04212017 weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

art gardening fashion music food entertainment weddings

Weekend

belles of the ball Pages 14&15

Snap shot Capturing Bahamian culture Photography, pages 8&9

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

life through a lens Photos/Shawn Hanna

A Rotary kind of Easter

H

undreds of kids came out to Collins House last Saturday to attend an Easter event like no other – the Rotary Clubs of Nassau Easter Egg Hunt and Fun Day. From 10am to 8pm, the young and young at heart enjoyed activities like bouncy castles, games, face painting, a dunking tank, and more.

For the Easter egg hunt, several thousand eggs with treats were hidden throughout the grounds.

The hottest DJs from Joy FM and 100 Jamz provided live entertainment. While on the stage, the Antiquities, Monuments & Museum Corporation held short, informative talks about the historic Collins House and other community groups.

The event also celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation (TRF).

TRF provides funds for community projects and runs programmes throughout the world to promote Rotary International’s six areas of focus: peace and conflict prevention/ resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development.

Have you taken a selection of photographs that might make a Life through a lens feature page? If so please submit it to weekend@ tribunemedia.net for consideration

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Friday, April 21, 2017

Inside Weekend Interview 4 - 5 Cara Hunt sits down with actor/comedian Will Stubbs to talk about the third instalment of the hit “Election” play and hosting the Bahamian Icon Awards 2017.

Food 6-7 Best friends launch ‘Sweet Tooth Treats’, plus attorney finds second career as ‘The Baking Barrister’

Photography 8 - 9 The Bahamian Project gears up for a special fundraiser

Art 11 - 13 French-born Bahamian artist Thierry Lamare holds a retrospective of his works, plus Keisha Oliver takes a look at her artistic life so far

Belles of the ball 14 - 15 BREEF celebrates ‘Islands in the Stream’

Weddings 17 Xavia Rolle knows how to plan for romance

Entertainment 18 ‘Expressions’ offers a platform to nurture, create, feature and fine-tune creative minds

Gardening 19 Jack Hardy answers his readers’ questions and provides advice

Music 21 Tierra Rolle advocates for feel-good songs

Literary Lives 22 - 25 How MI5 missed the chance to expose the ‘Third Man’, Kim Philby

Forgotten Facts 25 British government builds airfield at Oakes Field Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Party with the BHS in ‘Flower Power’ style, plus Pet of the Week Cover photo | Terrel W Carey

My perfect Bahamian weekend Antonia Lightbourne Founder of eNue and Purpose Awareness, and Joy FM radio personality Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?

A: “Sunday lunch!”

Q: Wine, Kalik, rum or cocktail?

“Ummm...can I have fruit punch?”

Q: Beach or sofa?

“Sofa for the win!”

Q: What could you not do without?

“Time spent with God and those I love. I just can’t do without it!”

Q: Weekend away: where would you go?

“Far! Is that a place? I’d say Paris.”

Things 2 Do this weekend Friday • Da Bahamian Ting Finale Time: 7pm Venue: Fort Montague Park The electrifying showdown will see the top 10 finalists battle it out headto-head in the final concert for Da Bahamian Ting song competition.

Opening the show is the Royal Bahamas Police Force, followed by various cultural performances including: a conch shell fanfare, a performance from St John’s College’s band, aerial hoop dance, a choreographed fire dance and a special performance by a comedian.

• Carnival Soca Mi Love Glow J’ouvert Time: 6pm - 2am Venue: Botanical Gardens Voted the No 1 glow fete in the Bahamas, the event features all the glow paint and powder you need.

Tickets are $20 in advance and are available from Exquisite Cutz and Bahama Ink.

Saturday • 2nd Annual Crimson Challenge Time: 6am Venue: Goodman’s Bay The Crimson Challenge is a 5K Fete Fun Run/Walk. The route starts at Goodman’s Bay, continues on to the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort, and back to Goodman’s Bay.

The road race is open to both walkers and runners. The first 50 finishers receive medals. There will be afterrace goodies, including drinks from the sponsors.

• Farm to Table – Pop-Up Market Time: 8am - 1pm Venue: Chiccharney Farms The market provides fresh, local produce and eggs.

• BNT Earth Day Family Fair Time: 10am - 4pm Venue: Bonefish Pond National Park There will be fun activities including kayaking, snorkelling and scavenger hunts, as well as educational booths for fun learning with family and friend. Enjoy free food, drinks and face painting • Kids N Purpose Time: 10.30am - 2pm Venue: Mario’s Bowling and Entertainment Palace Purpose Awareness presents Kids N Purpose under the theme, ‘We Can Live in Purpose Too!’ The empowerment event is open to children ages 6 - 12. Register at www.purposeawareness.com. The registration fee is $15 and includes T-shirt, pin and lunch.

SEE PAGE 20 • IAAF World Relays Bahamas 2017 Time: 7.30pm (continues on Sunday) Venue: Thomas A Robinson Stadium

The third staging of the World Relays will bring the best in the world to the Bahamas. It is expected that most medallists from 2016 Rio Olympics will be present. The 2017 IWR will serve as a qualifying competition for the 2017 IAAF World Championships.

The following relay races will be held for both men and women: 4x100m, 4×200, 4x400m, 4x800m. For the first time a mixed gender 4x400m event would be held.

• Movies in the Square Time: 7.30pm - 10.30pm Venue: Pompey Square DNP, the United States Embassy and Pupstar Entertainment & Events are joining forces to present a screening of the film “Ice Age” in honour of Earth Day. Concessions are available from 7.30pm and the movie starts at 8pm.

Viewing is free and concessions are provided by Vell Monkey Foot.

Security and surveillance will be enforced by Tourism Police.

• Movies on the Hilltop Time: 7.30pm Venue: 1er Cru The monthly outdoor movie experience with the biggest screen, under the brightest stars.

Enjoy concessions by POW, a complimentary glass of 19 Crimes wine and complimentary popcorn.

Admission is $25 per person.

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Friday, April 21, 2017

interview He was born to make people laugh. And today, actor and comedian Will Stubbs is preparing to take on two important roles which he hopes will entertain his audiences in different ways.

He gives Cara Hunt a taste of the third instalment of the hit “Election” play, and explains what hosting this year’s Bahamian Icon Awards means to him.

Will Stubbs

F

rom when he was a little boy, Wilbert “Will” Stubbs had the gift to make people laugh.

As a teenager, his brother-inlaw Delano Taylor told him that this talent would take him places one day – a prediction that would turned out to be true for the Grand Bahama actor.

Mr Stubbs attended the Martin Town Primary School, Hawksbill Primary School and graduated from the Hawksbill High School. He then pursued a career with the Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) as a telephone technician.

A born-again Christian, Mr Stubbs is a member of the Church of God of Prophecy. He has served as band director of the Bahamas Youth Brass Band, Grand Bahama Segment, for 15 years.

While he has enjoyed making people laugh all his life, Mr Stubbs told Tribune Weekend that he didn’t really catch the so-called ‘acting bug’ until his church put on a production and he was asked to be a part of it.

“I think it was sometime around maybe 1989 when my

“I tell people my life is a comedy...and to live in the Bahamas, there is so much material to work from; every day here is a comedy.” church put on a play that was written by our pastor, Bishop George Thompson, and his wife Damaris Thompson, entitled “Millions Are Missing”.

“They had asked for persons to volunteer for cast members. I didn’t volunteer, but I was being a little critical, I guess, of the way some of the people were performing. I had my idea of how things should be done and so finally they were like, ‘Since you have so many ideas, why don’t you come and be a part of it?’, and I did. And I guess that is where the genesis of this acting bug really came from.”

Mr Stubbs said what appeals to him most about acting is the process of figuring out who the writer wants the character to be and then deciding the best way to bring that portrayal to life.

“I also like being able to put my own spin on the character and give them a personality that maybe the writer did not think

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Friday, April 21, 2017

about it, but it works,” he said.

