01292021 WEEKEND

Friday, January 29, 2021

photography art gardening history music entertainment puzzles

Weekend

MARKET ORLÉANS Pages 8 +9

Love, Junkanoo From parade style to art you can wear pg 07

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 29, 2021

photography

A Rose-Coloured Lens Split-level photography

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eautyis all around us in the Bahamas, on land and in the sea. But many of us are too busy with everyday life to pause and really see and enjoy the astonishing sights that surround us.

Veteran photographer ROLAND ROSE captures both the ordinary and extraordinary, and puts it in frame for us so we can see our environment in a new light.

Half above and half underwater, creating the effect of looking through a partially submerged water glass at the scenery both above and below at the beautiful Rose Island Reef and Sandy Cay.

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, January 29, 2021

Weekend Inside

My Perfect Bahamian Weekend Jareau Roberts IT specialist

Interview 4 – 5

Ernestia Fraser has won a screenwriting contest in LA, and has had one of her books added to the national curriculum. Now she has written a love letter to the Bahamas.

Puzzles 6 Art 7

Kimetria Pratt turns a Junkanoo staple into wearable art; everything from clutches to jewellery.

Food 8-9

Enjoy a New Orleans-style market right here in the Bahamas thanks to Louis & Steen’s Coffeehouse.

Q: What are you binge-watching this weekend?

“I would binge watch sports. I love sports.”

Gardening 10

Q: What’s on the weekend menu?

“Weekend menu is always the same: lots of Kalik beer and jerk chicken.”

The Fiji fan palm in focus

Music 11

Q: How are you planning to keep busy this weekend?

“I will be chilling out and watching sports, NBA in particular.”

Reggae star Willis promises us the sun will rise again

Literary Lives 12 – 14

A 19th century best-seller shocks with allegations of abuse in Catholic convent

Animals 15

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The horrors of zebra hunting, plus Pet of the Week

Entertainment 16

The Bahama All-Stars celebrate 10th anniversary with special concert

THIS WEEKEND IN HISTORY January 29 • In 1820, King George III, sometimes referred to as “Mad King George”, died at Windsor Castle at age 81; he was succeeded by his son, who became King George IV. • In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s famous narrative poem “The Raven” (“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...”) was first published in the New York Evening Mirror.

• In 1966, the musical comedy “Sweet Charity” starring Gwen Verdon opened on Broadway.

Today’s birthdays: Actor

Katharine Ross (“The Graduate”) is 81. Actor Tom Selleck is 76. R&B singer Bettye LaVette is 75. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 67. Olympic gold-medal diver Greg Louganis is 61. Actor Justin Hartley (“This Is Us”) is 44. Pop-rock singer Adam Lambert (“American Idol”) is 39.

January 30 • In 1649, England’s King Charles I was executed for high treason.

• In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.

• In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic

Q: If you could be quarantined with any celebrity who would it be and why?

“Definitely quarantining with Beyonce, because she is sexy as heck. (Sorry, Jay-Z).”

Q: If you could spend a weekend anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

“Cuba would be my spot. Pretty girls and I heard they are making their own vaccine.”

civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Today’s birthdays: Actor

Gene Hackman is 91. Actor Vanessa Redgrave is 84. R&B musician William King (The Commodores) is 72. Singer Phil Collins is 70. Actor Christian Bale is 47. Actor Olivia Colman (“The Crown”) is 47.

January 31 • In 1863, during the Civil War, the First South Carolina Volunteers, an all-Black Union regiment composed of many escaped slaves, was mustered into federal service at Beaufort, South Carolina.

• In 1950, President Harry S

Truman announced he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.

• In 1958, the United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite, Explorer 1, from Cape Canaveral.

Today’s birthdays: Composer

Philip Glass is 84. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, the former queen regent, is 83. Rock singer Johnny Rotten is 65. Actor Kelly Lynch is 62.

Actor Anthony LaPaglia is 62. Actor Minnie Driver is 51. Actor Portia de Rossi is 48. Actor Kerry Washington is 44. Singer Justin Timberlake is 40.

- The Associated Press

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 29, 2021

interview

Ernestia Fraser

After winning a screenwriting competition in Los Angeles and having a very personal book selected as part of the national school curriculum, this author has now published a love letter to the Bahamas.

She tells Cara Hunt about her wish to promote academic excellence and improve the standard of writing locally.

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, January 29, 2021

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or Ernestia Fraser, writing is more than just something she’s good at, it’s an essential part of who she is.

“I write because I have to write; it is just a part of who I am and my process as a human,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Ernestia said it was a creative writing class at university that inspired her to begin a writing career, which now spans a screenwriting project, a memoir and several poetry books.

“I was always a writer, I guess, but when I was in university I took a creative writing class that really validated my passion and propelled me to venture into the field,” she said.

Ernestia was originally a Psychology major, but then changed to English, eventually earning a double BA in English and Communication and MFA in Creative Writing.

One of her first projects was a memoir called “Carnival of Love: A tale of a Bahamian family.”

