Friday, April 29, 2022
home interview art gardening history fashion music puzzles animals
Weekend
A spicy legacy Page 11
Greek drama
New company brings famous Santorini ‘flying dress’ concept to the Bahamas
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02 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, April 29, 2022
home
How to revamp a kitchen
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’m not one to be found in a kitchen, much to my husband’s chagrin, and the only knowledge I have when it comes to kitchens is how to make them look good! It’s the one room when we purchased our new home that I put the most amount of effort and time into ensuring the renovation looked good, kind of ironic since I can barely find the on button on the stove. I’m somewhat of a Pinterest junkie so before I started the reno, I spent countless hours finding the latest kitchen trends, which I will share with you. Say goodbye to a few upper cabinets and introduce floating wood shelves. The shelves give a nice break to a wall lined full of cabinets and draw your eye to whatever décor you have selected to display on them. On higher shelves I put items that we don’t need to access daily, artwork, family photos and a unique ceramic vase. I also put several very low maintenance plants on the higher shelves. The lower shelves display all of our dishware and several unused cookbooks. Keep the shelves simple, minimising clutter but interesting.
REFRESH with unique door pulls and knobs (Image: Semihandmade) Instead of floating shelves, you can also opt to change the front of the cabinet doors for glass, breaking up the monotony of solid cabinets while adding visual interest. The front of the glass will also play up reflections and make the room feel lighter. Backsplashes are a great way to add a little pop to any kitchen. If you feel daring, try a bigger pop, if your
PAINT the island an accent colour to add interest (Image: Sparrows & Lily)
kitchen is larger. If you are worried it may be too overwhelming stick to something a little more subtle. Using muted tones as a backdrop, you can always bring in colour with the use of dishes or items on display. I would suggest before purchasing an entire backsplash bring several samples to give a true sense of the colour within the space as lighting and shadows drastically change between a showroom and the actual space they are being installed. Another fairly inexpensive trick to update or change a kitchen is to change out old, dated kitchen knobs. Think of knobs as like jewellery. They can be a loud bold statement piece or thin, dainty and understated. “Hardware on white cabinets will stand out and steal the show, so it’s a great opportunity to go bold! If you have warm tones, go with gold, black, or bronze hardware. If you have a cold grey tone, then silver, pewter, black, and stainless-steel hardware will work,” according to the website Family Handyman. A simple way to refresh your kitchen is simply to repaint. Think beyond just the walls, hire a professional to spray kitchen cabinets,
and an island if you so happen to have one. Bring in a ‘wow’ factor by spraying your island a different colour from the rest of the kitchen; blues, greens and black islands are trending now. The possibilities to revamp a kitchen are endless from lighting to cabinets, to open shelves, to glass cabinets, new hardware, counter stools, and a fresh coat of paint can go a long way. • 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.
LIFE BY DESIGN
BROOKE PYFROM
CREATE a ‘wow’ factor with a strong backsplash (Image: ADD interest with open shelving (Image: Denby Pottery Mercury Mosaics) USA)
The Tribune | Weekend | 03
Friday, April 29, 2022
music
Wendi hopes for big hit with new song about men who cheat By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia
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ountless women the world over have come face to face with infidelity in their relationships at one point or another, and in some instances, they found out from “the other woman” in the scenario. Here in the Bahamas, “sweethearting”, as it is called in the vernacular, seems to be extremely prevalent. So local artist Wendi could not have chosen a better theme to focus her latest song, ‘Tell Her Come”, around. The song is much edgier than previous efforts by Wendi and the singer-songwriters hopes it will have crossover appeal. “Tell Her Come”, she told Tribune Weekend, is inspired by the “spirits, stories and stresses of countless women in relationships who have to experience infidelity.” “It is a point of view that is not typically sung about as it removes the shame from being the one cheated on and places that person in a position of strength.” The song, she explained, is about a toxic man whose lover approaches Wendi “as a woman”. “This content is very relatable and will appeal to a broad female demographic, not just women in the Caribbean diaspora, but also R&B, pop and soul audiences because the content is that of a jilted woman,” she said. “It is written and produced by a dynamically talented team from the Bahamas who have won multiple awards, have numerous Grammy nominated and Billboard
charting songs, as well as international placements and placements in major motion pictures.” Wendi said she knows that at first listen some people may be shocked by what she’s singing about. However, once the song’s message is delivered and understood, she said, she is sure it will become a big hit. “I hope that everyone will love it. I know that there will be shockwaves and a moment to catch your breath, but after that, I know that this will become a fast hit,” she said. In between promoting her latest single, Wendi has
been writing and recording her first full-length album titled “Unboxed”. “ ‘Unboxed’ is the best body of work I have written, recorded and sung. I am immensely proud of it. It is Caribbean pop with touches of rake n’ scrape, Junkanoo, soca, and even dancehall. It is mature in content and full of emotions. It will be a classic,” she said.