Since his debut performance, Mr Stubbs has graced the stage the standup comedy show “Laugh with the Hallelujah Boys” along with David Wallace. He also performed in a production called “It’s Time to Laugh” by the late Frank Penn which depicted the devastating Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne.

Making people laugh is a passion of Mr Stubbs’, and that is why he took to the stage to perform in Gea Pierre’s comedic hit plays “We Gat To Do Better”, “I Object” and “Perfect in Weakness”.

Mr Stubbs said that his ultimate dream would be to work with Academy Award winner Denzel Washington.

“I would love to work with Denzel Washington. If you watch his movies and his stage performances, from what I see of him off camera and off stage, he seems like he is a humble person who loves his family, but when he is on camera, it does not matter what role it is, the way he transforms himself to portray that character is phenomenal.”

His favourite Denzel Washington movie is “Out Of Time”, he added.

But while he appreciates drama roles, Mr Stubbs said personally he is more partial to playing comedy.

“I love comedy. I tell people my life is a comedy. I think it comes from growing up in a family with six children. My mother would always tell us that there was enough of us to play and entertain ourselves and we didn’t need company, and so that’s what we did,” he said.

“I love bringing comedy to people and helping to ease the tension of any situation and make it a light moment that keeps people smiling. I do standup comedy and write my own stuff, and to live in the Bahamas, there is so much material to work from; every day here is a comedy.”

For example, some of Mr Stubbs’ most notable roles were in the extremely popular plays “Election 2007, Count It Again”, which travelled throughout the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, and “Election 2012, What Just Happened”.

He said that the cast is currently preparing for this year’s instalment following the general election on May 10.

“Even before election day we have so much material from the past five years, from the gaming and equality referendums, to the showdown between Andre Rollins and Loretta Butler-Turner in the House of Assembly,” he said.

“If even one person can be touched by what you do, then your life has been a blessing.”

Mr Stubbs is also the host of the TV game “Survey Says Bahamas” , which follows the familiar format of the popular “Family Feud” but boasts a unique Bahamian take on proceedings.

In his downtime, he is a much soughtafter master of ceremonies around town.

Recently, Mr Stubbs was selected to be the host for the 2017 Bahamian Icon Awards.

The Bahamian Icon Awards acknowledge the exemplary achievements of men and women who have excelled in various industries thus contributing to the overall development of the Bahamian community.

The event takes place on June 17 at the Meliá Nassau Beach Resort.

“I am excited to have been asked. I have always been interested in hosting an awards show. The one that peaked my interest at first was the Cacique Awards, but I have always known about the Icon Awards. I participated in the first one when we were asked to do a skit from one of the ‘Election’ plays, and I have watched the others. So I am coming at it with a sense of expectancy... although it is a live show, which means that anything can happen.”

Mr Stubbs added that award shows like the Icon Awards speak are important because they acknowledge and thank people for their role in developing the Bahamas.

“It provides validation to people that what they are doing has value. And that if even one person can be touched by what you do, then your life has been a blessing,” he said.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

food

Something for the ‘Sweet Tooth’

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

B

EST friends Sonovia Burrows and TeNiel Rolle hope that Bahamians indulge their sweet tooth by enjoying the treats produced by their new

company.

With more than six years of baking experience, the ladies launched their home-based business Sweet Tooth Treats in February.

Friends since the ninth grade, they both developed a love for baking cakes over the years, whether it was in their home economics classroom or in the comfort of their homes with loved ones; it became a beloved hobby.

TeNiel Rolle and Sonovia Burrows, owners of Sweet Tooth Treats

“Being in the cake and pastry field, you realise just how much creativity is out there and how much more you can grow in your creative abilities.”

Even with Sonovia working a full-time job as a compliance administrator at an offshore bank, and TeNiel’s studies at the University of the Bahamas, they did not give up on their dream of their own cake business.

“We recently rekindled the passion for baking with the birth of Sweet Tooth Treats and we love the feedback. It’s always amazing when someone comes back

and tells us how good our product tastes and how they have to have another one. It’s almost like we are bringing a tiny bit of joy to their lives in the form of a sweet treat,” the duo told Tribune Weekend.

“Persons rave about how moist the cakes are and how they aren’t too sweet, but just right. The cake pops are always a hit out of the park with the little ones, and they love that they can hold it on a stick like a lollipop.”

Sweet Tooth Treats currently offers various cake pops dipped in plain vanilla or chocolate candy coating, as well as glam pops topped with Oreos, coconut, nuts and assorted sprinkles, as well as seasonal pumpkin rolls. More offerings are expected to be added as the company further develops.

“Being in the cake and pastry field, you realise just how much creativity is out there and how much more you can grow in your creative abilities. You also are exposed to new technology, new techniques and new ways to satisfy the sweet tooth of others,” the ladies noted.

Like with most business owners, Sonovia and TeNiel’s goal is to see their company grow. And while they believe that the direction the company takes is entirely up to God, they are thinking about opening a brick and mortar bakery in the future.

“Going forward we plan to have a featured cake flavour of the month apart from the ones already offered, and very soon we will have 3D pops that can depict any character, object or theme three dimensionally. Sweet Tooth Treats also looks forward to catering more events such as birthday parties, weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, meetings and conferences. Any gathering you can think of, we would love to make sure you have some cake pops there,” said the young entrepreneurs.

For more information on Sweet Tooth Treats, follow the company on Facebook at Sweet Tooth Treats, Instagram at SweetToothTr or call 431-5574.

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Friday, April 21, 2017

food

The baking barrister

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

V

ivienne Dean never imagined that her hobby of baking cakes would result in a lucrative second

career.

After all, she never considered herself to be a baker and had a full-time, not to mention demanding, day job as an attorney-at-law.

But a present from her husband and a request from a paying customer led her to follow her passion and nurture her talent to become ‘The Baking Barrister 242’.

“I can’t say that I was always cooking and baking, but in school I was a member of the cookery club and we also did baking in Girl Guides. As I got older, I loved to cook, but I would be the first one to tell you, I’ll cook for you, but I’m no baker,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“However, one Valentine’s Day gift from my husband started all of this,” she said of her new business venture.

“I got my first KitchenAid mixer…red and shiny. I just wanted

to bake everything after that.

It was then that I vowed that I would make my second daughter’s third birthday cake, and that set the interest ablaze.”

Vivienne went on to bake for various celebrations hosted by family and friends, honing and perfecting her skills with each cake she whipped up and put in the oven. However, she still considered it to be just a hobby.

It was not until she was asked by would-be customers if they could purchase her baked goods that she realised she could make a second career out of her new-found hobby.

“I guess it was when people started asking me to make cakes for them and then that request was followed by, ‘How much would it cost?’,” she recalled.

Vivienne took her first paying order and business took off in a way she never imagined.

More and more people clamoured for her special creations to celebrate their milestones occasions.

“I am shocked each and every day, with each order, especially when they come from people I don’t know,” she said.

And her clients continue to test her skills, requesting increasingly elaborate cakes.

“The challenges never cease, but I think my top three would have to be the Power Ranger, the pineapple and the Mercedes Benz (cakes),” she said.

Vivienne said she enjoys the role she plays in helping people celebrate the important moments in their lives.

“When you take the time and effort to host an event to mark a milestone, you want everything to come together perfectly, and most times the cake is the focal point that ties it all together,” she said.

And despite the hours of prep work her creations take, Vivienne said she is most happy when her clients and their guests devour every bite of her cakes.

Check out Vivienne’s work on her Facebook page, The Baking Barrister 242.

08 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

photography

Capturing the cultural essence Bahamian Project to host live auction

By CARA HUNT cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

T

HE Bahamian Project will host a special art auction to help raise funds for the framing and printing of its newest portraits to be presented in an exhibit this July. The art auction will take place at Antonius Robert’s Hillside House on May 4.

“We really are hoping that we can raise a sufficient amount of funds from this event,” said Duke Wells, Bahamian Project founder. “The printing and framing of these portraits can be quite expensive and we can use any help that we can get.”