“I feel in a way that I was just led to write this memoir,” she said. “There were other things that I would start working on, but I always came back to this. I could not get past it.”

The book is now being taught in schools across the country after being selected as a prescribed text for the Bahamas General Certificate for Secondary Schools Literature Syllabus.

The book, though not completely autobiographical, is heavily influenced by Ernestia’s own experiences growing up.

“Carnival of Love” explores the meaning of love and family in a broken home. Set in the Bahamas, the story is told through the eyes of Maria Helix, one of nine children growing up in a stable and caring environment. With the sudden and unexpected dissolution of her parents’ marriage, Maria is forced to let go of her idealised past and confront new realities of loss, displacement and economic instability. Through honesty, humour, and hard-won wisdom, Maria reveals a complex picture of familial bonds sometimes marked by conflict.

Her tale proves love to be the most compelling force needed to piece together what is left of a “perfect” family.

Ernestia has a particular fondness for screenwriting.

ERNESTINA presents her books to Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd “I just think that is universally more accessible,” she said. “You can often reach a wider audience through screenwriting and so I really felt like if I had a message to share that that was the medium that would be best to share it.”

In 2011, her screenplay “Inside the Fallen Moon” won first prize in the Hollywood Black Film Festival International Storyteller Competition.

Following the success of her script, Ernestia was awarded a screenwriting fellowship at the Writer’s Institute for Diversity in Los Angeles, which was facilitated by Harrison Reiner, a CBS Television story analyst.

When it comes to her poetry and other work, Ernestina counts Haitian- American poet Ewidge Danticat as one of her influences.

Danticat is a novelist and short story writer, whose first first novel, “Breath, Eyes, Memory”, was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah’s Book Club selection.

“I want to be able to share my voice like she has,” said Ernestia.

Her latest project is a book of poetry called ‘Shallow Water: A Short History of Where I’m From’. She completed the book a while back, but only recently released it.

“It is really a love letter to the Bahamas,” she explained.

“The Bahamas is not a perfect place, but there is beauty and strength in its imperfections, and I wanted to celebrate it and challenge it.”

Ernestia has also just completed “I am Loved”, a children’s book.

“It is a book about the discovery and the power of loving yourself. I think a lot of time people look for love outside of themselves and so this book is to encourage children to love themselves and look within themselves for affirmation,” she said.

In addition to being a writer, Ernestia is also the founder of The Tutoring Station – a resource centre designed to assist students in the pursuit of academic competence and excellence.

The Tutoring Station, she said, recognises that academic guidance is a critical component of the educational experience and the success of students. Through individual and collaborative relationships with educators, students are best able to define and implement sound educational plans that are consistent with their personal values, goals, and career plans, she said.

A broad network of professionals and educators, she added, support of The Tutoring Station’s mission to provide access, opportunity and success for all students Ernestia also founded MasterWriting 242, which she established to help improve the quality of writing in the Bahamas.

Origins

By Ernestia Fraser Of beginnings, I have none.

I am an offspring of the Diaspora Spanning from East to West I am molten diamonds lost In a patch of endless sun The day wears me Like an African talisman Has taught me language Has given me curry chicken, The wingless bird.

I am lost in a thousand colors Lost in a hieroglyphic Paradise.

Lead me to my Father and Mother Both of whom have no last name: Landless beings sealed with copper Tones and Western dialect, Speaking their thoughtful heritage Without an ounce of words. I find myself Lying under the paper white moon, Celebrating its beginning.

I am a renewed forest, walking This path for my sons. I will teach them To eat bushes made for healing And we will catch the flying fish.

I will make supper for this country And drink from its cup of destiny.

Then I will find my name among its stars, Fall asleep in its sisal hammock And gently swing myself into another Quiet existence.

26 Bear reaches the end for sport (4) 27 Bizarre diner during trial is most in vogue (9)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

20 Answer - a11cult turned out Offence; 13 Learned; G J C E H Q I to be real 15 (6)Fiddle; 16 Enrage; W A N O W E K January 29, 2021 Mirth; around 20 Way. 23 WeaponFriday, to17fasten R I R K R L C knight (5)

P N K Q W Q E G L H P F J G B I W C L I M

THE ALPHABEA

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.

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

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● 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 or verb forms ending in “s”.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 19; very good 29; excellent 38 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudokufor Answer today’s target solution *Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Don’t turn to crime? (2,8) 6 False modesty out East (4) 10 Fed up with being drilled (5) 11 Spain sore about slander (9) 12 I mention novel straightaway (2,2,4) 13 A send-off for the wrongdoer (5) 15 Possible purse of plenty (7) 17 Twin cats? (7) 19 A Parliamentary term? (7) 21 Gave a hint (7) 22 Elephantine villain? (5) 24 It’s damp around the hill for a traveller (8) 27 Hangers-on disguised as pirates (9) 28 Beer is put in the passage (5) 29 Oriental present is enough for the poet (4) 30 Mere agents may make them (10)