A date for the official release of the album has not yet between determined. Wendi is currently the Bahamas’ top female recording artist. Her entrance onto the local music scene began at the age four and her re-introduction was born out of a need she felt for fresh, new artistry and innovation. Wendi strives to represent female empowerment, sex appeal, powerhouse vocals and strength. She hopes to be a trailblazer for other female artists in the Bahamas by putting on dynamic live performances throughout the country and the region. With songs like “One Song”, “Attitude”, “Een Missin’ It”, “Conch Gone”, and “Save the World” (used by Susan G Komen International), Wendi’s musical contributions are extensive. She is currently the most awarded female recording artist and entertainer in the Bahamas. She is a four-time Bahamian Icon Award nominee and Bahamian Icon Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Music. She is also a two-time Elevation Award winner with multiple nominations. On the international music scene, she has been making waves as the 2018 and 2019 winner of the SAO International Soca Award for Best Music Video and the 2019 winner for Female Soca Performer of the Year. In 2018, she won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Dance Song.
(future: Instagram)
New this week
By Mark Kennedy AP Entertainment Writer • Future has a new album coming out today called “I Never Liked You”. It’s a follow-up to 2020’s “High Off Life,” and will feature Kanye West, Babyface Ray, Drake and Gunna. Future dropped a video for his newest song, “Worst Day”, and the artist — just named Best Rapper Alive by GQ magazine — has been busy, appearing on Moneybagg Yo’s single “Hard for the Next,” as well as Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” cut “Way 2 Sexy.” • Kehlani’s third album — “blue water road” — drops today and it sounds as comfortable and sultry as the singer looks on the album’s cover. Highlights include first single “altar,” the sexy duet “more than I should” with Jessie Reyez and “up at night” with Justin Bieber. The new album showcases Kehlani’s effortless ability to move from pop, R&B, rap, trance and dance. • Norah Jones is celebrating her breakthrough album “Come Away With Me” with a 20th anniversary reissue including 22 previously unreleased tracks, including “Hallelujah, I Love Him So.” The 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition also includes the original demos that Jones submitted to Blue Note, the complete first session demos she made for the label, and the first version of the album that Jones made at Allaire Studios with producer Craig Street, most of which has never been heard before. The full digital collection will be released today.
04 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, April 29, 2022
interview
Keith Cooper His unique relationship with marine life has made this eco tour guide both a success and an ambassador for the environment. He tells Cara Hunt how a Canadian film team will soon feature him and others like him in a special production.
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KEITH Cooper with stingray “Big Momma”
here is a special magic in the waters that surround the islands of the Bahamas, and eco tour guide Keith Cooper is the magician that conjures it up for both visitors and Bahamians alike. Keith is the owner of West End Ecology Tours in Grand Bahama. His guests can choose from a unique selection of educational ecology experiences, including his signature programmes, the Stingray Experience, the Coral Reef Experience or the Reef Fishing Experience. He can also create a personalised tour such as swimming with the sharks. “My motto is to provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is simple, pure and natural,” he told Tribune Weekend. “The tours are intimate and provide an up close and personal experience that have left guests from around the world in awe.” Keith his journey towards eco tourism was one that happened by chance. He grew up in the Bahamas before leaving to move to Florida, where he had a stint in the military before returning to Grand Bahama to and enter the hospitality field. His love of nature initially led him to create and run eco fishing camps for children, allowing them to learn more about their natural surroundings and how to conserve the environment. “I learned so much about the environment myself during that time,” he said. Keith also had a love of fishing that would eventually open the door to a whole new career opportunity. He explained that several years ago, he was fishing near Sandy Cay when he encountered about 20 stingrays which surrounded his boat. Over time, he realised that these sea rays were not harmful and he could interact with them. He then decided that he would take visitors to the area to have their own experiences with them. What started as a hobby turned into a career. His tour methods evolved over time, from having guests lie on their stomachs while he bought a string ray to them, to more interactive, detailed and magical encounters such as video taping them snorkelling with the stingrays. “I used the opportunity to also educate them on the stingrays, because so many people have a fear of getting stung or attacked, but in reality they are very peaceful and do not attack unless they are somehow provoked or threatened. This is true with the lemon sharks we visit when we do the swim with the shark tours as well. Hollywood and the media have given sharks such a bad reputation, and so there needs to be education about them to help overcome the fear that surrounds them,” he explained.