Mr Wells and his wife Lisa created The Bahamian Project as a way to create a permanent collection of photographs of persons who exemplify what it means to be Bahamian.

“We are not necessarily looking for prominent persons in society, but we are looking at persons who just have good moral character and who have in whatever small way contributed to the development of the Bahamas,” Mr Wells explained.

“For example, we have photographed Gertrude Burnside who is the mother of (artists) Jackson and Stan Burnside. Many people may not have known her, but she was a great mother and gave the country great children.

We have photographed the phone card vendor on Shirley Street Anthony Lee and we have photographed James Catalyn. And while Mr Catalyn may be more well known, Mr Lee has probably made as many people smile in traffic.

We aren’t here to be the beauty pageant type of honour, those have their place, but we are interested in having a permanent collection of persons who embody what a true Bahamian is no matter their endeavours or social status.”

Since its inception in 2012, more

Duke Wells, head photographer for the Bahamian Project.

Charlie Smith portrait by Duke Wells

Painting by Navarro Newton

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Friday, April 21, 2017

PHOTO/TERREL W CAREY)

Painting by Nicole Collie

Giveton Gelin portrait by Alessandro Sarno

Drawing by Harry Rolle

Beverley Wallace portrait by Nowe Harris-Smith

Lisa Wells (left) and Rosemary Hanna with a painting by Kendal Hanna.

than 127 persons have been photographed by 22 photographers who have donated their time and talent to the project.

It is hoped that several more portraits will be completed before the July exhibit which will feature a combination of 50 new and older photographs displayed at the Central Bank of the Bahamas.

“We are limited by space at the Central Bank Art Gallery,” Mr Wells noted. “The space can only accommodate 50 20x30 photos. So the remaining photographs will be displayed on a monitor during the exhibit.”

It is hoped that eventually these portraits will form the beginning of a national portrait gallery so that all the photographs can be displayed in a single venue for Bahamians and visitors alike to enjoy.

Mr Wells added that there is an immediacy to collecting the photos.

“Already we have had about 11 persons who were a part of the Bahamian Project pass away and there are persons who we would have wanted to include who died before we had a chance to include them,” he said.

The initiative is meaningful to the photographers on the project on well.

Noted Bahamian photographer Rosemary Clarice Hanna explained that she truly enjoyed her experiences shooting Dustin Babb and Dr Phillip Rahming.

“It helped that I knew them and we already had that rapport, and that made shooting them very easy,” she said.

Veteran photojournalist Donald Knowles, who shot National Youth Choir Director Cleophas Adderley, agreed that it was important to have a relationship with the subject.

“I also like the flexibility and creativity that you have to find the true essence of the person and bring that out of them,” Mr Knowles explained.

Artists who have donated their work for next month’s auction include Caroline Anderson, Chantal Bethel, Nicole Collie, John Cox, Tania Delmonte, Dwight Ferguson, Guilden Gilbert, John Gynell, Kendal Hanna, Nowe Harris-Smith, Monty Knowles, Toby Lunn, Dorothy Miller, Navarro Newton, Rashad Penn, Alexia Roach, Antonius Roberts, Harry Rolle, Jamaal Rolle, Heino Schmid, Charlie Smith, Kim Smith, Alistair Stevenson, Allan Pacino Wallace, Angelika Wallace-Whitfield, Ana-Lisa Wells, Duke Wells and Eleanor Whitely.

In addition to artwork, Monty Knowles has donated a gift certificate for a full body painting and photography session.

The event will also include wine and other beverages, as well as hors d’oeuvres. Music will be provided by Dion Turnquest. Admission is $40 per person and it is requested that you RSVP ahead of time.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

On track with the Bahamas

Relays come home

T

he month of top international sports events in Nassau continues this weekend with the IAAF/BTC World Relays, with a host of top athletes competing in the unique meet which returns to the Bahamas - its ‘home’ - for the third time.

With a hefty donation of $275,000, BTC will serve as the title sponsor, which according to ‘Golden Girl’ Tonique Williams, the Media Director for the Local Organising Committee (LOC), will help ensure that they deliver an event that will top the previous ones in 2014 and 2015.

“The IAAF have a full-time team of marketing personnel, who ensure that their brand is properly marketed at all times during events like this,” Ms Williams said. “So the requirements are quite detailed and that is one of the things that we have to become familiar with. It’s required for us to really

execute all of their brand details as if it would executed by themselves.”

In order to stage the two-night event on Saturday and Sunday at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium, Ms Williams said they are grateful for BTC and their fellow sponsors who are assisting with the advertising and the overall operation.

The Bahamas’ hottest track stars Shaunae Miller and Steven Gardiner are among those carrying home hopes.

“From the LOC end, we have to ensure that they all receive the local exposure and even the international exposure whenever there are promotions being presented,” she said. “It’s an event where our sponsors enjoy lots of events, including our social events and being able to share time with our international partners.”

Ms Williams said the marketing team for the LOC is satisfied that the sponsorship generated will enable them to achieve all of their financial goals and that they will not have any shortfalls. “We have a lot of our past sponsors coming back because they understand the commitment to making the event a success and the regard for which they hold this event.

“This is a big event for the LOC and for the most part, we are utilising the services of basically the same people like the IDB and so we have been able to transform their knowledge and experience so that everything runs very smoothly.”

To further enhance what they are doing, Ms Williams said they have been able to

Making learning fun

W

HEN S C McPherson Junior High recognised March as literacy month, BTC joined hands with the school to support its efforts.

The month of activities climaxed with the school’s drama club putting on a classy production of “Daddy Warbucks”.

Sophia Sturrup-Smith, Language and Literature teacher at S C McPherson, also instructs the drama club and adapted the play from the movie “Annie”. She thanked BTC for assisting with the production. “Our junior high school students worked tirelessly for three months to bring this play to life,” she said and paid tribute to musical director D’Nai

Top of the class

The S C McPherson students as the cast of Daddy Warbucks.

Laramore and the high school coaches Francesca Forbes, Ana-Alicia Burrows, Pamela Moss, Jeffrenique Cooper and Peresse Simon.

“BTC is committed to supporting the limitless potential of all Bahamians,” BTC CEO Leon Williams said. “We partnered with S C McPherson as they placed a special emphasis on literacy. We are

PHOTO: ROSSANO DEAL/BTC

Unique IAAF event promises to be bigger and better

bring in some fresh new talent, which has been able to assist the LOC to take the marketing aspect of the relays to another level.

She said the sponsors would most certainly get the value for their dollars spent as they intend to put on a worldclass event for a global television audience to appreciate for the third year. The event skipped 2016 because of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is scheduled to return in 2019 and 2021 to Nassau.

The LOC and the IAAF are looking forward to increasing the number of participants from 576 in the initial year and 669 in the second year with the mixed 4 x 400m relay replacing the 4 x 1500m.

That will be contested in addition to the 4 x 100m, 4 x 200m, 4 x 400m and 4 x 800m relays.

More than $1.4 million is up for grabs in prizemoney with the winning country receiving the Golden Baton as overall champions. The United States have won both championships to date.

BTC are also sponsors of the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup Bahamas 2017, which kicks off in Nassau on April 27, and the Carifta swimming championships held here over Easter.

BRENT STUBBS

indeed proud of the work being done at S C McPherson. It demonstrates that the teachers and administration are keen on providing fun and explorative approaches to education.”

Last year, S C McPherson also adapted the Disney movie “Aladdin”, adding a Bahamian flair with the magic conch shell.

On track with the Bahamas BTC is the title sponsor of Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival in Grand Bahama (April 28-29) and Nassau (May 4-6)

B

TC will be the title sponsor for this year’s Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Awards.

The programme, which will highlight over 100 students from the public and private schools across the country will climax with a ceremony recognising the most outstanding student. BTC, which has supported the programme for several years, will assist with providing funding for sixthgrade students to attend high schools.

