Friday, February 4, 2022
arts interview home entertainment history animals literary lives
Weekend
LONDON CALLING Page 07
Cultural collage Four artists examine their histories in new ‘Stick It’ exhibit pages 08 + 09
02 | The Tribune | Weekend
HOME
Friday, February 4, 2022
CURVE APPEAL
What’s old is new again – less angles, more gentle lines are in
E
very now and then there is a seismic shift in the atmosphere of the normally stable world of furniture and home décor. It’s happening now as sleek modern lines that dominated the last decade give way to softer, gentler treatments of what we sit on, eat from and even walk through. Call it curve appeal, if you like. We will never know – nor need to know – if the gentler, more curved approach to the design of sofas, tables, lamps, accessories and doorways is a reaction to the toughness we all had to onboard to get through the past two pandemicdefined years. But there is no question that designers and home owners are gravitating towards rounded curves on sofas, chairs, chandeliers, candle globes and smaller accessories, perhaps because they are softer and more inviting. When I first noticed this trend, I thought it was my personal taste influencing what I was seeing. As a new mom, I recognised I was seeking the softer side, embracing a certain mood and quietness in the home, though I paired it with monochromatic themes and small pops of colour. It turns out I was hardly alone. Just as a body with curves is more appealing than one straight up and down (think Beyonce vs Twiggy), rounded corners can be easier on the eye. Top architects are incorporating curves, rediscovering the beauty of arches and archways, curved walls and more organic lines. Rounded doorways both in and outside the home harken back to Roman architecture, reminding us of why the ancient style has remained so timeless and classical. Designers are using waterfall edges on furniture as well as kitchen cabinetry, giving it a seamless look connecting the top to all that it is connected to. Round is carried through on oval and circular hardware for kitchen and cabinet knobs. But while adapting to the new, there’s no need to toss out the old. One of the most interesting ways to achieve the best of both worlds
is to mix curves and straight modular lines by using a round chandelier above a rectangular or square coffee table, for instance. Philosophically, the reintroduction of curvature in furniture signifies a return to nature where there are no real BROOKE PYFROM hard lines. It also allows us to find ways to bring the outside in as we spoke about in last week’s Life by Design. Combining these organic shapes with potted plants and live floral arrangements brings about a sense of peace and calm. Using mid-century modern furniture with rounded edges and tapered legs keeps a space looking minimal, creates a sense of movement and adds personality. Remember that rounded arm and leg couch that your grandmother had in her front room? It may be time to take it out of storage and re-upholster with soft fern or banana leaves, giving off warmth and a welcome home touch without being stuffy. The smooth, rounded furniture of the 70s and 80s, chairs with rounded backs and arms, round coffee tables and dining tables, are ripe for updating with new fabric, varnish or paint. While horizontal and vertical lines add height and width to a room, curved lines are meant to soften and add comfort. However, it is important to mix straight and round lines so no single style becomes overpowering. Decorating for comfort is like living your best life – it’s all about balance.
LIFE BY DESIGN
Even in a commercial powder room, the arch window adds height and interest
Curves make a comeback
Circles bring positive energy
Curve is the new cool after a decade of harsh lines
• Brooke Pyfrom is the proprietor of Oasis, Sandyport, and Oasis, East Shirley Street. She sources exceptional pieces from around the world to combine trendy with traditional.
The Tribune | Weekend | 03
Friday, February 4, 2022
ART
Candis Marshall’s new solo exhibit at
DOONGALIK
D
oongalik Studios first exhibition for 2022 opens today with a solo show by Candis Marshall entitled “Blueprint: Visual Memories”. The collection will be viewable from 6pm to 8.30pm, by appointment only. The collection, Ms Marshall said, “is a retrospective of the past decade of my journey as a creator. It lays bare my origins as a writer and storyteller with deep roots fed by springs of spiritual enlightenment, ancestral wisdom and an unquenchable desire to understand the world around me in all of its glorious splendor. It is my memories visualised in the form of photography, stories, and mixed media installations.” It was approximately 12 years ago that Ms Marshall stood in a doctor’s office with the limp, unresponsive body of her young son draped across her arms. In that moment she knew that if she lost him. She would also lose herself, but then, as though he had heard her thoughts, he gasped for air, reviving them both. This gave her a new perspective of the life before her. She no longer saw the time she had in this world as limitless. This experience simultaneously grounded her and gave her wings - wings, courage, and a strength to move the ground beneath her. In the year that followed, Ms Marshall began to rethink and
This weekend in history February 4 • In 1859, one of the oldest and most complete copies of the Bible, known as “The Codex Sinaiticus” from the fourth century, is found in Egypt by German biblical scholar Constantin von Tischendorf. • In 1938, Disney releases its classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, based on the 1812 fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, German cultural researchers. As Disney’s first fulllength animated feature film it was a critical and commercial success.