The Tribune | Weekend | 05
Friday, April 29, 2022
GUESTS get to touch the stingrays
HAWKSBILL turtles on the Inday Cay reef
Keith said over the years, he has developed a relationship with the stingrays which allows him to showcase their unique skills, like letting them hug and kiss him and hand-feeding them. “The feedback I get from my guests is amazing. When they get to the island and see me interact with them, they initially look at me like I am crazy, but then when they get in with them themselves, you just see how excited and amazed they are. It is a vacation experience that they will never forget and one they will tell everyone back home about. These are the types experiences people want to have and these are the types experiences that every island in this county can provide. There is magic in our waters; all we have to do is locate it and create the proper experiences for people,” he said. “I have seen some amazing moments in the animal kingdom – sea turtles laying eggs, pods of dolphins,
this
weekend in history April 29 • In 1852, the first edition of the Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases is published by Peter Mark Roget, a British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer. He wished to help “those who are painfully groping their way and struggling with the
conchs racing on the ocean bottom. I am truly blessed in what I do. I am 65 and as long as I can I will be on the water. The stingrays chose me, I didn’t choose them. I opened the box to see what would happen when I jumped in the water to be with them and what an experience it has been.” Keith has been recognised all over the world for what he does. In addition to his five-star reviews on TripAdvisor, a Canadian film crew was recently on Grand Bahama to feature him and his stingrays. “A French-Canadian film production company based in Montreal was on island this week to film my life and journey with the ‘Amazing Stingrays of West End’. There are 11 other individuals that have been chosen to record their close bond and ability to communicate with a variety of wildlife. I am fortunate to be selected among this group of incredible people. It was a pleasure to welcome from Waterkeepers Bahamas three exceptional youth environment
difficulties of composition.” • In 1945, the US Army liberates the Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich, Germany. It was the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime in 1933. At least 160,000 prisoners passed through the main camp and 90,000 throughout the subcamps. It is estimated that at least 32,000 perished at Dachau and its subcamps.
April 30 • In 1803, the United States and Napoleonic France conclude the Louisiana Purchase in
ambassadors who shared their views about marine conservation. The name of the show ‘Ils Parlent Aux Animaux’ (He talks with animals) and it will be aired in January 2023. I would like to thank the team in Montreal who made this happen including Claudia, host of the show; Louis, the director; Yan, the cameraman, and Peter, the soundman, for their professionalism and appreciation for their ability to put together a meaningful story that will be shared globally,” he said. As the world celebrated Earth Day last Friday, Keith said that it is imperative to protect the Bahamas’ natural environment, not just for the tourism benefits, but more importantly for Bahamians who call these islands home and will do so for future generations. “We need to see the urgency in protecting what we have and enforce the laws that are already in place,” he said.
Paris. The land comes at the hefty cost of $15 million and effectively doubles the size of the United States. • In 1993, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee releases the source code for the world’s first web browser and editor, effectively launching the World Wide Web in the public domain.
May 1 • In 1851, the first ever “Great Exhibition” opens in London inside the Crystal Palace, a giant glass and iron hall. Some 10,000 exhibitors take part
to display new technological wonders from Britain and around the world. Six million visitors come to see it before it closes in October of that year. • In 1939, the Batman appears for the first time in Detective Comics #27. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the brooding superhero at first used brute force and firearms to vanquish his foes. His origin story was not revealed until his seventh appearance. He has since become one the most popular superheroes of all time, appearing in numerous comic books, graphic novels, on TV, in movies and video games.