“The Bahamas Primary School Student of the Year Foundation has recognised over 1,800 students through this programme,” BTC CEO, Leon Williams said, emphasising the importance of recognising the accomplishments “of our budding and upcoming generation ... the brains that will chart the course of the country for years to come”. He said students were not just academically inclined but also civic minded.

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Friday, April 21, 2017

art

A retrospective conversation

Keisha Oliver at the opening of her exhibit at the Pro Gallery

‘33 Til Now’ Art Show featuring Keisha Oliver at Pro Gallery at the University of the Bahamas.

PHOTOS/TERREL W CAREY

K

eisha Oliver takes a retrospective look at her life, work and thoughts over the years in her latest solo show entitled ‘33: ‘til now’.

The exhibit opened last Thursday at the Pro Gallery at the University of the Bahamas’ (UB) Oakes Field campus.

Ms Oliver, a visual artist, designer, writer and art educator, engages in multidisciplinary art which often utilises discarded objects and the environment to explore themes of social heritage and cultural fragmentation.

Her love for collecting is translated through a body of work both personal and reflective that offers an autobiographical conversation and testimony of her thoughts on the little things we often take for granted.

In ‘33: ‘til now’, cherished objects are re-imagined through the visual and literary art forms as she is seen challenging the definition and boundaries of herself as an artist. Pushing her artistic practice into unfamiliar territories of poetry and print-making, her newest work strives to reveal intimate and compelling connections in storytelling through text, images and objects.

Much of Ms Oliver’s recent work uses photography to document the social and physical Bahamian landscape and cultural experiences while challenging notions of beauty and value. She has exhibited in the Caribbean, the US, UK and Asia.

Ms Oliver is an assistant professor and visual arts programme coordinator at UB, with research interests in visual literacy for critical thinking and Bahamian art history. She also works with community and creative organisations as a curator and art director.

‘33: ‘til now’ will remain on display at the Pro Gallery until April 27.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

art

A master of dramatic radiance Sir Christopher Ondaatje on the French-born Bahamian artist who will be holding a retrospective of his works in the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

‘She Loves to Tell Stories’

T

hierry Lamare was born in 1957 in Saint Germain-enLaye, a suburb of Paris. He studied art at the Atelier du Sculpture Etienne Martin and architecture at the École Camondo. He first came to the Bahamas in 1985 on a wind-surfing holiday, and almost immediately fell in love with the islands, and also with his Bahamian wife Joie Brown.

Lamare, inspired by the magic and colour of the Bahamas, started experimenting with colour and also the unique drama of the native human form. He never looked back. The character of the people and the surrounding landscapes influenced his style, technique and understanding of their way of life.

Initially in 1987, he and his young wife lived in France, but came back every year to spend four months in the

Artist Thierry Lamare islands. However, in 2001, they moved to New Providence permanently and bought Bahama Hand Prints, which they still own. The couple now have two daughters: Laura, 24, who lives in Paris, and Julia, 23, who lives in Vancouver. They try to get back to France

‘Joyce, She Loved to Pose’

at least once a year.

Lamare’s restless curiosity forced him to explore the Bahamian islands looking for subjects and local culture.

He soon discovered Cat Island, Abaco, and Long Island – where he met Joyce Strachan and Ophelia Smith. They have

been models for Lamare’s dramatic portraits for the last 20 years and have spawned some of his best known works.

Painting mainly in watercolours (traditional washes and mixed dry brush), egg tempera, and sometimes black and white medium (graphite, charcoal, ink,

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Friday, April 21, 2017

pastel and casein), Lamare’s art has matured dramatically over the last 30 years.

“I like to be a witness of my time and to record a way of life that may be disappearing for ever,” he says. “The out islands seem to have preserved this life more than the metropolitan island of New Providence. The simple life is a much truer picture of what this place should be.”

Lamare’s portraits of the two Long Island women are striking examples of an artist fusing personal and professional worlds. Sadly, both Smith and Strachan are now dead, but those lucky enough to own any of Lamare’s portraits, which he painted over several years, have seen the genius of his depiction of the human form. They are enigmatic and reveal the artist’s obsession with his subjects.

“It is important that one gets to know your subject,” he says. “The better you know your model, the better you can paint them. A successful portrait will reveal this emotion and relationship. I was lucky.”

The quality of realism and detail found in Lamare’s work is startlingly apparent, sometimes disturbingly so. He bathes his subjects with real light creating a moody visual effect – sometimes reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth’s work ‘Christina’s World’ which so startled the American art scene in 1948. It set him apart from his contemporaries, just as Lamare has done in the last few years. He has broken new barriers and his achievement, whether conscious or unconscious, surfaces in dramatic ways.

“In portraiture the understanding of anatomy is vital.

It is a never-ending learning curve. It allows you to draw what you know and not just what you see. It is a matter of striving for more freedom.”

Lamare’s metaphor of light makes his colours more visible and touches every aspect of his vision. It gives voice to part of his experience, and the mingling of mind and nature provides a unique under-

standing of the fragility of life. It dances over his canvas illuminating both the figure and the landscape. Using light, Lamare manages to see and portray the invisible. There is a dramatic radiance in the impact of the sea and the shore, and the worker and the field.

“Light is the common denominator in my work,” he says.

As Goethe said, “Superstition is the poetry of life”, but Lamare, except for the number 16, is not superstitious. He was born on June 16, 1957, and graduated on July 16, 1976. It is a lucky number for him.

“I don’t worry about strange things and just try to do the best I can do and to do the full journey. Only time will tell,” he said.

Always looking for new subjects, Lamare has recently looked to Eleuthera and the Exumas for new inspiration.

Themes of the sea and the lives of the fishermen and sailors have provided fresh inspiration as one can see in ‘Omar and the Fishing Pot’. There are certainly new horizons to master just as Winslow Horner did in Maine, after one of his winter trips to the Bahamas in 1899. His powerful painting ‘The Gulf Stream’, of a lone semi-naked Bahamian man in a small dismasted rudderless fishing boat, struggling against the waves of a turbulent sea, is a masterpiece.

‘Man Against Nature’ must surely be one of Lamare’s artistic and poetic ambitions.

We can all look forward not only to his retrospective at the National Art Gallery, but also to a new breadth and depth of this talented artist’s observation of the Bahamian cultural scene. It promises to be an innovative chapter in this remarkable artist’s career.

• Thierry Lamare: Love, Loss and Life will be on view at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas from April 27 to September 10 and features over 100 works drawn from numerous private, local and international collections.

‘Sweet Potato Field’

‘Omar and the Fishing Pot’

‘An escape into timeless beauty’

“P

ainter and transplant Thierry Lamare has called the Bahamas his home for almost 30 years. Over that period he has become a keen observer of the Bahamian landscape, its people, customs, and traditions, some of which are slowly fading, others shifting quickly like the dying light which he captures so evocatively.

Following the tradition and genre of Realism, Lamare’s gaze and painterly gestures gently reconstruct the quality of the space that he occupies reflecting the warmth and the coolness of

the tropics. The union he has with his muses - Ophelia and Joyce - are featured in this exhibition and highlight the legitimacy of the connections he has made. It reveals his innate ability to bring unlikely beings together, opening up a powerful field of understanding.

In Lamare’s paintings, one can easily escape into a world where time stands still and the beauty of the everyday comes into sharp focus. Working equally from observation, wandering and recordng imagery and the imagination, Lamare uses humanistic qualities in his

paintings to puncture our daily lives with a curiosity that gives way to knowing more about the underbelly of Bahamian life. The richness and labour of marine livelihood, and its longstanding connection to the sea and the architecture that dots the many corners of our Family Islands, give rise to compositions that reveal the intimacy that has built between the painter and his subjects … complex, moody, and dramatic.”

- Holly Bynoe, curator of the Thierry Lamare retrospective at the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

celebrity The Weekend Fashion Report “Unforgettable” premiere

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

HIT

SPLIT

HIT

HIT

Rosario Dawson

Katherine Heigl

Cheryl Ladd

Whitney Cummings

Karin says: “It’s very sparkly and the gold colour looks lovely on her. I also like the high slit. However, the dress seems like it doesn’t quite fit at the top. Like the cups start too high up or something. But those are only minor quibbles.”