1

2

3

4

Down 1 Pass the fish (4) 2 Making demands to turn nurses out (9) 3 A source of pleasure or aid perhaps (5) 4 Fancy - game in one move (7) 5 Marks got in out-of-school activities (7) 7 A hit I made in the Caribbean (5) 8 Composer to drive men to distraction (10) 9 Enjoyed by sky divers without costs before autumn (4,4) 14 It indicates I will be missing from ‘Who’s Who’ (10) 16 All things stemming from Eve’s ruin (8) 18 The family man most likely to succeed (6,3) 20 A nominal attachment (4,3) 21 The performer rates it differently (7) 23 Wear nothing as an actress (5) 25 Kingdom not fancied by many (5) 26 They may be posted in quadruple (4)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Aimless, 5 Proof, 8 As regards, 9 Par, 10 Deem, 12 Of course, 14 Regain, 15 Set out, 17 Spectral, 18 Seal, 21 Ray, 22 See reason, 24 Midge, 25 Progeny.

Down: 1 Award, 2 Mar, 3 Edge, 4 Strife, 5 Pushover, 6 On purpose, 7 Ferment, 11 Eagle-eyed, 13 Distaste, 14 Rostrum, 16 Take up, 19 Lanky, 20 Zero, 23 Sue.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Expound, 5 Annie, 8 Bell tower, 9 Was, 10 Dodo, 12 Seashore, 14 Limpid, 15 Jerkin, 17 Rest cure, 18 Iran, 21 Ewe, 22 Any moment, 24 Steak, 25 Dallies.

Down: 1 Ebbed, 2 Pal, 3 Unto, 4 Dowser, 5 Arrested, 6 New Yorker, 7 Eastern, 11 Damascene, 13 Gimcrack, 14 Largess, 16 Brayed, 19 Notes, 20 Cowl, 23 Eli.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Dilapidated (10) 6 An air force unit (4) 10 Bewildered (2,3) 11 Gross overcharging (9) 12 To temper (8) 13 Take exception (5) 15 Without help (7) 17 Uncomplaining in adversity (7) 19 Tiresome discussion (7) 21 Dishevelled (7) 22 Dish of raw vegetables (5) 24 Clash (8) 27 Provider of business capital (9) 28 Behave towards (5) 29 Connection (4) 30 Immediately (4,3,3)

Down 1 Defrost (4) 2 Primarily (4,2,3) 3 Permission (5) 4 Strongly resisting change (7) 5 Testimony (7) 7 Distinctive form of expression (5) 8 Vague statement (10) 9 Solid traffic jam (8) 14 Set on achieving aim (10) 16 Payment to shareholders (8) 18 Confess everything (4,5) 20 Accept (7) 21 Deprive of courage (7) 23 First Soviet premier (5) 25 Reveal a secret (3,2) 26 Put away tidily (4)

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

2

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9 10 2

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1

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2 2

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1 x Battleship

3 x Destroyer

2 x cruiser

4 x submarine

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

2

13

31

30

34

39

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26

2

6

38

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23

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31

40

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Bushy, Inanity Solution tomorrow

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38

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38

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, January 29, 2021

art

Reinterpreting a Junkanoo staple as wearable art

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

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rêpe paper is probably one of the most unlikely materials to make jewellery with, or any form of long-lasting art.

The fragile material is made from tissue paper that has been coated with a glue-like substance, which gives it different textures and colours. It also “bleeds” when it comes into contact with various substances, making it best suited for short-term use like in Junkanoo costumes.

However, after almost two years of experimentation, one local designer, artist and craftswoman has found a way to use crêpe paper for jewellery pieces and other accessories, making striking pieces of art with the crinkly material, but with one important added quality – longevity.

Kimetria Pratt is the founder of QDezines, a brand that takes a unique approach to crêpe paper usage. She designs handcrafted, brightly coloured, unique pieces of wearable Junkanoo art – everything from clutches, mini-cross body bags and wallets, to earrings, necklaces, and Junkanoo-inspired wall art.

As an artist and passionate Junkanooer, Kimetria has always been looking for ways to incorporate Junkanoo into her art and preserve it in some way.

“I am no stranger to crêpe paper. I began working with it at a young age. I was introduced and immersed in Junkanoo by my mother, who by no means was a Junkanooer, but was one of the biggest sideline rushers and Saxons fan,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“The art and craft part of it was fostered by my brother, who by watching him paste single strips of paper layer by layer to bring his costumes to life was completely enchanting. I would take his discarded scraps of crêpe paper and unused glue to try my hand at pasting on newspaper pages or torn pages from my schoolbook. As I got better, I knew that I was in the big leagues when I started pasting his pants. By that time I may have been about eight or nine.”

Kimetria’s pasting skills and familiarity with crêpe paper developed over the years, as did her desire to find her own unique niche.

“The idea came after looking at a pasted undergarment worn a few Junkanoo parades ago that was nicely folded in a clear plastic bag and it resembled a clutch purse. That was the moment the turbines started churning in my mind on how to convert this idea into wearable art,” she said.