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06| The Tribune | Weekend
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The Tribune | Weekend | 07
Friday, April 29, 2022
fashion
Photos courtesy of Blue Runway
Add some drama to your life Blue Runway introduces ‘flying dress’ experience to the Bahamas
H
ave you ever wanted to be photographed like a star for a dramatic spread in a high-fashion magazine? Well, it looks like you’re in luck. A local all-female team has just launched a new company called Blue Runway which strives to emulate the famous “flying dress” concept popularised by photographers in Santorini, Greece. Tailor-made for Instagram, this concept involves capturing women in flowy dresses against a gorgeous backdrop – in the case of Santorini, whitewashed and blue-coloured buildings. It is the brainchild of Evgenia Voloktina and her husband Kirill Babanekov, who founded their now famous SantoriniDress business in 2016. The couple are wedding and portrait photographers who came up with the idea of the dramatic photo opportunity for tourists during a shoot in the Dominican Republic. Their idea took off and became a hit on social media. The couple have since expanded their business to Italy, Cuba and Dubai. Here in the Bahamas, Blue Runway seeks to give women a similar opportunity to feel beautiful and glamorous. The co-founding trio of Sandy Campbell, Alexavia Dorsett and Kendanique Ferguson feel their
concept can also become a new tourist attraction; a new activity visitors can book to commemorate their trip to the Bahama islands. “Our objective was to create Blue Runway as a highly sought-after photo-taking experience that would resonate with visitors and residents alike,” said Sandy Campbell, co-founder and serial entrepreneur. “Being an avid traveller, I always seek one-of-a-kind activities in various cities that would fit well into the local market while simultaneously creating memorable encounters for the participant as well as service provider.” Taking the hassle out of planning a photoshoot yourself, the Blue Runway team gives clients access to dresses with sizing of up to 3X in a myriad of styles and colours, as well as options of venues, a number of talented photographers and an assistant with a two-fold role of dressing the client and providing direction through the shoot. The team said they want to highlight iconic locations throughout the islands, beginning in New Providence, Eleuthera, Exuma and Grand Bahama, with plans for expansion to a number of Family Islands. “While the photography session would indeed capture the beauty of the individual and the brilliantly coloured fabrics billowing in the wind, it is equally important to us to showcase the incredible
natural landscapes throughout the 700 islands,” said Alexavia Dorsett. “Each of the islands are so diverse and interesting - from the deeply hued blues of the oceans to the pink sands of the beaches, to historical monuments and cultural communities - we literally have endless options in selecting the locations that are characteristic of the Bahamas.” The company hopes to capitalise on the growing popularity of photoshoots to commemorate milestone events and special occasions, including birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, maternity and vacations. “Which woman doesn’t enjoy being the centre of attention, if only for a moment, getting glammed up, donning an exquisite dress and posing for photos,” said Kendanqiue Ferguson. “We are so excited to package this very special type of offering which we also realise is selfempowering for some of the women we’ve already had as clients. When they step into the dress it becomes more than a physical transformation, it’s as though they become even more alive when they stand tall, the smile follows and then you hear them say, ‘Wow, I feel so beautiful’.” For more information, visit Blue Runway Bahamas on Instagram or Facebook.
10 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, April 29, 2022
gardening
Is your soil friable?
G
ood day, gardeners. Last week, I discussed compacted soil. Sandy soil has been mentioned before, and on the median of the two is the topic of friable soil. Not to fry like a pork chop, there is no oil needed to have friable soil. Friable or friability is loosely defined as readily crumbled or broken down into smaller fragments. Let’s take a basic look at the two extremes and the median, as it relates to sandy versus friable versus compact soil. On one hand there is sandy soil; when a handful is taken up and compacted in the hand it cannot be molded together, it breaks up naturally, does not stick together, saturated or dry. Water flows quickly
through it which results in fast drainage. On the other extreme is clay soil which when taken in hand can be moulded together (when wet, when dry it is like a brick), it forms a clump that sticks together that when saturated or dry the water is very slow to move through and hence slow drainage from insufficient airspace. In the middle of these two is what is called friable soil that when taken in hand they form a clump that is easily and readily crumbled, there is a sufficient level of saturation and also an equally sufficient level of airspace. It does not fall through the hand like sand, nor does it form a cohesive clump like clay, rather, it easily clumps together but it just as easily falls apart into smaller clumps when the hand is opened.
(Photo_Congerdesign_Pixabay) Any decent quality potting or planting media will have good friability. Native soils are sufficiently friable when there is high organic matter present (which aids in moisture and nutrient holding), with some sand content (which is low moisture and nutrient holding). As we don’t have clay soil (generally), our native soil tends to not hold moisture well unless it is generously amended with additional organic material (compost, peat, coir, aged pine bark, etcetera). As always, the soil content does differ throughout our islands and it also varies on different parts of each island, so as I discuss it, it is with a broad stroke. If the native soil or planting and potting soil that you are using is sandy it is beneficial to amend it with organic material, adding enough of the right ingredients to hold sufficient moisture (compost, peat, composted manure), but also enough of the right ingredients to help in water movement and air space to make it friable (compost, aged pine bark, perlite, coir). If it is compact, add organic and other material to create airspace (perlite, sand, aged pine bark, etcetera). The goal of a gardener when it comes to native, planting, or potting soil for optimum plant growth in the garden or veggie patch is soil friability. If you have grown a satisfactory garden in a sandy or clay-based
soil, try amending a portion of it to increase friability and the results will speak for themselves. The simplest and most efficient option is to use purpose specific planting or potting ready-made mixes (homemade or purchased) of good or better quality to obtain results in one go. There are mixes that are landscape specific, mixes that are outdoor planting specific, and mixes that are indoor planting specific. It does matter. Each different environment will call on different plant needs depending upon light, temperature, watering frequency et al. Different plants require different environments and soil needs. There is no catch all or magic bullet. Your yard will require something a little different than my yard to achieve that magical balance point where the maximum results are gained through the minimum of input. Add native plants or weeds to aid in beneficial insect populations. Earthworms are your friend in the garden. Earthworm castings are very beneficial to add as organic material to help with moisture retention and nutrient holding capacity. Friable soils grow the best plants. As always, I wish you happy gardening. • Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.