Cara says: “OK, it’s a little foil paper meets Christmas wrapping paper, but I can’t begrudge her wanting a little sparkle in her life. She looks cute, if a bit too shiny.”

Karin says: “One word: boring. Yes, it’s elegant, but there is nothing to this dress. It’s not sleek enough to be this simple. It looks like a lazy, safe, lastminute choice. I also really dislike her styling here.”

Cara says: “This dress is lovely. I love the neckline, the fit and the draping.

Definitely my style of dress; very elegant. One of her best recent red carpet looks for sure.”

Karin says: “First of all, I love the shoes. This is a non-fussy, but still stylish ensemble. The ‘shredded’ look of the black blouse and a shiny clutch keep this classic black and combo looking hip and happening.”

Cara says: “You certainly can’t go wrong with a classic black and white pantsuit. It comes off as elegant rather than boring. I think she nailed the look. Those shoes are super cute.”

Karin says: “OK, so I looove this salmon pink colour! The tailoring is perfection – the high waist, the flared bottom, the seams. But for some unfathomable reason this look still seems a little boring to me. Maybe she needed some bling somewhere?”

Cara says: “So, I am in a I-hateeveryone-with-a-flat-stomach stage of life, and she has absolutely no stomach. But I am not really hating, because she still looks lovely in this fitto-perfection gown. I love the colour and the seams down the front.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 17

Friday, April 21, 2017

weddings (PHOTO/LYNDAH WELLS)

Planning for romance

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

Wedding planners allow you to enjoy every moment.

P

utting together all the elements to create the perfect wedding day can be challenging process, but one local wedding planner Xavia Rolle thoroughly enjoys.

As the creative mind and event engineer of the newly formed Xa La Mode Wedding & Event Planning Company, Xavia comes face-to-face with brides who rely heavily on her expertise and precise planning skills to make their dreams come true.

And for the most part, Xavia said she has been successful in this task over the years, even when confronted with the most difficult circumstances.

“The highlight of my planning process is seeing the flawless manifestation of such a detailed journey. I am fulfilled when my bride is elated and her expectations are exceeded. I enjoy building life-long relationships with my brides and grooms. I do believe that there has to be a level of trust involved when a bride hires me. I make it a point to build a great relationship with my clients to create a special bond and trust.

After all, they are entrusting me with executing one of the most memorable days they have been dreaming about all their lives,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Xa La Mode is still a young company, having been established just two years ago. As the event engineer, Xavia brings years of expertise to the business. But even though she has a passion for wedding planning, a career in the industry was not always her first choice.

After graduating from St Anne’s High School, Xavia pursued a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management and graduated summa cum laude in 2011 from the University of Houston, Texas.

Shortly after graduating, Xavia took on the role of social catering manager at Atlantis for about three years.

After becoming certified and mastering the art of planning and executing weddings and other events, she was sought out by Meliá Nassau Beach Resort to start up and train their wedding department.

At the Meliá, Xavia created wed-

The ‘Our Wedding Our Way’ book is a special wedding planner which serves as a how-to guide and keepsake for couples. ding packages and put in place standard operating procedures which have increased the overall revenue for the department.

“Planning has always been my knack. Before officially becoming a wedding planner, I would always be the one to plan or organise family weddings and events. In December 2011, I became a wedding planner working in the social catering department at Atlantis.

Atlantis is where I got my training and I benefitted tremendously from leaders

“I enjoy building life-long relationships with my brides and grooms. I do believe that there has to be a level of trust involved when a bride hires me.” who have paved the way for me there.

I always had an eye for detail and was extremely organised,” she said.

Xavia finds enjoyment in planning all kinds of weddings, from big to small, local weddings and even destination elopements.

“Even those intimate weddings where it’s only the bride and groom... all weddings matter to me because they are all momentous. I get excited because I know this has to be a flawless occasion. It sharpens me and refines my

Xavia Rolle of the Xa La Mode Wedding & Event Planning Company ability to plan and execute,” she said.

Knowing that it is impossible to provide hands-on help to every bride and groom, Xavia created the ‘Our Wedding Our Way’ specialised wedding planning book that serves as a guide and keepsake for couples.

“The book includes a checklist and is only something meant to guide couples with their choices. My plan and passion is to make the wedding day stress-free and flow the way it is supposed to,” she said.

18 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

entertainment

Meaningful ‘Expressions’

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

T

HE need for a platform to nurture, create, feature and fine-tune creative minds is the main thrust behind the ‘Expressions’ spoken word

event.

‘Expressions’ is am open mic show held every second Wednesday of the month at Bistro Underground Downtown, formerly the Old Drop Off. The event begins at 9pm.

The creative mind behind ‘Expressions’, Princess Pratt, told Tribune Weekend that she wanted to start an event that allowed for unhindered and uninhibited expression to be heard.

“What inspired the event was the need for a platform to nurture, create, feature and fine-tune creative, artistic, poetic voices, unorthodox minds and sensitive spirits like myself, who have a lot to say and express through the arts but don’t necessarily have an outlet or safe space and safe community in which to share these expressions, while liberating and healing themselves through word sound and power,” she said.

“I think analysing that and wanting to do something about that...making a change somehow and visualising, manifesting and creating that safe space and community for the more sensitive artists like myself to truly be authentically themselves. I was looking to have a spoken word event and Amie from Bistro Underground was looking to host an open mic spoken word, and just like magic, ‘Expressions’ was birthed.”

Expressions features poetry, singing, rapping, dancing, drumming, music of all kind, rhythm rhymes and movement guaranteed to “give you a good time”.

“We have artists performing at every event, whether they’re recognised as such or not, they are all artists, so expect to see artists at every Expressions event. We have had an artist featured during the second ‘Expressions’, I-Rate, who put on a soothing sensual and soulful acoustic performance. There will be featured artists from time to time, I won’t make any predictions or tell you who, because I would love for you to come to the next ‘Expressions’ to find

“We truly are gifted in so many ways; talented, creative, and so passionate about our talent and creativity.”

‘Expressions’ features spoken word poetry, singing, rapping, dancing, drumming, and music of all kind.

out and be thoroughly entertained by all of the artists, not just the featured more seasoned ones,” she said.

Ms Pratt said since its inception, the feedback and participation has been “heart-warming”.

“But if I must really choose (the best event), the first ‘Expressions’ featuring Ubuntu, where we ended the night drumming and dancing in a soulful and joyful trance, was definitely the highlight, and the most talked about,” she said. “(The event) has a positive and (vital) impact, not just on the local arts scene, but on the local everyday Bahamian scene as well, where we are finding that therapeutic outlets in the form of creative spaces for our people is not a want but a dire necessity. Events like this create for Bahamians platforms, outlets and safe spaces to cultivate, nurture and feed the talent and creative genius of our people, because we truly are isles of raw talent. We truly are gifted in so many ways; talented, creative, and so passionate about our talent and creativity. Unfortunately, we’ve been bred in a society that never gave too much attention, care, respect, honour and reverence for creativity and the arts...besides Junkanoo,” she said.

The Tribune | Weekend | 19

Friday, April 21, 2017

gardening

Dear Jack…

Jack Hardy answers his readers’ questions and provides tips.

Q

: Dear Mr Hardy, I enjoy your articles and find them to be very helpful. Can you please help with my papaya trees.

I have five trees and three of them appear to be different types. One of them is quite large, long and rounded, one is medium, long and slim, and the other is small with few to no seeds. Before Hurricane Matthew I have had two delicious fruit from the large type, none from the medium sized (not mature enough) and one from the small sized fruit. The problem is that the fruit on all the trees have stopped growing and the papayas have stopped ripening except for the small variety The youngest fruit on all the trees are falling off and are being attacked by insects and the leaves look stunted. My question is should I remove the more mature looking fruit and try to ripen them by placing them in brown paper bags or leave them on the trees a little longer? Also will the trees recover to bear more fruit or should they be removed? This is the first harvest. Thanking you in advance.