KIMETRIA Pratt has found an ingenious, lasting use for crepe paper

Though her idea was a grand one in her mind, there were some things that had to be considered.

“Firstly, not only is crêpe paper a delicate material, but it also bleeds, meaning that once water, any liquid, or water base product comes in contact with it, the colour will run, as well as fade over time. Another issue was the fact that crêpe paper absorbs moisture and develops mould and mildew when in certain environments,” she said.

“It took almost a year and a half for me to develop my process. During this discovery and experimental phase, I was able to concoct a secret glue mixture that solved the major issues associated with using crêpe paper, and the rest is history. It is also important for me to add that for years one of the major talking points regarding Junkanoo has been on ways to preserve it as a cultural art form that consists of many dimensions. For me, Junkanoo is my heartbeat, and this is my way of preserving and keeping it alive.”

The ideas for Kimetria’s designs are abstract.

And often her designs are inspired by “in the

moment” experiences.

“My designs are free-flowing and are drawn out on a large piece of fabric that is then brought to life by pasting directly on to it with various coloured strips of crepe paper.

Because I use multiple colours, each colour is pasted throughout the fabric and is allowed to dry before adding another colour. For example, if using pink and blue, all areas that will be pink will be pasted and allowed to dry before pasting the blue. Once pasting is completed, the fabric is then treated, sealed, and allowed to cure. Patterns for the clutches and other accessories are then cut out, sewn, and assembled. The highlight of the entire process is the reveal of the finished pieces with each standing out as its own individual with character and appeal that you can connect with.”

There is a lot more to look forward to from QDezines.

• For more information, visit www.qdezines. com.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 29, 2021

gardening

Plants in focus – Fiji fan palm

T

he Fiji fan palm, or Fiji palm (Pritchardia pacifica) is well worth highlighting, in my opinion, as it grows very successfully in our climate. It is highly salt tolerant and can be grown on the seashore where it will be exposed to direct salt water spray and where the sand or soil retains some salt. They tolerate a northeast wind with excellence. The Fiji palm in not common, and while it is available on the commercial market, it is relatively rare and many vendors will not sell small plants.

We are lucky to have some folks who have grown them here in New Providence and the palms are mature and bearing seeds for propagation, fortunately they have been being passed around for a few years now.

The slow growth is a desirable trait, along with its high salt tolerance, and its ability to thrive indoors in a relatively low light makes them adaptable and useful inside the home or office as well as also being gorgeous outdoors in the full sun with exposure to the elements. The Fiji palm has a drawback that I would be remiss to not mention as it has a wider effect.

The Fiji palm is considered a host for lethal yellowing disease! Step back, breathe. I love coconuts. Many of us love coconuts. Lethal yellowing also affects coconuts. Uh oh. Fortunately, many of our local coconuts that were going to be affected by lethal yellowing already have been (disclaimer: this is strictly my anecdotal opinion).

Herd immunity sound familiar? We had a decade or more of lethal yellowing that had a widespread, detrimental effect on the coconut tree population throughout The Bahamas, particularly in the ‘90s as I recall (I may stand to be corrected), and I do not hear too many people speaking of it lately.

Maybe we forgot about it? Maybe the coconuts that remain have tolerance to the disease?

The property that I sourced the Fiji palm from has ancient coconuts adjacent to the Fiji palms, with no noticeable detrimental effect or sign of lethal yellowing. I have seen very little sign of it in the last several years, but by no means does that mean that it has disappeared. I would invite any of you who may have signs of lethal yellowing in your area to please send me an email, as the presence of it can have an effect on an island wide scale. The good news is that there are coconut cultivars that have shown resistance to the lethal yellowing disease, such as the ‘Malayan Dwarf’ or hybrid ‘Maypan’ (Malayan Dwarf x Panama Tall), that have exhibited acceptable levels of resistance in most areas. These two cultivars are available on the commercial market and if you’ve planted any in the last while, purchased from a reputable vendor, they’ll most likely be one of these two cultivars. Many folks call me and ask if I’ll buy coconuts from them, but I cannot and I will not unless they are guaranteed to be one of the above listed cultivars, for the one reason of lethal yellowing tolerance.

Commercially available coconuts will have been certified as a particular cultivar from the vendor, and these are the only ones that I will accept onto our property or to be sold to go to someone else’s property. While it is unlikely that lethal yellowing disease will ever be eradicated,

it can be controlled through the use of preventative practices such as planting resistant cultivars and treating infected trees with Oxytetracycline.

Lethal yellowing aside, the Fiji fan palm remains a great option as it is sturdy, slow growing, slat tolerant, and it makes a gorgeous specimen indoors or out!

P.S.: We encourage you to only plant coconuts that are resistant to lethal yellowing, or conversely, have lots of them growing as backup!

• 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, January 29, 2021

music

Willis promises the sun will rise again

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

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he ambassador of good vibes himself, Willis Roots of the popular band Willis and The Illest, has released a new song to life the spirits of his listeners.