The Tribune | Weekend | 11
Friday, April 29, 2022
food
A hot and spicy family legacy
By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net
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he family and friends of beloved patriarch David Blake, known to most simply as “Uncle Dave”, have been enjoying his home-made pepper sauce since the late 1970s, and today they are sharing it with the world. The late PE teacher may have been born in the US, but he became a Bahamian through and through after he moved to Nassau in 1971. He married Fox Hill native Jacinta Lynn and taught at Eastern Secondary and T G Glover Primary Schools for four years. He then moved on to St Anne’s School, where he served as teacher and coach for 17 years, before retiring and joining the staff at The Sports Centre. A life-long sports enthusiast, he always gave it his all on the field, but it was actually in the kitchen where he made the biggest impression. His daughter, Todney Marsh, told Tribune Weekend that her father’s pepper sauce was beloved by everyone who tasted it, and it quickly became the most requested condiment at family gatherings and whenever he would fire up a grill. For the past four years, Todney and her team have been hard at work to reproduce, package and market her father’s flavourful pepper sauce for public consumption. “After his untimely passing in 2016 we wanted to ensure that the legacy of our ‘Uncle Dave’ was remembered, and what better way to honour such an important figure in our lives than to carry on what he started,” said Todney. The recipe was passed down to her, and together with a team, she started experimenting with the pepper sauce in 2018. The official launch of the “Uncle Dave’s” brand occurred the following year. “The Uncle Dave’s business people see today is a result of four years of planning, consistency and the buy-in to a vision by a team with varying backgrounds, experiences, and expertise,’ said Todney. What makes Uncle Dave’s special, she explained, is that it’s not your average hot pepper sauce. “Most of our patrons, locally and internationally, love that the sauce is flavourful with heat, but not overly spicy to mask the flavour of the food.
and friends and they also become clients,” said Todney. Uncle Dave’s currently offers one flavour in 5 oz, 7 oz and 10 oz sizes. The brand is home-based in western New Providence. “We have an intimate relationship with this product, as we all love it and personally use it all the time. We know that we produce a quality product made with love, which makes it enjoyable to make and to market. We love that this is ours and that we are creating a legacy for future generations. This current climate has fostered an environment for many small businesses to flourish and we are included,” said Todney. “We see the many talents of Bahamians at every pop-up shop or events
It can be used to season meats and fish, added when preparing dishes and added to plated food. In our home, it is added to potato salad, spaghetti, peas n’ rice, souse and soups – you name it. The question should be what dishes don’t you use Uncle Dave’s on,” she said. Setting up the brand has been a learning process for the team that includes Todney, Kenray Marsh, Kevin Fox Jr and Sancha Pinder. They have taken a simple pepper sauce recipe and developed a brand that is slowly becoming a household name in the Bahamas as well as a hit with tourists. “The first step was the proper packaging. Our marketing genius, Kevin Fox Jr, created the label design and has been there since the beginning with his incredible ability to take our vision, while incorporating his own, to the next level. We have persons sample (the pepper sauce) and there is never a negative or bad response. They immediately love it and become clients; repeat clients. They tell their family
we attend, which is encouraging as a young company. COVID-19 created a unique situation where people had to survive, not just financially, but mentally. Out of that need, many talents are being manifested. There are a number of small businesses getting into the manufacturing field and we hope that it continues, which will allow us to share a piece of paradise on earth with those who are unable to travel to experience it for themselves.” Todney said they would eventually like to see Uncle Dave’s pepper sauce in every kitchen in the Bahamas. “Additionally, international export is one of our major goals as we already have a growing demand for the pepper sauce abroad,” she said.