reorganise her life around the question, “If this moment is the only one you will ever have, how will you make it count?” At this point, she was known for coming up with big ideas geared toward transforming her community and improving the lives of those around her through partnerships with youth-based programmes and religious and civic organisations. She always found ways to bring people together to execute those ideas in spite of perceived limitations. Almost losing her son prompted her to take a more personal approach to how she would transform her community. She decided to make her moments count by not only giving to her community, but also giving to herself by fulfilling her dream of becoming a professional artist. • In 2004, Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg launches ‘The Facebook’, a website that came to shape and define social media. It was initially started in order to connect Harvard students with one another. Its forerunner was Zuckerberg’s FaceMash, a website where students could vote on which of two randomly-selected Harvard women was more attractive. February 5 • In 146 BCE, the Punic Wars come to an end after more than a century of fighting between the Roman Republic and its nemesis, Carthage – one of the most affluent cities of the classical world, located in what is today Tunisia. This led to Rome replacing Carthage as the
Born in Nassau, Ms Marshall has been a practicing artist for more than two decades. However, it was not until 2012 that she officially began her professional career as an artist by closing her beauty supplies business and hitting the road to sell her photographic art door-to-door. Within months of making this decision, she was features at the Hillside House Gallery in a joint exhibition entitled “Dieing to Be Beautiful: A Conversation Between a Mother and Son Through Photography”. This exhibition consisted of photographic work by Ms Marshall and her then four-year-old son. While this exhibition was still underway, she was invited to participate in the Bahamas’ Sixth National Exhibition entitled, “NE6: Kingdom Come”. The piece she presented, “Pilgrimage”, received stellar reviews. This work was the catalyst that caused Ms Marshall to draw clear lines between the work that she created to be consumed by all and the work she created solely for her own enjoyment. Over the course of the decade that has followed those initial exhibitions, she has carved out a spot for herself as an “artpreneur”. Her artistic endeavours include
showcasing her photography and sculptures at galleries throughout Nassau. She has won awards for her work as the Bahamas’ only “tyre artist”. Ms Marshall has also participated in dozens of cultural festivals, artist showcases, and expos with the intent not only to present her work, but more importantly to bring awareness of her message of economic and environmental sustainability through the arts. She has represented the Bahamas internationally through her tyre art, drawing attention to the high standards of creative excellence that exist here. She has written two books of which she has sold over 600 copies. She has partnered with more than 30 local and international organisations to execute programmes that reach at-risk youths through the arts. In 2019, she led the Centreville Primary Power of Play project that drew over 250 volunteers from organisations around the world and local businesses and civic organizations, such as the Rotary Club. “Blueprint: Visual Memories” is a closer look into what inspires the unstoppable force that is Candis Marshall to keep moving forward. It will be on display until Monday, February 28.
dominant power in the region.
it has since been established that Anderson’s DNA does not match that of the Romanov family. Furthermore, the locations of the bodies of the Tsar, Tsarina Alexandra and their five children have all been located.
• In 1916, acclaimed operatic tenor Enrico Caruso records “O Solo Mio” for the Victor Talking Machine Company, best known for its popular “Victrola” line of phonographs. • In 1919, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and DW Griffith found the Hollywood film studio United Artists. February 6 • In 1928, Anna Anderson, calling herself the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, arrives in New York City. She claimed she was the youngest daughter of the murdered Russian Tsar Nicholas II, whose entire family was executed in July 1918. However,
• In 1943, Singer Frank Sinatra makes his debut on the radio show “Your Hit Parade”. He launched his remarkable career in entertainment. He appeared regularly on this CBS show to sing the most popular songs of the week. • In 1952, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at Sandringham House in Norfolk, England, following a long illness. His daughter becomes Queen Elizabeth II.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, February 4, 2022
INTERVIEW
Helen
KLONARIS
After working on her self-transformation for several years while living in California, this Bahamian human rights has returned home with the tools to help people heal individually and as a community. She tells Cara Hunt how important it is to heal childhood and ancestral trauma.
H
elen Klonaris has always been about transformation and helping others be the best version of themselves. As a human rights activist, she has worked to advocate against violence against women and end discrimination against the LGBT community. Additionally, she was a member of the Bahamian feminist organisation DAWN (Developing Alternatives for Women Now) and of the regional CAFRA (Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action). She co-founded several socially significant organisations, including the Rainbow Alliance of the Bahamas, and several literary journals, associations, and organisations, including WomanSpeak: A Journal for Caribbean Women’s Literature and Art, the Bahamas Association for Cultural Studies (BACUS), and the Bahamas Writers Summer Institute (BWSI). And now she is on a new path of transformation, seeking to help individuals gain healing from the emotional traumas that they may not even be aware are affecting their personal evolution. This week, Helen launched The Soul Healing Way, a three-year personal healing programme that weaves together psychology, spirituality, energy medicine, and other modalities, all in the service of deep personal healing. For Helen, the work is driven by her own journey to self-transformation and the hurt she has personally seen in the community. “I had moved to California to study for my MFA and during that time I did a really deep dive into my own personal journey and I always wanted to come home and bring the tools that I used back to the community,” she told Tribune Weekend. “I wanted to find ways to create healing experiences for people, because there are a lot of people who are in deep pain and in need in healing.” She said this was especially evident in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. “People needed healing and I worked with the National Art Gallery where we created places of sanctuary for the displaced persons from the storm. We set up massage tables and people came in and were able to get massages
to provide hands-on healing and persons just said it was the first time since the storm they had been able to relax and feel upliftment since the storm had passed. Some of the Defence Force workers also needed healing from the things they had seen,” she said. The COVID-19 pandemic has also been a catalyst for transformation. “When you are in pain, you want to just keep moving and keep busy. People had so much time to just sit with their feelings in lockdown. So I know that people are receptive to healing,” she said. It has taken her several years to find the right formula for the programme.