Drawn from his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the lyrics of the single, called “Rising Sun”, promote a feeling of encouragement, and reminds people to hold their heads up high and hold on to the true values that matter in life, the singer and songwriter said told Tribune Weekend.

“With the world facing all of the negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak, empowering humanity was the focus of this song,” said Willis.

He said some of words on the track, like “lift up your heads to the rising sun”, were obviously taken from the Bahamas’ national anthem.

He said these words evoke a sense that there’s something beyond the trials we now are facing, and the lyric “share more love” tells people that no matter how tough the road ahead gets, we can all use more of this great gift.

Willis collaborated with renowned reggae producer Jason Farmer of J-Vibe Productions and Preston Stuart of Cyclone Music Group to deliver this uplifting anthem on the easy-going “ No Hesitation Riddim” album.

“In releasing the song there has absolutely been an adjustment that we are not used to. As you are aware, we are a live performance band, so we’re accustomed to being able to perform our music at our shows in close proximity to our supporters. However, the pandemic has stifled that, and unfortunately we have not been able to promote the song or connect with the fans in person,” said Willis.

“So, it definitely feels like something is missing and the song is not yet complete, so to speak. Like most people, we’re unsure how long this ‘new normal’ will last, but we look forward to the magic of singing this song live at our shows.”

Despite the unusual circumstances, Willis said the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and surprising.

Given everything that the world, and in particularly Bahamians, have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said it was encouraging to hear from listeners that they found the song not only comforting, but also uplifting.

“People constantly stop me on the streets and tell me they love the new feel-good song and they turn the volume up on the radio every time it’s played. Moreover, the impact is not only limited to the Bahamas.

We’ve received interest from various DJs and radio stations in the United States, including college radio stations as far away as Hawaii and the UK,” said Willis.

“The song is also being played on local radio in California, London, and Kenya. It’s also made the Amazing Radio charts in the UK and US as well.

There’s also been tremendous support from our social media followers. We presently have approximately 20,000 followers between all of our accounts and they have been playing the song constantly to help push it up the Amazing Radio charts. They’ve been showing the band and I a lot of love by liking and sharing the music on

their personal accounts, and we are humbled and grateful.”

He said there is a possible music video in the works for the single, all depending on the ongoing traction of the song. Apart from this, Willis said there is definitely more new music coming. He said the band is looking forward to releasing the singles they have been working on during the lockdowns last year.

“In addition to the creative side of the business, which is making the music, we also want to host and produce more of our own shows and events. So once restrictions are relaxed further in the country, we intend to introduce unique and curated events to intimate audiences,” said Willis.

When asked what advice he would give to his supporters to stay positive during this time, Willis said there’s a line in the song that goes, “World in a lockdown, no sense we complain, couldn’t see it coming, but we still give thanks and praise.” And it’s this line that he wants people to focus on.

“There’s so much to be thankful and grateful for, and a light at the end of every tunnel. Grey skies and storms don’t last forever, and every morning there’s a rising sun. So there’s a new opportunity to pursue whatever goals and dreams you may have. Be encouraged and hold fast to your faith. Lastly, but most importantly, my personal mantra is where there’s a will there’s a way,” he said.

The new song, as well as all Willis and the Illest’s music, is available for streaming and downloading on all major music platforms. To keep up with the group, readers can also follow the band’s social media pages on Facebook and Instagram.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, January 29, 2021

literary lives - Maria Monk

1816-1849

19th century best-seller shocks with allegations of abuse in Catholic convent Suffering During a Residence of Five Years as a Novice, and Two Years as a Black Nun, In the Hôtel Dieu Nunnery of Montreal’. First published under the respectable Harper imprint, Maria Monk’s book went on to sell 300,000 in five years in private ‘underground’ editions.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje reveals the life and death of a young Canadian woman whose 1836 bestseller claimed to expose the systematic abuse of nuns by Montreal priests in her convent.

“I must be informed that one of my great duties was to obey the priests in all things; and this I soon learnt, to my utter astonishment and horror, was to live in the practice of criminal intercourse with them.”

- Maria Monk; Author The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk

- John Sutherland Lives of the Novelists, 2011 Maria Monk had converted to Catholicism and entered the Hôtel Dieu Convent near the asylum where she reportedly lived as a nun. The nuns of the Religious Hospitallers of St Joseph of the Hôtel Dieu Convent – the “Black Nuns” she revealed, served as concubines for priests in a nearby seminary. Tunnels facilitated the priests’ lechery and the babies born of these unions were baptised, then strangled, and dumped into a lime pit in the basement. Uncooperative nuns simply disappeared.

A FICTIONALIZED engraving of Maria Monk, in a nun’s habit, holding a baby

It is an incredible story.