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, April 29, 2022
Literary lives – Ethel Waters
A pioneer who overcame stormy weather Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the American singer and actress who began her career in the 1920s singing blues. She was the first African-American to star in her own television show, and the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. “The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I’d have to take off my gloves to prove I was a spade.” – Ethel Waters Ethel Waters was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on October 31, 1896, although some sources state the year of her birth as 1900, as a result of the rape of her teenaged African-American mother, Louise Anderson, by John Waters, a pianist and family friend from a middle-class African-American background. Waters’ family was very fair skinned – particularly her mother who was twelve or thirteen years old when she was raped. She was thirteen when Ethel was born. John Waters played no part in raising Ethel. Her mother married Norman Howard, a railroad worker soon after she was born and she used her mother’s husband’s name when she was a child. However, she was actually raised in poverty by her grandmother, a housemaid. “I was never a child. I was never cuddled, or liked, or understood by my family.” – Ethel Waters Ethel Waters married when she was thirteen, but her husband was abusive and she soon left the marriage and got work as a maid in a Philadelphia hotel, being paid $4.75 a week. She was a tall girl – over 5 feet 9 inches . On her seventeenth birthday she went to a costume party on Juniper Street and was persuaded to sing two songs. The
audience loved it and the next thing you knew she was offered a paying job at the Lincoln Theatre in Baltimore – but it wasn’t much – on $10 a week, and her managers cheated her out of the tips her fans threw on the stage. After she got her professional start in Baltimore, she toured on the Black vaudeville circuit “from nine until unconscious”. She had a quick success but generally speaking she fell on hard times. She liked the carnival professionals. This did not last long and she headed south to Atlanta where she worked in the same club as Bessie Smith, who insisted that Waters not sing blues to compete with her. So she sang ballads and pop songs. In those days, entertainers had to keep on the move to get work. Around 1919, she moved to Harlem and became a performer in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Her first job was at Edmonds Cellar with a Black patronage that liked popular ballads. She acted in a blackface comedy Hello 1919. Jazz historian Rosetta Reitz commented that in 1921 female blues singers were the most powerful entertainers in the country – Bessie Smith being by far the most popular. Waters made a recording for Cardinal Records – her first. She later joined Black Swan where Fletcher Henderson became her accompanist. His classical style suited her better than “damn-it-tohell bass”. Waters recorded for Black Swan from 1921 to 1923 and became the highest paid Black recording artist at the time. Early in 1924, Paramount bought Black Swan and she stayed with the recording company until the end of the year, and then switched to Columbia Records in 1925 where she had a hit with “Dinah”. In 1924 and 1925, Waters started working with Pearl Wright and they toured the South. She played at the Plantation Club on Broadway, and also sang and toured with the Black Swan Dance Masters. With Earl Dancer, she joined the “White Time” Keith Vaudeville Circuit which performed for white audiences combined with screenings of silent movies, which attracted rave reviews in Chicago, earning as much as $1,250 in 1928. A lot of money. In 1926, Waters recorded “I’m Coming Virginia” composed by Donald Heywood. Waters was wrongly credited as being the author of the song, but in reality the lyrics were by Will Marion Cook.
It became popular and Waters sang it in Africana at Broadway’s Daly’s Sixty-Third Street Theatre. In 1929, Waters and Pearl Wright arranged the Harry Akst song “Am I Blue” which was used in the movie On With the Show, which became a huge hit and her signature song. “When you dominate other people’s emotions, the time has come when you will have to pay, and heavily, for that privilege.” - Ethel Waters In 1933, Waters appeared in a satirical all-black film Rufus Jones for President which featured the child performer Sammy Davis Jr.as Rufus Jones. She went on to star at the Cotton Club in Harlem and sang “Stormy Weather” ... “from the depths of the private hell in which I was being crushed and suffocated”. She also had a featured role in the Irving Berlin musical revue on Broadway As Thousands Cheer with Clifton Well, Marilyn Miller and Helen Broderick; becoming the first black woman to integrate Broadway’s theatre district. Although she was one of the highest paid performers, she found it difficult to find work. She moved to Los Angeles to appear in the 1942 film Cairo and reprised her starring role as Petunia Jackson in the all-Black film musical Cabin in the Sky (1943), directed by Vincent Minelli starring