“I wanted to find ways to create healing experiences for people, because there are a lot of people who are in deep pain and in need in healing.” The launch date had to be pushed back due to COVID-19, but Helen is excited to help start people on their journey now. The Soul Healing Way programme tackles several areas of pain, individually and on a wider community and ancestral level. “The programme is three years long because it takes time to go through the process and the layers, and get to a place where you can heal. You can’t do it all in one month or overnight. You have to invest the time and do the work,” she explained. The first year of the programme is the most important because it deals with the traumas of childhood, from birth to the age of 12. “We are at the most imprintable in the womb. Babies remember what they feel in the womb
and they carry those feelings with them in life, so if a need is not met when the mother is pregnant, such as abandonment or hunger, they will feel that in later life,” she said. “For example, if the father of the child dies while the mother is pregnant, the baby will grieve as well and carry that with them when they are born.” She added that the first 12 years of life are also extremely important to a person’s development. She explained that the wounds of childhood can be buried deep in the subconscious. Those wounds, unless addressed, can affect a person for the rest of their life. “That is why the first year of the programme focuses on addressing those wounds, and if person can only do one year of the programme, this would be the year I suggest,” she said. The second year of the programme deals with the trauma of adulthood and adult transformation. “This is a very hard year, because it it can be scary and is a lot to deal with; you have to let down your guard,” she said. The final year of the programme deals with ancestral healing and community transformation. Ancestral healing is the process of revealing and releasing inherited wounds and traumas that have been passed down by our forefathers and mothers. “It is only after you have addressed the hurt from your own past that you can look at the wider hurt from ancestral wounds and the pain of the community, because you are now strong enough, you have put in the work,” she explained. It Helen’s hope that this will lead to an entire community of healed individuals who are then able to transform the world around them. The programme sessions will be held every two months throughout the year. The spacing of the sessions is to allow time for internal processing and reflection. The groups will be small, with participants working through their pain together. “The work is more powerful when it is done in community,” said Helen.
Friday, February 4, 2022
The Tribune | Weekend | 05
Across: 1 Mechanism, 7 Iberia, 9 Topcoat, 10 Oslo, 12 Egg, 13 Routers, 14 Con, 15 Robe, 17 Chisels, 19 Regime, 20 Posterity. Down: 1 Motor car, 2 Eros, 3 Cap, 4 About time, 5 Nearer, 6 Sings, 8 Anglesey, 11 Outhit, 13 Romeo, 16 Blot, 18 Eli.
initially a stringed one (4) 28 Caused need, worried about female, say (10)
06 | The Tribune | Weekend
THe ALPH Friday, February 4, 2022
THE ALPHABEAT
TARGET Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.
e t o uVr l en
Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)
HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals. Verb forms ending in s permitted. TODAY’S TARGET Good 19; very good 29; excellent 38 (or more). Solution on Monday
Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudoku Answer for today’s target solution
*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 It could be simple curiosity (8) 2 Fir cones come from them (8) 3 Quits the day before a new start is to be made (4) 5 They don’t permit you to live extravagantly (7,5) 6 Unusual gain for a girl from Scandinavia (4) 7 A shade partly drawn in good weather (6) 8 German sub (6) 11 Yet brunettes may also enjoy it (3,2,3,4) 15 Points gained from scratch (5) 16 It left Britain the centre of sensation (5) 18 He supplies personal cover (8) 19 Gathers dust? (6,2) 21 It bores me in the back (6) 22 Where a girl turns up after six (6) 26 Creatures with feet going in two directions (4) 27 Caledonian habit (4)
Across 1 New ethics people find irritating (6) 4 Last of the multi-tea blenders (8) 9 One could make light of this box (6) 10 Fancies a drink when in semi-retirement (8) 12 Craft lacking a prow? (4) 13 Musical chairs (5) 14 A film group has a lot of fun with it (4) 17 Rules to which there can be no exception (6,6) 20 Barrister as a member of the family? (7-2-3) 23 The girl I get in the end (4) 24 Designed by Manet perhaps? (5) 25 Part of a nasty eyelid (4) 28 Soldier employed by the navy (3-2-3) 29 They’re purely symbolic (6) 30 Insist once more that rare sets are unusual (8) 31 Excite with a bit of spooning? (4,2)
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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Sum up, 4 Stock up, 8 Oak, 9 In advance, 10 Observe, 11 Rugby, 13 Flinch, 15 Set off, 18 Satan, 19 Overact, 21 Runaround, 23 Dog, 24 Babylon, 25 Range. Down: 1 Show off, 2 Makeshift, 3 Prior, 4 Seamen, 5 Obverse, 6 Kin, 7 Piety, 12 Go on and on, 14 Control, 16 Fatigue, 17 Column, 18 Scrub, 20 Elder, 22 Nab.
Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Wails, 4 Rat race, 8 Aim, 9 Water polo, 10 Federal, 11 Issue, 13 Really, 15 Errata, 18 Cleft, 19 Orotund, 21 Forgiving, 23 Own, 24 Sleight, 25 Thyme. Down: 1 What for, 2 Immediate, 3 Sewer, 4 Retell, 5 Terrier, 6 Ago, 7 Evoke, 12 Statutory, 14 Letting, 16 Andante, 17 Soviet, 18 Cuffs, 20 Ought, 22 Rue.
EASY PUZZLE
Across 1 Lacking delicacy (6) 4 Definite (8) 9 Italian city (6) 10 Liberty of action (4,4) 12 Derive as reward (4) 13 Concatenation (5) 14 Transaction (4) 17 Be very expensive (4,3,5) 20 Very rapidly (4,8) 23 Place-to-place travel (4) 24 Imprecise (5) 25 Prophet (4) 28 Feeling of wellbeing (8) 29 Closely associated (6) 30 Knock out of position (8) 31 To hamper (6)
Down 1 Shrink (8) 2 Estimate worth of (8) 3 Search for (4) 5 Stubbornly determined (12) 6 Masticate (4) 7 Defective (6) 8 Fond embrace (6) 11 Stingy (6-6) 15 Sober (5) 16 Earnestly contemplate (5) 18 Forcefully energetic person (4,4) 19 Be reluctant to give (8) 21 Be present at (6) 22 Uproar (6) 26 Not very good (2-2) 27 Sullen (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 on Monday 1
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1 x Battleship
3 x Destroyer
2 x cruiser
4 x submarine
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number represents a letter – or black square. reProViNg grip gripe griper grope every groper nope CroSS As in Alphapuzzle, letter of the alphabetDo open opine orpin orpine peon pier is used. But you have to complete the grid too! pigeon pine ping pinger pion pone pong Across: BUMPY Down: ROUTE use poring the given letters and black squares below pore prig prior prone prong prove proven proving the reprogrid REPROVING the grid to start. is ‘rotationally SuMMiT u ripe ripen riper rope ropier roping viper symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks 60 the and same if you turn the page upside down. Solution on Monday
97
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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10 Yesterday’s 12 14 19 27 Kakuro Answer 9 22 19 25 35
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black squares: 2 26, 32, 33, 34, 35 Across: Fishing, Kingpin, Jowl, Po Biopsy, Weeping, Down: Jigsaw, G Oceanic, TArgeT cAn you crack the Alphabeater? each grid Inquiry, Eunuch.
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● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues t text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus you
KEIJO 4 4 2
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The Tribune | Weekend |07
Friday, February 4, 2022
ART
Bahamian artist Blue Curry exhibits at
TATE BRITAIN By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
‘Sun Chasers’
B
AHAMIAN artist Blue Curry offers an intriguing perspective on his beloved small island home in a significant exhibition at one of Britain’s premiere institutions which is currently celebrating Caribbean-British art. The artist has two installations on display at Tate Britain, described as the centre for understanding and enjoying British art. The institute is hosting the work of over 40 Caribbean artists, including one Bahamian, on the conversation of “Life Between Islands: CaribbeanBritish Art 1950s - Now”. This exhibition explores the work of artists from the Caribbean who made their home in Britain, alongside other British artists whose work has been influenced and inspired by Caribbean themes and
‘Caribbean Queen’ heritage. According to the gallery, the exhibition celebrates how people from the Caribbean have forged new communities and identities in post-war Britain – and in doing so have transformed what British culture and society looks like today. The works will remain on display until April. “The Tate is the highest art institution in the UK and one of the best recognised in the world. This is the first large-scale exhibition of work by Caribbean artists and artists of Caribbean descent to be held in the UK, so it’s an extremely
important moment for Caribbean art,” Blue told Tribune Weekend. The curators of the exhibition, Tate Britain’s director Alex Farquharson and David A Bailey, were already familiar with Blue’s work and contacted him a year and a half ago seeking proposals for new sculptural pieces. “Of course, I was flattered to be approached,” he said. Blue’s work in the show explores “tourism versus local lived realities in the Caribbean today: the persistent dissonance between the mythology and commodification of the Caribbean as paradisiacal”. His piece “Caribbean Queen” features a palm frond, imitation gold hoop earrings, and is threaded with tape from a cassette recording of the 1984 song “Caribbean Queen” by Trinidad-born British artist Billy Ocean. Blue systematically punctured holes into a dried palm-tree frond, before weaving through strips of magnetic audio cassette tape. The technique references handicraft traditions used to make tourist souvenirs. Blue’s second installation, “Sun Chasers”, features airline seats, braided synthetic hair, beads, customised mousepads, seashells, beach sand, bicycle inner tubes, bamboo using synthetic hair, sunset images, and the promise of “exotic” travel. The artist creates a narrative about tourism and material culture – the selling of the Caribbean as a cheaply consumable paradise. “I look at the exotic quite intensely, and particularly how the Caribbean came to be defined by it. The constructed image of the region