Maria Monk was born on June 1, 1816 in St John’s, Lower Canada (now Quebec). Little is known for certain of her early life, but she reportedly suffered a childhood head injury when a pencil was jabbed into her ear – which led to some sort of intermittent mental derangement throughout the rest of her life. She worked as a servant girl until her promiscuity brought her to a Roman Catholic asylum for prostitutes, from which she was discharged in 1834 when she was discovered to be pregnant. She then formed a liaison with the Reverend William K Hoyt, who was head of the Nativist Canadian Benevolent Association and a fanatical anti-Catholic. He took her to New York City, where he and a group of nativist agitators drew upon and embroidered Monk’s experiences in the asylum – helped along by her own fevered imagination. The tale ultimately took the form of lurid fiction.

There has been a successful campaign over the last half-century to identify, celebrate, and institutionalise an authentic Canadian fiction’. One author – arguably the unluckiest author to write a best-seller – is signally absent from the Roll of Maple Leaf honour. In 1836, the year that another unknown, ‘Boz’, exploded on the scene with ‘The Pickwick Papers’, the North American reading public was entranced by ‘The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk as Exhibited in a Narrative of Her

THE FRONTISPIECE and title page of Monk’s shocking best-seller

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Friday, January 29, 2021

MONK’s allegations concerned nuns of the Religious Hospitallers of St Joseph who operated Hôtel-Dieu, the oldest hospital in Montreal (founde

had ever been in the convent. It was later discovered that she had actually spent the seven years in the Magdalen Asylum for Wayward Girls – a small wooden building near the Hôtel Dieu Nunnery.

Monk’s probable ghost writers, including William K Hoyt, with whom she left Montreal, sued each other for a share of the considerable profits, while Monk was left destitute.

In 1837, Maria Monk left William Hoyt for the Reverend John J J Slocum, another of her collaborators, and he produced with her Further Disclosures of Maria Monk.

“Priests, she insisted, could not sin. It was a thing impossible. Everything that they did, and wished, was of course right. She hoped I would see the reasonableness and duty of the oaths I was to take, and be faithful to them.”

A GLIMPSE inside the almshouse on Blackwell’s Island (today’s Roosevelt Island) in New York City, where Monk died at the age of 33

- Maria Monk She travelled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a lover whom historians identify as Graham Monk. When she gave birth to another child out of wedlock in 1838 most of her supporters abandoned her.

In 1849 she was living in a bordello in New York City. Constantly drunk, she was arrested for picking the pocket of a customer and sent to the almshouse on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island) where she died – in an institution that was probably far worse than the Convent she had written about. The Boston Pilot published this obituary of her on September 8, 1849:

Published in an American era of anti-Catholic hostility fuelled by early 19th century Irish and German Catholic immigration to the US, and immediately following the Ursuline Convent Riots near Boston, Maria Monk’s fellow authors and conspirators perhaps hoped to benefit financially by following after an anti-Catholic novel published in 1835 by Rebecca Read about her own six months as an Episcopalian pupil at the Ursuline Convent school in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Read’s book Six Months in a Convent had also become a best-seller. Monk’s story epitomises the genre-defining elements of a young, innocent woman being trapped in a remote, old, gloomily religious prison where she learns dark secrets and escapes after harrowing adventures. It is probable that Monk was coaxed into playing a role for profit by her publisher and her ghostwriters. Her revelations are dramatic. Soon after taking her vows she realised her true responsibilities.

“Father Dufresne called me out, saying he wished to speak to me. I feared what was his intention; but I dared not disobey. In a private apartment, he treated me in a brutal manner; and from two other priests, I afterwards received similar

usage that evening. Father Dufresne afterwards appeared again; and I was compelled to remain in company with him until morning.

- Maria Monk A flood of denunciations and repudiations mounted, from both Catholic and Protestant sources, and were met by a greater flood of antiCatholic replies. Sales of Monk’s book increased, and a public outcry from Protestants in Montreal demanded an investigation. The local bishop organised one – but his inquiry found no evidence to support the claims. American Protestants refused to accept the findings and accused the bishop of dishonesty. Colonel William Leete Stone, Sr, a Protestant newspaper editor from New York City, undertook his own investigation.

In October 1836, his team entered the convent but were denied entry to the basement and the nuns’ personal quarters. There was dispute regarding the existence of a tunnel, although its existence was verified by several people. Renovations to the nuns’ residence indicated that the tunnel might have been filled in. However, an interview between Stone and Monk questioned whether she

“There is an end of Maria Monk; she died in the almshouse, still cooking as her wont. Blackwell’s Island, New York, on Tuesday.”

The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk remained in print for many years afterwards and was occasionally revived. Other publishers later issued books that supported Monk’s claims or were close imitations, or else they published tracts that refuted the tale. Curiously there appear to have been two Australian editions published in 1920 and 1940.

Historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Hofstadter called Monk’s book in his 1964 essay The Paranoid Style in American Politics (1964) “... probably the most widely read contemporary book in the United States before Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

NEXT WEEK: The most significant and celebrated sports figure of the 20th century.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Lives of the Novelists (2011) by John Sutherland; Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk ... (1836); and Encyclopaedia Britannica.