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Lena Horne – who was supposed to dance to the ballad “Honey in the Honeycomb”. But she broke her ankle in rehearsal and Waters had to dance instead. Horne sang the ballad. However, Waters sang the Academy Award nominated “Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe”. In 1939, Waters became the first AfricanAmerican to star in her own television show – The Ethel Waters Show – a variety special on NBC. It included a dramatic performance of the Broadway play Mamba’s Daughters. Waters was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the film Pinky (1949), which was directed by Ekia Kazan, who had replaced John Ford who did not get on with Waters who, he said, “had that odd combination of old-time religiosity and free-flowing hatred”. In 1950, she won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for her performance opposite Julie Harris in The Member of the Wedding. Both repeated their roles in the 1952 film of the same name. Waters also starred in the TV drama Beulah on ABC television from 1950-1952, but left the show in 1951 saying that the portrayal of Blacks in the series was degrading. She was replaced by Louise Beavers. Ethel Waters’ first autobiography, His Eye on the Sparrow, written with Charles Samuels, appeared in 1951 and was adapted for the stage in 2005. In 1953, she appeared in a Broadway show At Home with Ethel Waters – but it closed after twenty-three performances. Waters married three times and had no children. She married Merritt “Buddy” Purnsley in 1909 when she was thirteen. They divorced in 1913. She had a romantic relationship with dancer Ethel Williams in the 1920s and lived together in Harlem. They were dubbed “The Two Ethels”. She married
ETHEL Waters and Billy Graham Clyde Edwards Matthews in 1929 and divorced in 1933. She married Edward Mallory and in 1938, but divorced in 1945. In 1955, Waters was out of work and deeply in debt for back taxes. The Internal Revenue Service seized royalties of her work, and she lost many thousands of dollars in jewellery, possessions and money in a robbery. She was in a bad way, her health suffered and she put on a lot of weight. However, in 1957 she went to a Billy Graham Crusade in Madison Square Garden – a lonely sixty-one year old washed up woman. “In 1957, I, Ethel Waters, a 380-pound decrepit old lady, redirected my life to Jesus Christ, and boy, because He lives, just look at me now. I tell you because He lives; and because ... Billy gave me the opportunity to stand there, I can thank God for the chance to tell you His eye is on all of us sparrows.” – Ethel Waters In her last years, Waters often toured with the preacher Billy Graham on his crusades. Ethel Waters died on September 1, 1977, aged 80, from uterine cancer and kidney failure in Chatsworth, California. She is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Early in her career, in 1938, when she was in her prime, she met the artist Luigi Lucioni through their mutual friend Carl Van Vechten. Lucioni painted her portrait and Waters bought it from him for $500. In the portrait, she wore a tailored red dress with a mink coat draped over the back of her chair. The dramatic portrait pictured her with her arms wrapped tightly around her waist in a vulnerable position. Somehow, during the bad times, the painting was either lost or seized.
LUIGI Lucioni’s rediscovered portrait of Ethel Waters It had not been seen since 1942. However, the executive director of the Huntsville Alabama Museum, together with historian Stuart Embury, traced it to a private residence in Alabama, and they were allowed to exhibit the portrait of Ethel Waters in their 2016 exhibition American Romantic: The Art of Luigi Lucioni, where it was viewed by the public for the first time in more than seventy years. The Hunstville Museum acquired the painting in 2017 and it is now on permanent display in the museum in full recognition of one of the greatest entertainers who, in a roller-coaster theatrical career, broke nearly every racial barrier in America. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; His Eye on the Sparrow (1951) by Ethel Waters (with Charles Samuels); and Ethel Waters: Stormy Weather (2007) by Stephen Bourne.
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history
San Salvador, arise!
I
was delighted to read in The Tribune of April 5 about Arise, a just-published book by Verna Rolle Gilbert, about her growing up on San Salvador – an idyllic life it was. Sadly, as she tells it, so many of the settlements no longer exist, which is the case on many other Out Islands. Times have changed, but Mrs Gilbert makes history come alive. An earlier book by Virginia White, also about that island where Columbus landed - The Outermost Island, an oral history of San Salvador - was published in 1985. My first visit to San Salvador was in the late 1950s, when the US bases were in full swing and the Riding Rock Inn, where I spent two nights, was in the early stages of construction. I was to be their first guest, sleeping on a cot, in what would become the kitchen. Bahamas Airways operated two flights a week to San Salvador, via George Town, Exuma, and their DC-3 left Nassau with a full load of 30 passengers, 15 of whom disembarked in Exuma. Fourteen women and I landed at San Salvador and 14 other women boarded the plane for Nassau. My work took about half a day and by noon I was having lunch at Jake Jones’ club, watching the activities of my 14 fellow travellers. My mother often told her children about the days before there was a road around the island,
PAUL C ARANHA
FORGOTTEN FACTS
when people had to cross the Great Lake, mentioned by Columbus, to get from one settlement to another. She also told us about her Scottish great-grandfather, William Connell Nairn, who had come to Great Harbour, Long Island, and married her great grandmother, Mary Taylor, daughter of Major Archibald Taylor who, with Colonel Andrew Deveaux, led the recapture of Nassau from the Spanish occupiers. William Connell became the progenitor of the Bahamian Nairns. In a catalogue for an auction house in London I saw a ‘Ship’s Letter from the Virgin Islands to Great Harbour, Bahamas’ and bid on it, only because it was addressed to Great Harbour, Long Island, which was founded by Major Archibald Taylor. To my surprise, it was addressed to my great, great-grandfather. • For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail.com
VERNA Rolle Gilbert’s “Arise – Up From San Salvador’s Pure Gold Hill”.