– DA

A

: Dear DA, Be patient. Your papaya trees will adjust to the change in season. It is always best to leave fruit on the tree until at least 75 per cent of the skin is yellow, then ripen fully in paper bags. If your fruit continues to fall I suggest you examine them closely, looking for puncture wounds. The papaya fruit fly lays eggs in very young fruit (just after flower drop) and the grubs eat the immature seeds. The fruit then falls to the ground to complete the life cycle. I would suspect that your fallen fruits have been attacked by papaya fruit flies, insects that look like small wasps with a long tail. Cover

Jack Hardy’s April strawberries very young fruit with small paper bags (soda can size) to keep predators out.

If your papaya trees seem to be a total disappointment try cutting them in half at the 4-5 foot mark using a bow saw.

The papaya foliage will grow back and you may have several branches form, all producing fruit.

Q A

: Read your articles in the Weekend and find them very informative. Do you sell seeds?

If so where are you located? – DC

: Dear DC, I am a gardener, not a businessman. All of my seeds I buy or have given to me.

Q: Hello again, Mr Hardy. You’ve helped me with my tomatoes, now I have a question about peppers. Your article in February alerted me to the attenuation of leaves. I had noticed this condition but didn’t know it was a problem. Since it is a virus, are the peppers safe to eat? Thanking you in advance. – YM

A

: Dear YM, You have raised a question I have never thought about.

I have always eaten the fruits if they looked healthy. I have never read of any warnings that eating peppers from ailing plants was deleterious. However, I am not a plant pathologist so I am not qualified to give you an authoritative answer. Sorry.

Good morning Mr. Hardy,

Q

: I read your weekly column in the Tribune and find them very helpful and I am most appreciative. One week you had an article about planting different salad seeds together in a box/bucket. Is this the time of year to plant them? – SD

A

: Dear SD, Now that it is April, almost May, the lettuce season is over.

Lettuce likes cool conditions and turns bitter when it is warm. When October comes you can start lettuce and greens seeds. A mixture of the two grown together is often called mesclun. I do not particularly like to grow mesclun and prefer to grow the different varieties separately, the mixing coming in the kitchen. Rectangular basins (24” x 18” or bigger) make wonderful containers for salad makings. Just drill half a dozen holes in the base for drainage and use good potting soil.

Q

: Dear Mr. Hardy, My neighbor always sprinkles his ashes around his bananas after a barbecue. Does that do any good? – SM

A

: Dear SM, You tell me. Are your neighbour’s bananas healthy and productive? They should be. Wood ash is an old form of fertilizer (potash) rich in potassium and bananas need all the potassium they can get. Never put your barbecue ashes in a bin; put them on your garden. If you do not have ba-

nanas, put the ashes around any fruiting vegetables you have, such as tomatoes and peppers.

Q

: Dear Jack, My strawberries do only one or two fruits at a time. They taste good but are much smaller than supermarket ones. I added sulphur to the garden soil as you recommended.

How long will they give fruit? This is my first year growing strawberries. – TD

A

: Dear TD, The garden soil? I do not recommend growing strawberries in our Bahamian soil but in pots, preferably three-gallon size, using a good potting mix with water-retentive properties. If you bought your strawberry plants from a nursery they will be remontant or ever-bearing. This means they will produce heavy crops during March to May and sporadic offerings throughout the rest of the year.

Although strawberries are low-growing plants their root systems are massive and need a large pot to contain them.

Your adult strawberry plants will send out stolons with little plants at the end.

Pot the offshoot plants in their own small container and cut away the ‘navel cord’ once it begins to dry. You can then put your new plant into a three-gallon pot and be ready for next • For questions and comments e-mail j.hardy@coralwave.com.

20 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

motivational

Living with purpose

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

T

HE month of April has recently been proclaimed Purpose Awareness Month and April 29 has been designated National Purpose Awareness Day by Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Started by eNue, an organisation whose mission is to help people reach their divine destiny, Purpose Awareness Month kicked off April 1 with a ‘Network Night’ at Sapodilla.

Antonia Lightbourne, founder of Purpose Awareness, said the month is already off to a great a start and the team is very excited for upcoming events.

There are a number of activities left for the month, including the ‘Purpose N’ Chill’ event tonight; ‘Kids N’ Purpose’ on Saturday; the artists’ stage play on April 28; National Purpose Awareness/Purpose Fest on April 29, and the South Andros Purpose Tour May 5-6.

“We are pleased to announce that the Prime Minister has given us the proclamation stating that April is Purpose Awareness Month and April 29 as National Purpose Awareness Day. We are excited because we have ambassadors all over right now. We have one in Atlanta, one in Miami, Bermuda, Bimini, Freeport and Canada,” said Ms Lightbourne.

Those ambassadors will host parties and other initiatives in their cities to share the message of purpose.

Since the launch of Purpose Awareness Month, Ms Lightbourne said they have been getting positive feedback from students whose schools the Purpose Team has visited. So far those schools include CV Bethel, St John’s College, Thelma Gibson Primary School and Anatol Rodgers.

“We did the school tours this week and it was really a great success.

The students were very excited and receptive of the message of purpose.

There are so many young persons that have said because of it they are more intentional about living purpose-driven lives,” she told Tribune Weekend.

In an earlier interview The Tribune,

The Purpose Team visited schools throughout New Providence to speak with students.

“There are so many young persons that have said because of (Purpose Awareness Month) they are more intentional about living purpose-driven lives.”

Ms Lightbourne shed light on this year’s Purpose Awareness Month theme, “I am here”.

“It is a bold, powerful declaration that we are here, not just to take up space or to merely exist but here to make a difference, here to make a change, here to bring the solution to a problem and here to ultimately fulfil the purpose for which God created us.

Purpose Awareness Month was officially launched with ‘Network Night’ at Sapodilla.

It is a declaration that we are not insignificant and have a part to play. There is great significance to our existence. Our Scripture focus for Purpose Awareness is Jeremiah 29:11: ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’,” she said.

At the end of it all, Ms Lightbourne

said the hope is that they will have inspired and encouraged people to seek out their purpose in life.

Ten individuals “who have been walking in purpose” will also be honoured this year by the organisation.

For more information about events and activities, visit www.purposeawareness.com or e-mail purposeawareness@ gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 21

Friday, April 21, 2017

music

Tierra Rolle advocates for feel-good songs

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

D

OUBLE congratulations are in order for Bahamian singer Tierra Rolle.

Not only did she make the semifinals of the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’s Music Masters competition, she also recently released her new EP. Tierra, also known by the stage name of ‘Thin Ice’, was thrilled to debut her pop and soca fusion songs at the Hard Rock Café. She said she received great feedback from all in attendance. She is now in full preparation mode in the lead-up to Music Masters concert in Freeport, Grand Bahama, on April 28.

Her love for music goes as far back as high school, where she was an active member of the school’s choir. This passion followed her into her college years as well. Upon graduating, Tierra was invited to join an open mic event called ‘Pillow Talk’, which just increased her love of music and performing live.

“I became lead vocalist of The Collie Greens and later the lead vocalist of Superior Sound Band. At this time I am now pursuing my own music under Crown Music Bahamas. My current vocal coach, Lee Callender, has been an amazing addition to my life, and the relationship between music and myself has never been deeper,” said Tierra.

“My family, especially, has been my biggest supporters, as well as my manager. They give me life and I love them for all they have done thus far.”

Tierra has worked with artists such as Jamaican dancehall star Baby Sham and NBC’s The Voice contestant Ali Caldwell.

“Like any artist, of course, the goal is to go international and get signed to a fabulous record deal. I just want to sing, plain and simple,” she said.

No matter what weighs her down, Tierra said music has always had the power to uplift her, and while she would love to pursue music full time,

“I believe there is an international market for Bahamian music and I feel that we as a people need to reinvent how we present Bahamian music.”

she is also a firm believer in “using all the talents God gives you”.