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Friday, January 29, 2021

history

PAUL ARANHA FORGOTTEN FACTS

MERMAID’s Pool in 2015

The legend of Mermaid’s Pool

A

long time ago, longer than I care to remember, one of my favourite outings was to see Mermaid’s Pool, a circular body of water about 60 feet wide and said to be 40 feet deep. It is located south of Carmichael Road, about one and a half miles west of Blue Hill Road.

I had always been told about this miracle of nature and the mermaid who lived there. It was common knowledge that there was a tunnel that connected the pool to the sea, which is why visitors often do not see her, but several people had assured me that they had seen her.

Finally, we went on a family outing to Mermaid’s Pool. We piled into Daddy’s 1942 Chevrolet and headed for Carmichael Road, where there were no houses, or other signs of human presence. On either side of

A MAP to Mermaid’s Pool the road there was a thick forest of Bahamian pine trees and they all looked the same to me, but my father knew exactly where to park the car to be able to traipse through

the pine barrens, in as straight a line as possible, and the elusive pool would appear, straight ahead of us.

Today, if you ask a Bahamian about Mermaid’s Pool, don’t be sur-

prised if he or she has never heard of it, even though it is in the middle of a well-inhabited subdivision and easy to get to. The easiest route is via Jack Fish Drive.

One of the early reports about the pool was made in 1904, by the then Governor, Sir Gilbert Thomas, who sent photographs of it to the Colonial Office in London. One of them is shown here.

After I returned from boarding school, I tried to find the pool, but failed, so I flew over the area and pinpointed Mermaid’s Pool and Hunt’s Cave. Even then, the trackless pine forest was challenging and the last time I tried to find Hunt’s Cave, which is reputed to stretch a mile or so underground, I failed. On the times that I did go there, I never got beyond the spacious first chamber, because to go further one must lie on one’s stomach and crawl.

Carmichael Road has become a residential and commercial centre of New Providence, almost totally lacking the once-famous pine trees, and Mermaid’s Pool is now a part of the residential Golden Gates subdivision. The pool has not changed much, but the pine forest has disappeared. I saw only one (notvery-healthy-looking) pine tree.

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

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Friday, January 29, 2021

animals

The horrors of zebra hunting

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

A

n Italian friend sent me an article from the supplement of last week’s Corriere Della Sera (a daily Italian newspaper). Had it been designed to galvanise me into action it could not have done a better job. The topic was how people pay large sums of money to shoot and kill zebras.

Let me set out a few things here so you all understand where I am coming from. I do not enjoy the concept of hunting because I do not enjoy killing anything, I understand hunting for food that you will eventually eat. I get it. Fun? No, not for me. I have no desire to see any creature staggering around bleeding for my entertainment (Not everybody is an excellent shot). I have no desire to see a bird drop out of the sky nor a hare, rabbit, boar, elk, deer or another creature brought down. I do not understand, nor do I share the fascination “of the kill”; it’s completely lost on me.

What I simply do not get is killing for the fun of killing. Excited to have killed a magnificent animal that will not be eaten, and worse still, whose head (or foot or leg) will be cut of and displayed in your home for all to admire. It makes me feel quite sick to the stomach, actually.

So I googled “zebra hunting”. Oh my! It’s everywhere. You can kill zebras in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They give you the best locations to go for your killing experience. What really sickens me is the wording used. We are told that “zebras have no horns and are not trophy hunted in the same way as horned plains game”. The Safari Club International has no listings for zebra in their trophy book. But then continue to assure that because of the unusual hide it is best to kill a young stallion. However, an old

stallion with scars that show he battled against a predators and won, makes for “a colourful trophy”.

Why am I feeling sick again?

The other side of this particularly unpleasant sport is that you do not even have to go to Africa. Now, you can kill perfectly splendid zebras in America. These zebras are bred solely for the purpose of being killed by a wealthy hunter with a bucket list.

The Ox Ranch is located in Texas and boasts that they can provide you with the “zebra hunt you have been dreaming of.” Oh my goodness, are there really people in America and elsewhere who dream of killing zebras? What ever happened to a little healthy dreaming of dating the girl next door?

The write-up for this ranch continues to point out that: “Humans have attempted and failed countless times throughout history to domesticate zebras. Their wild and untamable nature are the very traits that create such a rewarding and challenging hunt.”

Wow! Just by being independent and untameable makes certain people lust over dominating them to the extent of death. There are various ways and methods to kill these animals, and you, the hunter, gets to choose what weapon or method is your personal path to happiness.

To kill a zebra is usually $5,500 a kill. But to my horror I learned that to get the “pleasure” of killing a beautiful bongo at the Ox Ranch is $35,000. People actually spend $35,000 for the privilege of snuffing

pet of the week

A CHILL CAT

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

“I

’m not sleeping. I’m ignoring you.”

Donnie is a recent arrival at the Bahamas Humane Society.

Sadly, his family fell upon hard times and was unable to keep him.

Once Donnie adjusts to his new surroundings, he’s sure to be a bit more interested in what’s going on.