A REPRODUCTION of a ‘Ship’s Letter from the Virgin Islands to Great Harbour, Bahamas’’.
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animals
Tribute to another friend By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters
T
oday, I write about another beautiful furry family member of friends of mine who recently left us. GiGi was of a grand age when she travelled to the Rainbow Bridge. It was estimated that she was almost 16 years old, having come to live in her forever home when she was already three or four. She was in the shelter waiting to be adopted when my friend went to see her. As they came up to her pen, the Bahamas Humane Society adoption person said “Come on GiGi, adoption time. These people are looking to give you a home.” GiGi took one look at them and without a word turned her back on them, super cool, and walked away! They couldn’t resist her and her aloof ways. Within a very short time she was in their car and heading to her new home. And what a wonderful home it was – an old Bahamian house with porches and a garden; a real heaven for a dog needing a loving home. She had lots of “sibling” potcakes to whip into shape and in no time GiGi was their pack leader, giving the other dogs commands and they all looked up to her for guidance . She also provided her new humans with a lot of love and affection. Whenever I would go to visit when they were in Eleuthera, she greeted me as if I was an honoured guest. She loved to wander. When her family was in Nassau she would escape periodically, – under the gate, over the gate; she just wanted to see what was on the other side. One day I was at home and I saw a photo posted. The accompanying message was: “Does anybody know this dog who is down at the dock trying to board this cruise ship?” Oh my Lord! I looked and looked and looked again; I knew that dog!
THE MISCHIEVOUS GiGi had turquoise paws for a while after getting involved in some painting around the house. And there she was, my friends’ dear independent spirit, GiGi, trying to board a cruise ship. I quickly contacted my friend who rushed down, leash in hand, and a very casual GiGi came home. And if she
had possessed the gift of speech, this beauty would have said “Honestly, Mum, did you need to interfere with that adventure?” In Eleuthera, her escape escapades were legendary. She would wander down the beach as free as a bird and attach herself to some very kind, unassuming tourists. In no time she was lounging around the pool with them and enjoying delicious treats. When her frazzled Mum would appear, GiGi would put on her best imitation of the dog who did not know the people who had driven to pick her up and take her home. Her mother trying to explain that this was just GiGi’s way, and in fact if you left her to her own devices, she would make her way back home along the beach well before dinner time. She was just a funny lady with her own personal “job description”. This is not to say that when everyone was home and sitting together GiGi wasn’t the first to come around and bestow love and affection all round before thumping herself down on the cool tiles and falling asleep into deep doggie dreams of waves and chasing crabs along her beach. Another one of her pranks involved paint and getting involved with some painting around the house. GiGi sported turquoise paws for a while. Full of mischief and charm!
She travelled back on forth on the ferries to Eleuthera like and old pro, settling down to sleep in the car. I spent Christmas with her last year. It was very apparent that she was slowing down. Walking was not as easy and she didn’t stray anymore. The cliffs and trails of Eleuthera now presented a problem, but she was happy to hang out with the many humans who loved her. She was a sweet, loving girl who remembered on Christmas Day to bestow a few more kisses than usual. Her woof was still strong and she still stood (or lay) guard, one ear cocked to protect her humans. After Christmas, GiGi came home to Nassau. She would only eat specially cooked meals, preferably hand-fed, every day being a new challenge to see what she would like to eat. Her humans catered to her every whim. Then, one morning, the angels came for her. She knew just how much she had been loved when she slipped away. She was a lucky girl and her humans feel a great, big hole in their lives which will not be filled easily. Bye-bye dear GiGi, please meet up with my big boys and have a great game together!
pet of the week
A friend of life By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY
Macey’s pretty laid back and a little bit shy with new humans, but once he gets to know you, you’ll be his friend for life. He’s grown out of most of his kitten antics, and he doesn’t mind sharing space with other cats. If you’ve been looking for a striking new companion, look no further than Macey. Call 323-5138 for more information about Macey or any of the other cats available for adoption at the Bahamas Humane Society. Macey looks forward to meeting you. • The BHS Thrift Shop is open and ready to sell you all kinds of wonderful things. Books, clothing, housewares, giftware, art, and much more. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 11am to 3pm and Saturday 10am to 2pm. Bring your bag!
Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha
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