“I happen to love my job as a clinical director at the Skin Centre in Harbour Bay and I hope that no matter what happens I can continue doing everything I love. I believe there is an international market for Bahamian mu-

sic and I feel that we as a people need to reinvent how we present Bahamian music. Positive messages addressing the issues of the world, as well as feel-good music is needed, especially in today’s world where so much chaos is happening all around us. I can bet that everyone in this world has that one song

that they go to no matter their mood, and that one song will always make you smile or melt away your problems. That is what I want for the future of Bahamian music,” said Tierra.

Keep up with the singer via Instagram, Facebook and YouTube under the handle ‘Thin Ice’.

22 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

literary lives kim philby

How MI5 missed the chance to expose the ‘Third Man’ Sir Christopher Ondaatje finds a spy’s life in Russia was lonely, depressed and racked with guilt in the second part of his examination of the notorious British defector

“It is impossible to gauge how many deaths and imprisonments Philby was responsible for - certainly hundreds.”

W

hen Donald Maclean defected in 1951, taking Guy Burgess with him, Kim Philby became the chief suspect of the person who had warned him - the “Third Man”.

His friendship with Burgess was the incriminating factor. Philby returned to London, was interrogated by MI5, and resigned from MI6 in July 1951, pre-

Kim Philby in Moscow in 1968, five years after he defected.

empting his inevitable dismissal.

He was given a £4,000 settlement and for a while found it difficult to get any work. Not having access to official secrets he almost ceased totally to operate as a Soviet agent. Speculation about his Soviet connections continued but he did not flee the country as Maclean and Burgess had done. Philby and his wife were helped financially by Aileen’s mother and they moved to a large Edwardian house in Crowborough, Sussex. Eventually Philby got a job with an import-export company in London, and then an editorial position with the diplomatic paper Fleet Street Letter.

On October 7, 1955 Philby was again interviewed by MI5 and was told that they had come to the surprising unanimous decision that he was innocent.

J Edgar Hoover in the United States was furious, convinced that Philby has “arranged” for Maclean and Burgess to flee to the Soviet Union in 1951. After being exonerated Philby was not again employed by MI6, and Soviet intelligence lost all contact with him.

In August, 1956, he was sent to Beirut as the Middle East correspondent for The Observer and The Economist.

There, Nicholas Elliot, his close friend at MI6, arranged for Philby to again work for MI6 in Beirut – his journalism providing the cover for renewed MI6 work – no longer as an officer but as an agent gathering information for British Intelligence.

The Tribune | Weekend |23

Friday, April 21, 2017

Aileen Philby did not go to Beirut with her husband. Her mental state was precarious and she rightly claimed that her husband, now 44, had deserted her. By then he had started a relationship with Eleanor Brewer, the American-born wife of New York Times correspondent Sam Pope Brewer.

On December 12, 1957, Aileen Philby was found dead in the bedroom of her house in Crowborough. People believed she had killed herself with alcohol and pills, but there remained some suspicion that Philby had been involved with her death because she, more than anyone else, knew about his illicit activities as a Soviet spy.

The coroner ruled that she had died from “myocardial degeneration, tuberculosis and a respiratory infection”.

Philby, on hearing the news in Beirut, said that he was annoyed in the way that she died as it raised questions about his involvement. However, he also said that it was a “wonderful escape” as he was now free to marry Eleanor Brewer. Seven months later, after she had obtained her divorce, Philby and Eleanor Brewer were married in Holborn registry office in London on January 24, 1959. Returning to Beirut, Philby travelled widely throughout the Middle East with increased journalistic assignments but also providing much valuable information to the Soviet Union.

In December, 1961, Anatoliy Golitsyn, a KGB agent working in Finland, defected to the CIA and was lodged in a safe house near Washington.

Interviewed by James Jesus Angleton, he supplied revealing information about Soviet agents working in the West. Authur Martin, head of MI5’s DI section, was sent to America to interview Golitsyn, who provided evidence that Philby had been one of five agents based in Britain - the same “ring” that had included Maclean and Burgess. Dick White, the head of MI6, recently transferred from MI5, and who had always suspected Philby’s involvement, asked Nicholas Elliott, now stationed in Beirut, to attempt to secure Philby’s full confession.

Elliott, always a loyal friend, who had joined MI6 at the same time as Philby, was now convinced of Philby’s guilt. He was chosen because it was thought that he had a better chance to play on Philby’s sense of decency. Despite the inescapable proof of his guilt, the powers in MI6 wanted to keep the matter “in-house”. When Elliott met Philby in late 1962, Philby confirmed

(l-r) Radio producer Guy Burgess and British diplomat Donald Duart Maclean, spies in the notorious Cambridge Five group.

Kim Philby with his fourth and final wife, Rufina Ivanovna Pukhova, a Russian memoir writer. the charges of espionage and described his activities on behalf of the Soviet Union as far back as 1934. The conversation was taped and there was little doubt that Philby was well-prepared for the interview. However, when Elliott asked him to sign a written statement

Philby requested a delay and another meeting, scheduled for the last week of January,1963.

After four days of interrogation, Elliott told Philby that he would get full immunity and be pardoned - but only if he signed his confession. He was also

told that they needed his collaboration and help to get the names of people who had worked with Moscow. At the end of the meeting Elliott said that he was travelling to the Congo and that

Continued on page 24

24 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

“In Moscow, Philby was virtually under house arrest, the KGB terrified that he would return to London.”

Philby’s grave in Moscow.

Continued from page 23 the interrogation would be continued by another officer, Peter Lunn, in Beirut.

Philby now realised he was in danger of being arrested, and therefore on January 23, 1963, he fled to Moscow on board the Soviet freighter Dolmatova from Beirut to Odessa, failing to meet his wife for a dinner party at the home of Glencairn Balfour Paul, First Secretary at the British Embassy. Elliott said he was surprised by the defection but this seems beyond comprehension. The prospect of prosecuting Philby in Britain was an anathema to the intelligence services. It would be politically damaging and profoundly embarrassing. It seems obvious now that Philby was allowed to escape, even encouraged. The British government had nothing to gain by prosecuting Philby. It would have shaken the British establishment to its foundations.

When Philby arrived in Moscow, he was given a luxury flat and a salary of £200 (500 roubles) a month. Eleanor Philby joined him on September 26. Guy Burgess died of a heart failure a few months later.

In Moscow, Philby was virtually under

house arrest, the KGB terrified that he would return to London. He spent his time writing his memoirs, which would be published in 1968 under the title ‘My Silent War’. It was not published in the Soviet Union until 1980. He read The Times, not generally available in the USSR, listened to the BBC World Service and followed what he could of cricket.

Eleanor and Kim Philby spent a great deal of time with Donald Maclean and his wife Melinda. They dined, played bridge and went to the theatre. In 1964, Eleanor Philby returned to the United States to renew her passport and to see her daughter. She was away for five months, during which time Philby and Melinda Maclean started an affair. On Eleanor’s return she decided to leave Philby.

She left in May 1965, and is quoted as saying: “He betrayed many people, me included. He had the guts, or the weakness, to stand by a decision he made 30 years ago, whatever the cost to those who loved him most.”

She also added that she never had any inkling that he was a Soviet spy. After living with Philby for two years, Melinda Maclean returned to her husband. In 1970, Philby began

Living in Moscow, Philby tried to keep up with British newspapers and even cricket.

The Tribune | Weekend | 25

Friday, April 21, 2017

history living with Rufina Ivanovna Pukhova, a Russian 20 years younger than he was.

They married in 1972.

Kim Philby, always a heavy drinker, lived a lonely and depressed existence in the Soviet Union until he died of heart failure on May 11, 1988, aged 76.

He was given a grand funeral by the KGB with an honour guard. His former friend and MI6 associate Nicholas Elliott, in an unwarranted gesture, recommended to MI6 that Philby be awarded the CMG, the Order of St Michael and St George, the sixth most prestigious award in the British honours system, “for extraordinary and important nonmilitary service in a foreign country”.