He’s about two years old and used to being in a home. He’d love a new place to call his own so he doesn’t have to spend too long at the BHS.

out of the most magnificent creatures? To what end? So they can festoon their homes with various body parts of some tragic, deceased creature.

You would think it can’t get any worse, but it does. These rather unsportsmanlike trophy hunters now enjoy hunting down their prey from a helicopter. They are safely tucked in the chopper with blades whirring and guns a-blazing. It is really the kind of thing that makes for a gruesome horror movie.

There is no fairness in these trophy kills. There is very little sport, and there is no good reason except some sort of sick and euphoric rush to varying parts of the body celebrating the death of a magnificent creature.

I cannot understand why anybody would want to kill a zebra and then

mount its severed head over their bed. Why would you wish to decorate the floor with a rug of skin cut from a zebra’s body?

What upsets me tremendously is how in all the advertisements for American and African hunting they belabour the point that they guarantee a beautiful, splendid, young, specimen. Is it more satisfying to destroy beauty?

A friend once told me of an instance down on Union Warf. There was a beautiful crane in the parking lot and three little boys watching it.

“Isn’t that bird beautiful,” one said.

“Yeah, really pretty,” said another, followed by, “Let’s go kill it!”

The bird could fly away; the zebras can’t.

Do you have just the right space for a cat past his kitten antics? If so, call 323-5138 to find out more information and come by the BHS to meet him. Until then, Donnie thinks he’ll just chill.

• The BHS Thrift Shop will be holding a preValentine’s Day jewellery mini-sale on Saturday, February 6, 10am to 2pm.

Come check it out, as you might just find something shiny for yourself or your loved one. All proceeds go (Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha) to the BHS.

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Friday, January 29, 2021

entertainment

Bahama All-Stars celebrate 10 years of marching to the beat of their own drum

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

T

he Bahamas All-Stars marching band has reached a pinnacle it is most proud of this year, the youth development organisation celebrates a decade of marching to its own beat and finding it’s own rhythm.

And to mark this special occasion the band will be hosting a series of events kicking off on February 11. The main celebration will be a virtual concert featuring past and present band members.

The success stories of all those who have participated in the band’s programme over the years will be highlighted. These featured stories will be spread through social media and with the help of print media.

The Bahama All-Stars are led by Yonell Justilien, who is looking forward to mentoring the next generation of band members.

“In preparation for the way forward we are now recruiting new members that will replace those who moved on to universities and the job market.

Our objectives of empowering our talented youths through the arts will remain our focus,”he told Tribune Weekend.

“Our reward is seeing members now in the classrooms around the nation and the United States as music educators, professionals in various fields and members of all-uniform branches in the Bahamas. Our mission was not placed on a sheet of paper to look good, but to be a working document that transforms (young people) into productive citizens.”

The mandate of Bahamas All-Stars is to use the performing arts as a vehicle to train and mentor

the youth. The organisation seeks to unlock the full artistic potential of its members.

A comprehensive programme has been perfected over the years, which with the help of a special team of experienced and trained directors, ensures excellence in its hundreds of members, some of whom are at-risk individuals.

However, due to the pandemic, the band has not been able to hold in-person practices.

“Our programme exists to train and mentor talented youths through performing arts. This is best accomplished by meeting face-to-face. All performance activities have been at a standstill since March of 2020. With the hope of schools re-opening soon, our activities too will commence with strict protocols. The membership is always expressing how much they miss being together,” said Mr Justilien.

Bahamas All-Stars, he said, can boast of 300 members who have been awarded with either academic or band scholarships, and some with both, from universities in the United States and Canada.

Many members have recently completed their studies and can now be found in all areas of the performing arts. Others joined uniform branches like the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Defence Force and the Department of Corrections.

Mr Justilien said due to the high standards set by former Bahamas All-Stars members who are now attending various universities abroad, many band directors from those schools, particularly the HBCU institutions, are seeking to attract more students from the Bahamian marching band.

As young cultural ambassadors for their country, Bahamas All-Stars have carried the Bahamian flag to events like the St Patrick’s Festival in Ireland; the Howard University Homecoming Battle of the Bands and Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, DC; the Florida Classics in Orlando, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.

They have also made appearances at CARIFTA, the IAAF World Relays, the Battle 4 Atlantis NCAA Basketball Tournament, the Bahamas Special Olympics, the Commonwealth Youth Games, and at many more local events.

“The rhythms of the drumline represent a unique flavour of our local and regional sounds,” said Mr Justilien.

“The dancers and flag corps brings beauty along with movements from down home and around the world. The melodies reflect both local and international flavours that are appealing to audiences of all walks of life.”

In addition to Mr Justilien, the Bahama AllStars are led by assistant band leader Luke Caley; assistant directors of the Auxiliary Corps Gayle Outten-Moncur a and El’Yanna Burrows-Mackey, assistant director Sergeant-At-Arms Completing the team is a hard-working and dedicated parent association, said Mr Justilien.

• For those interested in making a contribution, e-mail bahamaallstars@gmail.com.