tends to be quite dumbed down; a site for leisure, consumption, relaxation, and nothing else. As a person from there, you know there is much more to it but you are trapped in this deafening echo chamber of cliches and stereotypes,” he said. For Blue, inspiration is a “tricky” word when it comes to art. He, however, makes observations and mental notes then translate to works of art. “I observe a great deal and put things together but don’t have a linear progression of how I got from point A to point B when I making a piece that I can share with you. Works have usually been forming in my head for years, gathering elements, ideas and momentum until I make them physically. My influences come from so many places, but my lived experience of the Bahamas is clearly an important part of what I make. For example, the weaving of the tape cassette through the palm leaf is observed from the craft of stitching raffia into straw work that we are all familiar with. The splashes of sand and seashells across the airline seats take their form from observing the vomit on almost every street corner of downtown Nassau during Spring Break which I think we are also, unfortunately, are familiar with,” he said. The artist currently resides in London. And one project that has been keeping him busy in recent day is transforming a barbershop into an art space. “It’s modelled after the place where my art career really started, Popop Studios, and a similar space in Trinidad, Alice Yard, that I work very closely with. I want it to connect the Caribbean to London in a way that perhaps no space has done in a very long time. It will also have the facilities to have a visiting artist in-residence programme,” he said.
The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Friday, February 4, 2022
ENTERTAINMENT
New mini-series follows the crazy escapades of a Bahamian student abroad By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
T
HE crazy escapades and naive decisions of a Bahamian college student abroad make up the plot of a new four-episode mini-series called “Easy Love”. Written and produced by wellknown local playwright Kerel Pinder, the series follows a young Bahamian woman who is on a quest to find love. The show will premiere both in Freeport at Pelican Bay on February 19 and in Nassau at Fusion Superplex on February 26. The mini-series, which is based on a true story and a book by the same name, examines themes of friendship, ambition, sex and love. “It’s also sort of a period piece because it’s set back in 2002/03. So if 90’s R&B is your jam and you’re always down for a feel-good romantic series, this one is for you,” Kerel told Tribune Weekend. Kerel has written a number of Bahamian dramas. However, she recently took a brief break to seek direction for her latest project. “For the last three years I’ve had people ask me, ‘So when are you going to write your next play?’ I didn’t know when. I just knew it wasn’t going to be a play. God had already given me the vision and permission to step into doing film. I was just waiting on His when. That came at the end of May 2021 when an old friend, Jillian Storr, contacted me to help her birth her book. She was in the middle of writing a fictional young romance novel inspired by her and her husband’s love story. In that meeting, she mentioned that she also wished it could be a Netflix movie one day. I then replied, why not now? I quickly suggested turning her story into an episodic mini-series, and the rest is history,” she said. KereI was able to write,
Writer and producer Kerel Pinder with director of photography Alfred Anderson Tabitha Ritchie and Lemuel Bain play the leads Noelle and Amar
direct and produce a four-part version of Jillian’s story. And in order to tell a good story, a good cast was needed The protagonist Noelle is played by screenwriter and first-time actress Tabitha Ritchie. The leading male character Amar is played by the charismatic Lemuel Bain. In the supporting roles of Leah
and Vincent are Sade Pinder and Ramon Webb, respectively, who are both “seasoned thespians, that definitely bring that same fire and energy to the screen,” said Kerel. The behind-the-scenes crew is made up of Kerel, who is the writer, director and producer; Jillian and Rorey Storr, who are the executive producers. Principal photography and lead editing are done by the Anderson Group; second unit B roll filming by Jiggy Productions, and the associate editor and colourist is Craig Walkine, Jr. “The most significant difference about the storyline of ‘Easy Love’ is that a true story inspired it. It’s also based on the book ‘Easy Love’. So when writing the screenplay, the creative vision was often torn between the real story, the book and what I wanted to show and tell on screen,” said Kerel. One of the things she believes audiences will love is the
representation on screen. “In media, you hear the buzz phrase that ‘representation matters’, and people crave to see themselves on screen, with characters they can relate to, and I think that’s one of the biggest takeaways from a production like this; it makes you feel seen. So I think Bahamians will enjoy seeing themselves through universal storylines,” she said. “We believe that they will feel the love, the friendship, and dance to the old school R&B along the way, while appreciating the quality of the production and the authenticity of the story being told.” And while there were challenges to making ‘Easy Love”, Kerel for the most part it was smooth sailing. “I have to say we have been incredibly blessed with some talented creatives and business persons who have believed in this project and just allowed us to flourish,” she said. “It’s crazy to believe that this entire process has happened in less than a year from concept to screen. However, along the way, we had to navigate shoots taking longer than we expected, reshoots, recasting, and funding when deciding to premiere the show for a live audience.” This project, she said, would not have been possible without corporate partners, including Aliv, Bahari, Phluid Phactory, Fusion Superplex, Comfort Suites and Candy Captains. “I am also incredibly thankful for their role throughout this process,” said Kerel. “I am also committed to working on more projects that help open the door for Bahamian filmmakers and storytellers to tell our stories to the world. ‘Easy Love’ season two or ‘Easy Love’ on an international platform is also a goal, but overall, we trust God with what He wants to do next.”
