing even larger.

Their “heads” are shaped like a torpedo. Their brain, gills, stomach and digestive system are all located in the head, as is the mouth and a sharp beak that has a tongue-like organ (radula) covered in tiny teeth. The food passes through the esophagus, then through the

brain, and into the stomach, quite a different route to most animals.

The squid has no bones, which is one of the reasons it can move so fluidly and quickly through the water. Its large eyes are complex and allow it to see in the darkness of the extreme depths where it spends its time.

It is strange that they have been observed so little over the years, being the biggest creature down there. What little we have learned has been from a few that washed up dead on the beach or found in the stomachs of whales.

Recently, we have been figuring out more because of the advancement in deep sea exploration and the technology used to go into the giant squid’s habitat. We are gradually learning more about their habits and traits. We know that they feed off fish and crustaceans, and that they do not appear to

didn’t necessarily get in the way of a good story.

As more unmanned undersea vehicles are invented and operated as well as manned submersibles and submarines, we will undoubtedly discover more about this absolutely fascinating creature whose mere existence has conjured up all sorts of wild and terrifying scenarios over the ages.

In 2013, a Japanese camera crew along with the Discovery channel got the first ever live film of a giant squid in his own habitat. They announced with pride: “These are the first ever images of a real live giant squid.”

is a lonely life. Not much is known about the reproductive life of these squids. While the females reach their sexual maturity by the age of three, the males reach the same stage a few months earlier than their female counterparts.

be of the aggressive nature frequently attributed to them on literature.

Peter Benchley’s “Beast” was riveting, and I couldn’t put it down, but don’t forget, this is the same author who wrote “Jaws”, so the truth

Kicking it with Kita

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

Five-year-old Kita is a female Akita cross, available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society.

Kita is very sociable, will go looking for company if none is around, and enjoys being with adults as well as children.

She’s very smart and already has some household training behind her. She loves the dog walks and

After more than 100 dives in a small submersible rigged with lights invisible to both human and cephalopod eyes, they finally got what they were after. The submersible drifted silently down to 630 metres depth and they offered a one-metre-long squid as bait. Silence and darkness were key because the giant squid would flee, when finally, a squid did approach them. They got footage following it down to 900 metres.

The giant squid essentially lives a solitary existence, swimming about all alone in the great depths. It doesn’t live in a group; basically, it

As far as we can tell, they have been seen, or there have been traces of them, in every ocean. They appear to like cooler water over warm or tepid. As far as I can tell, there have been no sightings in the Bahamas. There is a photograph on the internet that claims it’s of giant 31-foot squid in the Bahamas, but the same photo is also claimed to be from South Africa and other countries. However, we do have the very deep waters that would suit its living requirements.

Basically, these creatures are super cool, and we have so much more to learn about and from them. Because they are so elusive, they are inadvertently shrouded in mystery and intrigue. So many stories and folklore surround them. So far, the ones who have been photographed and seen have been quite small (10 -15 feet) and are therefore assumed to be adolescents. The research will certainly continue until we know much more.

would probably enjoy agility training as she has a very quick mind.

Have you been looking for a smart, loving companion dog? Kita might just be the right fit for you. Come in to the BHS to meet her or call 325-6742 for more information. Kita 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. Wednesday/ Thursday/Friday 11am to 3pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm. Bring your bag!

THE DRAMATISATION of an underwater encounter between the sperm whale and giant squid from a diorama in the Hall of Ocean Life at the American Museum of Natural History

KITA with a BHS dog walker (Photo/Judy Young)

Miss Bahamas Universe crowns its ‘jubilee queen’ this weekend

By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net

This Sunday, in the Atlantis Showroom, the Miss Bahamas Universe Organisation crowns its 2023 pageant winner who will also receive the unofficial title of ‘jubilee ambassador’.

Starting at 7pm, 10 beauties representing 10 different islands will compete for the title in front of a panel of judges.

In the lead-up to this weekend’s grand finale, the contestants participated in a number of enrichment exercises while also proving why they should be the one to wear the crown and sash.

This week, they made their way through the streets of New Providence as part of a motorcade.

MBU National Director Anthony Smith said the motorcade was meant to build excitement in the country for this extra special occasion.

The public also had the opportunity to meet the 10 contestants during a recent unveiling which took place at the Rosewood Baha Mar.

This year’s contestants will be wearing sashes displaying the names of the different islands they are representing.

The contestants are: Miss Paradise Island Patranique Lamb; Miss Cat Island Taja Hudson; Miss Exuma Robyn Rahming; Miss Grand Bahama Beyonce Forbes; Miss New Providence Randeika FoulkesCartwright; Miss Abaco Iheoma Nwankwo; Miss Rum Cay Lakeisa Saunders; Miss Long Island Melissa Ingraham; Miss Acklins Danielle Dean, and Miss Eleuthera Andria Gardiner.

The new owners of the Miss Universe Organisation parent company have made some significant changes to the eligibility requirements, which has resulted in “game-changing” rule changes for local pageantry and for the Miss Universe brand.

The 10-week programme now caters to women between the ages of 18 to 28, regardless if they are married or single, are childless or have children.

This year, is also special for another reason: the pag- eant is joining in celebrations for the Bahamas 50th anniversary of Independence and is bringing back one of its most important queens, Cyprianna Munnings- McWeeney, to serve as this year’s special patron.

In 1972, the then 19-year- old Cyprianna became the first runner-up in the Miss Bahamas pageant. A few short months later, she took over the title and crown from the original winner who left the Bahamas to engage in other pursuits.

This move paved the way to making Cyprianna the first pageant queen of an independ- ent Bahamas, although she chose to forgo attending the Miss Universe pageant 1973 held in Greece that year in favour of cel- ebrating Independence at home.

Mr Smith calls this year’s pageant a “love letter to the Bahamas”.

THE 10 contestants enjoyed a number of enrichment exercises in the lead-up to this Sunday’s pageant finale.