His request was denied. Philby’s award of the OBE had already been cancelled and annulled in 1965.

It is impossible to gauge how many deaths and imprisonments Philby was responsible for - certainly hundreds.

British agents and couriers sent to Albania and Ukraine were routinely intercepted and executed because of Philby’s advance information. In the late 1940s, in Washington, he gave everything that crossed his desk to the Russians, particularly useful analysis of America’s nuclear capability. It is also possible that he was responsible for divulging key secrets pertaining to the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was an extremely effective cold-hearted double agent.

Nevertheless, in a Sunday Times interview in June 2003, Rufina Philby, the Russian widow of Kim Philby, is quoted as saying: “He was tortured by his life of deceit. He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming, tormented by a recurring nightmare in which he imagined himself being caught red-handed. He did not get a kick out of the danger and risk. Far from it. It was against his nature. To the end of his days he openly talked about how the hardest and most painful thing for him had been the fact that he had lied to his friends. Until the very end it is what tortured him the most.”

NEXT WEEK: Phyllis Wheatley, the first African-American female poet.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is an adventurer and writer resident in the Bahamas. A Sri Lankan-born Canadian-Englishman, he is the author of several books, including “The Last Colonial”. He acknowledges that he has quoted information from The Climate of Treason by Andrew Boyle; The Philby Affair by Hugh-Trevor Roper; A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre; and Wikipedia.

The April 22, 1939, article in The Guardian announcing the decision to build the Oakes Field aerodrome

The Douglas Dolphin aircraft which was the first to land on the new airport in November, 1939.

78 years ago - British government’s new airfield Forgotten facts Paul C Aranha

I

am writing this because of a conversation I had a few days ago, about how, supposedly, little Britain had done for the Bahamas, even when these islands were a British Colony. I was given the example of the island of St Helena.

Whether you know where St Helena island is, or not, you might remember that Napoleon Bonaparte died there. It’s a small British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. Compare its 50 square miles with the 80 square miles of New Providence and you get an idea of how small. New Providence has a population of approximately 250,000 people. There are only some 5,000 on St Helena.

I was told that, in 2015, the British government built a runway on St Helena but I pointed out that, many years earlier, that same British government built the first airfield in the Bahamas.

Today, so many Bahamians have no idea that Oakes Field, site of the brand new University of The Bahamas, used to be an airport, nor do they remember Sir Harry Oakes, after whom the airport was named.

As early as 1928, a large parcel of Crown land, between Blue Hill Road and Harrold Road, had been set aside for the construction of the Colony’s first aerodrome and, on April 22, 1939, local newspapers told us “CROWN TO BUILD AERODROME IN BAHAMAS”.

On November 27 of that same year, Bahamas Airways’ amphibious Douglas Dolphin aircraft became the first plane to land on the new airport, using the newly-finished

east/west runway. Charlie Collar, Bahamas Airways’ first employee, was the pilot and his passengers were Sidney Farrington (of Pan American Airways) F C Van Zeylan, Director of Public Works, and his son, Freddie.

On December 12, 1939, it was announced that the unfished aerodrome had been sold to Sir Harry Oakes, one of the conditions being that the government could take the property back, if it were used for any purpose other than that of an airfield.

Sir Harry deserves credit for our first airport, for it was he who saw it through to completion, with its formal opening on December 24, 1939. But it would be a shame to forget the British government’s role, 78 years ago tomorrow.

• Comments and responses to islandairman@gmail.com

GROSS, FRUIT (across or down)

26 | The Tribune | Weekend

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TARGET

L I E F O D I M L

F O D I MALPHABEA L THE Chambers 21st Friday, April 21, 2017 Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

*Calls cost 75p plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

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PLAY MORE CROSSWORDS AND GA

The Tribune | Weekend | 27

Friday, April 21, 2017

animals PET OF THE Double act WEEK By The Bahamas Humane Society

Animal matters Kim Aranha

It’s ‘Flower Power’ party time PATRICIA VAZQUEZ

I

f you are a child of the 60s or you simply love the music of that era, then I have a treat in store for you!

The Bahamas Humane Society is once again holding their very successful “Flower Power” party featuring the music and clothing of the 1960s, 70s era.

This will be the third ‘Flower Power’ party – back by popular demand.

This year the party will be held at the Nassau Yacht Club on East Bay Street, just before you get to the Fort Montagu Park, on Saturday April 29.

Finally, those of you who live in the East will not have quite so far to drive.

So often our parties are on the other side of Nassau.

The fun starts at 7pm. We decided to make the price affordable to enable more of our faithful supporters to attend (things are not easy after Hurricane Matthew) so the tickets are $75 per person and that includes the first glass of wine as a ‘welcome’ to the event. A full buffet dinner will be served.

The Bahamas Humane Society is hoping that people will come dressed for the occasion, but it is not obligatory.

If you can’t think of what to wear, let me help you: a T-shirt and jeans work well with bare feet and some beads. Remember those happy, hippy days of tie-dyed clothing, bell-bottom jeans, flowers in you hair and rosecoloured glasses? Well, my friend, step back in time for an entire evening.

Cast away the years and be a kid again.

For those of you too young to remember, look out! It will be a revelation to see the golden years your parents enjoyed before you came along.

There is something for everyone.

There will be a prize for the best male costume, best female costume, best couple and best group costumes.

Based on the last ‘Flower Power’

“G

The BHS’ Linda Gill-Aranha with Jess and Josie

party, there will be some amazing outfits. I could not believe how people had put together those perfect and accurate looks last time.

Of course the evening would not be complete without a few well-chosen silent auction prizes to bid on. To whet your appetite, I will share a few with you: • A game of golf for two with lunch at Albany • A ‘dine around town’ basket of dinner gift certificates at some of the top venues on the island • A large and exciting basket for the fur baby in your life (dog and cat) • A pamper yourself basket with multiple treats for the ladies • A three-day stay at an enchanting cottage in Eleuthera on one of the prettiest beaches • A gentleman’s basket of treats And lots more…

ood morning! We’re Jess (brown) and Josie (black and brown)! We are about eight weeks old and are currently available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society. Though we don’t look that much alike, we are sisters and would love to be adopted together, if possible, though it’s not a requirement.

We’re potcakes, which makes us very smart. We’ve practically housebroken

We are really hoping that we will have a full house. The Bahamas Humane Society needs all the help we can get. It is very expensive to help all the animals that need assistance.

We are one of the few organisations that, the more successful we are, alas, the more money we have to spend.

We find that an increasing number of people are seeking our assistance and we cannot and will not turn away an animal in need. Sadly, with the bad economy, some families have difficulty feeding their pets, so we have created a food bank to assist those in need to be able to keep their family together, fur and all.

Our clinic is always busy with our three full- time vets, and if we had the money we would be able to keep a forth vet well occupied. Our 24-hour ambulance services are frequently in demand, as is our cruelty investigation

Guests rock fun, colourful outfits for the ‘Flower Power’ party.

ourselves, preferring to ‘do our business’ at the far end of the yard, well away from where we play and sleep. And yes, we do love to play!

Do you have a home with a yard and maybe another dog or two to welcome us home? If so, come in to the BHS to meet us or call 323-5138 for more information. Adoption hours are 11am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday. We look forward to meeting you!”

department. We provide an essential service to the people of the Bahamas, but unfortunately all these services cost us money.

We find that ‘fun’ rising with fundraising events is a wonderful way to get the general public involved. We can inform them about what we are doing and at the same time everybody can have a wonderful time.

Tickets are available at the shelter at 323-5138. We would be very happy to deliver them to you at home or at the office. Tables are eight to 10 people, and should you want to put a table together, just let us know and we can help you.

So the time has come to launch yourself into the psychedelic world of ‘Flower Power’ party fun on April 29 at the Nassau Yacht Club. We hope to see you there.

Peace, brother!

28 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 21, 2017

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