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, February 4, 2022
LITERARY LIVES – THOMAS DE QUINCEY
A gothic writer’s study of
ADDICTION
Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the English writer, essayist, and literary critic best known for his book Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. “Nobody will laugh long who deals much with opium: its pleasures even are of a grave and solemn complexion.” – Thomas De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey was born on August 15, 1785, at 86 Cross Street, Manchester, Lancashire. His father was a successful merchant who had an interest in literature. When he was quite young the family moved to Greenheys – a large country house in Chorltonon-Medlock near Manchester. In 1796, after the death of his father, his mother, Elizabeth Penson, took the name “De Quincey” and moved to Bath where he was enrolled at King Edward’s School. He was a weak and sickly child and, when his older brother came home, he wrought havoc in the quiet surroundings. His mother had a strong character and she inspired more awe than affection in her children. She was strict and took young Thomas De Quincey, worrying that he would become bigheaded, to a more inferior school at Wingfield in Wiltshire. In 1799, when he was fourteen, he read Lyrical Ballads (1798) by William Wordsworth, and also some work by Coleridge. Deeply influenced, he was ready for Oxford University but was sent instead to Manchester Grammar School so that he might get a scholarship to Brasenose College in Oxford. However, he didn’t stick it out and left after nineteen months.
An opium den in London’s East End, circa 1880 He wanted to find Wordsworth for whom he had a deep reverence but was too timid. Instead, financed by his uncle Colonel Penson, who promised him a guinea a week, he set out to tramp across Wales, ending up in London where he borrowed more money and became involved with a fifteen-year-old prostitute. Discovered by friends of his family, he was brought home and sent to Worcester College, Oxford. It was in 1804, while at Oxford,
that he began the occasional use of opium. He completed his studies but left without a degree.
die than have anything to do with such a Devil’s own drug.” – Thomas Carlyle
Still addicted to Wordsworth, he sought out Charles Lamb in London and became an acquaintance of Coleridge. His eventual meeting with Wordsworth led De Quincey to settle in 1809 in Grasmere, in the Lake District, and to live for ten years in Dove Cottage which, Wordsworth had occupied. He spent another five years at Foxghyll Country House, Ambleside. He married his young housekeeper in 1816 and drifted back to London with little money and survived with grudging handouts from his mother and casual earnings from his pen. His wife Margaret bore him eight children before her death in 1837.
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1822) made De Quincey notorious, but unfortunately not rich. Despite appalling ill-health and his self-administered medications, he survived by contributing to various magazines, flitting from house to house, eventually leaving London for Scotland, in the village of Polton and Glasgow, until he moved to Edinburgh in the 1830s.
“While debauching his constitution with opium tablets, washed down with copious draughts of wine, he was stocking his mind. He wrote nothing of significance until he was in his mid-thirties and his mind overflowing and boiling with toxins. – John Sutherland Lives of the Novelists, 2011 In 1821, in London, he was persuaded to write and publish an account of his opium experiences which had appeared that year in the London Magazine. Confessions of an English OpiumEater was published in book form in 1822. It was a sensation and eclipsed Lamb’s Essays of Elia which were also appearing in the London Magazine. “Better, a thousand times better,
Debt was one of the primary constraints of De Quincey’s life. His journalistic achievements had to pay for his bills during almost his entire adult life. After the 1820s he was always in financial difficulties. He was forced to seek protection from arrest in the debtors’ sanctuary in Edinburgh, from where he could emerge on Sundays when arrests for debt were not allowed. He lent money to Coleridge and spent large amounts of money on books. He was a great conversationalist and indeed his Confessions of an English OpiumEater gave inspiration to many subsequent writers from Edgar Allan Poe, Fitz Hugh Ludlow, Charles Baudelaire, and eventually to W.S. Burroughs and Timothy Leary. His financial situation only improved later in life when his mother died in 1846, after which he received an income of £200 a year. It is probable that De Quincey first used opium in 1804 to combat his neuralgia. He suffered from
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confessions-of-an-english-opium-eater-20 the fourteenth and last in 1860 – a month after the author’s death. De Quincey edited and revised his works for the Hogg edition. An opium den in London’s East End, circa 1880 incivility and procrastination.” – Thomas De Quincey
Foxghyll, near Rydal, Cumbria, De Quincey’s home from 1820 to 1825 “trigeminal neuralgia” which caused a piercing pain in his face. The use of opium therefore may well have been a self-medication remedy. It was in 1813 that he started daily use, and from 1813 to 1819 his daily dose was very high, resulting in the sufferings recounted in Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. But then his opium use fluctuated between extremes. He took enormous
doses in 1843, but then late in 1848 he went for sixty-one days with none at all. Many theories exist about his literary creativity, notably that during periods of low use his literary productivity declined. “If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to
During the final decade of his life De Quincey worked tirelessly on a collected edition of his works – ranging from fiction to biographies to economics, and often crossing genre boundaries in unclassifiable works that mixed exposition of others’ ideas with autobiography and personal reflections. Ticknor and Fields, in Boston, first proposed such a collection and De Quincey gave his approval. However, De Quincey was a chronic procrastinator and failed to cooperate, resulting in the Boston publisher proceeding independently to reproduce his works from their original magazine appearances. Twenty-two volumes of De Quincey’s writings were issued from 1851 to 1859. These American editions prompted a British edition. James Hogg, the publisher of Hogg’s Weekly Instructor, for whom De Quincey was a regular contributor, undertook to publish Selections Grave and Gay from Writings Published and Unpublished by Thomas De Quincey (1853). The second edition of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater was included in Hogg’s 1853 edition, and
Both of these multi-volume collections made no pretense of being complete. David Masson attempted to produce a more definitive collection: The Works of Thomas De Quincey, which appeared in fourteen volumes in 1889 and 1890. Further collections followed: two volumes of The Uncollected Writings of Thomas De Quincey (1890), and two volumes of Posthumous Works of Thomas De Quincey (1891-1893). De Quincey’s 1803 diary was published in 1927. Another volume New Essays by De Quincey appeared in 1966. Thomas De Quincey died in Edinburgh on December 8, 1859. He is buried in St Cuthbert’s Churchyard at the west end of Princes Street. His gravestone, in the south-west section of the churchyard, says nothing of his literary works. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Thomas De Quincey: Recollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets, by David Wright, Penguin Books, 1970; and The English OpiumEater: A Biography of Thomas De Quincey (2009) by R Morrison.
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HISTORY
TRANS ISLAND AIRWAYS
B
y 1977, the operation was running smoothly, and shareholders were enjoying dividends, but I was itching to fly jets again and told them that I planned to look for a job with an airline. As a result, TIA was put up for sale and several would-be buyers were found. None of them would buy unless I stayed on to run it. One of our regular customers was E Albert Eckart, Jr whose company, Sapolin Paints, operated a painttesting facility on North Eleuthera and he suggested that I buy TIA. Al sold the idea to me and to his best friend, Dick Childs, and they looked for investors who would finance the deal. One group of investors came down to Nassau, examined the operation and made me an ‘all-for-them and nothingfor-me’ offer. After our meeting, one member of the group told me that he was embarrassed by the offer, and I was right to turn it down. Al was convinced that TIA was a good investment, so he and Dick Childs put up the money to buy the planes from the company and lease them back to me. I would buy the business and, with a loan from CIBC, the plan worked well for all. TIA was the only air-taxi operator with a counter in the main terminal building. Visitors arriving from
The TIA team
-the original Part II
abroad would clear Immigration and Customs and stroll over to us, accompanied by a porter with their baggage – until the government arbitrarily decided to remove us from the terminal. We had no say in the matter, but we must have built a better mousetrap, because our clients kept finding their way to our little cubby hole. In 1974, when German mass tourism descended on the Bahamas, I had been flying for Bahamasair. One morning, my flight to Miami was sold out, but only 39 passengers boarded the plane. The other 40, all Germans, were about to be left behind. I went in and talked with the group and its leader, who had an understanding with the Bahamasair sales manager that she could write a cheque for 40 tickets for her group to spend a day in Miami. A quick call to the sales manager straightened things out and the 40 Germans were very happy. Unfortunately, the flight had been ‘precleared’ by US Customs and they were not willing to process 40 additional passengers. I did get them to allow the tour guide to be added to the flight, so she could pay thousands of dollars for all the tours she had booked. A year later, at TIA, I got a call from a German tour director, asking what tours TIA could provide for his
clients. We agreed to Even without the meet at the Emerald Germans, business was good Beach Hotel to discuss until 1991 when TIA’s planes details. His first spent too much time sitting question to me was, on the ground, hoping for “Were you the pilot customers. But the market on last year’s flight to had changed, and we could Miami?” I answered not match the hackers’ “Yes,” and he said, prices. More and more “OK, you have our Bahamians were buying business”. That lasted planes, especially the Piper for several seasons, Aztec, and operating illegal until Lufthansa charter flights. ‘Hackers’, cancelled their as they came to be called, Frankfurt to Nassau had no licence to operate service. Business had FORGOTTEN FACTS as an air-taxi and they had never been so good. no overheads, no insurance The loss of hundreds of German passengers costs, no FAA inspections. A few of was a body blow, but I never forget them had no pilot’s licence. They the conversations with German were totally illegal, and they could passengers every time I flew them undercut the prices of the legal to the Exumas. There were no operators like TIA and Pinders. digital cameras, but the passengers It became clear that TIA could would start taking pictures while not afford to continue losing money, we were still over Nassau. It was so on January 8, after we had flown hard to persuade them to save their all our Christmas clients back film until we reached the Exumas. to Nassau, TIA stopped flying. I told them that, “The sea around I am happy to say, however, Nassau is ‘black and while’ but you that my son, Paul, revived the will understand the meaning of airline and is achieving so much technicolour once they see Exumas”. more than its predecessor. On every trip, my reward was hearing them make a deep gasp, • For questions and comments, followed by the German word ‘s a g please send an e-mail to e n h a f t’ (amazing, awesome), each syllable pronounced separately. islandairman@gmail.com
PAUL C ARANHA
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ANIMALS
by people who hide behind their contacts to stay out of trouble. The veil of secrecy must be lifted and that proverbial sunshine needs to shine on all aspects of life. We have laws in the Bahamas, we have laws that protect animals from being mistreated if they are enforced. All creatures should be afforded the right of the five freedoms
A culture of
CRUELTY
By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters
G
osh, the animal world in the Bahamas has most certainly been in turmoil over the last couple of weeks. I had been thinking that my readers deserved a gentle article about butterflies or baby elephants for a change, however, I do not think the events of the past days will allow that. Last week’s article was the precursor. If you remember, I spoke about the fact that over half the human population doesn’t give two hoots about animals. Well, after some of the neglect cases I have seen this week I think I am going to have to make it more like three quarters. My head is swirling in horror and shock as I look at photographs sent in by our ambulance drivers and inspectors; photos showing cruelty and neglect cases. How can any human allow animals to suffer like this under their watch? What kind of person, I ask myself a hundred times a day, does that. The dog whose photo accompanies this article was found tied up on a chain what would be appropriate for the anchor of a Boston Whaler dingy. She had a thick collar and a short length of chain to move around with in a small space, and clearly very rarely was given much food to eat. Somebody was holding this animal “captive” in their yard, to do this to her? I mean, why on earth would you want to keep a pet if this is how you treat it? In the space of ten days, we have brought in dogs that are suffering from severe malnutrition, embedded collars, dehydration, covered in tar, and other disgusting situations. Whatever happened to this country, this Christian nation? There is a very fine line between ignorance, neglect and abuse. Frequently, ignorance leads to neglect, which in turn leads to suffering, so ultimately it is abuse. I am getting really tired of sugar-coating the truth. I am tired
A malnourished and mistreated dog brought in by the BHS ambulance after being found chained up.
of trying to justify why and how somebody could not understand that their animal, their pet, requires regular food and access to water. I mean, really please; I have to say it: it is stupidity not to realise that all creatures need to eat and drink. There, I have said it: the word that sets everybody off on a hysterical rant; the word “stupid” has finally been used. While we are at it, I guess it is time to say that I cannot respect anybody who treats their animals like this, whoever you may be. The second key to enraging everybody is the use of the word “disrespect”. So here I go, the stupidity that leads to this kind of abuse is nothing anybody can or should respect.
They are as follow: The freedom from hunger and thirst The freedom from discomfort The freedom from pain, injury, and disease The freedom to express normal and natural behaviour The freedom from fear and distress.
All of the animals that we have had to rescue have been denied every Now all this said, where do we go single one of these freedoms, conwith this, how can we ensure that sidered the gold standard of animal people who treat animals in this welfare, and their owners and customanner pay a penalty? Why should dians have gotten away with it. they get away with it ? And what My question to every Bahamian kind of person are they? Are they on is: how long will this go one for, their way to become child abusers, how long do we allow criminals to neglectful of the needs of a helpless get away with crimes? To mistreat, baby who may need medical care or abuse and neglect an animal is a then simply grow up and keep the crime and the penalties should be cycle of neglect going? paid. Yet the perpetrators do not get I will go further and ask why charged, they do not get punished, are there not more people making if they do, they are given negligible noise about this? Why is it that so fines and leave laughing about how many people will sit shaking their heads muttering, “What is the world they were able to get away with it. Is this what we want to be, is this coming to?”, before turning on the how we want to continue? Please TV and forgetting all about it. make your voices be heard, the The culture of abuse and neglect time has most certainly come for a is alive and well in the Bahamas, ignored and swept under the carpet change.
pet of the week
STELLA!
By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY This sweetie is about nine months old and loves everyone she meets. She’s taken to rounding up the smaller pups whenever they get loose so she’ll have no trouble settling in with another dog (though she may round them up, too). Cats don’t seem to faze her, she’s so people-oriented. Do the depths of your affection have room for Stella? Have you been looking for a sociable young but not too young pup to
add to your family? Stella might just be the match for you. Call 323-5138 for more information or stop by the Bahamas Humane Society to meet her. Stella awaits your arrival. If you can’t adopt, foster. If you can’t foster, volunteer. If you can’t volunteer, donate. If you can’t donate, educate! Help make a difference!
Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha
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