05132022 WEEKEND

Friday, May 13, 2022

staycation fashion art gardening history food puzzles animals

Weekend

‘Elevated’ stew fish Page 03

Sustainable chic Local designer debuts eco-friendly resort wear

pgs 08 +09

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 13, 2022

art

T

he CAB Art Studio and Gallery in western New Providence is hosting the work of its very own gallery manager, Samantha Treco, this month.

Her new collection, “Sunday”, underscores her distinctive curiosity and continued exploration of water and light.

Marking her inaugural solo show, “Sunday” uses amplified strokes of colour to create movement, depth and structure through a vivid field of paint. Samantha’s subject matter draws from the simple, mundane intricacies of life. With a gentle eye, she extracts beautiful moments from the most monotonous, seemingly frivolous parts of everyday life.

Those familiar with past bodies of Samantha’s work will no doubt find the continued fascination and deep appreciation for water, light and their reciprocity very apparent in this oeuvre.

Her token swaths of acrylic paint coupled with delicate line work are hard to miss. Samantha’s intentional exaggeration of colour and tendency to dabble in the moodier palette create a welcomed diversion from the typically turquoise depictions of Bahamian landscapes. Masterful blending of colour and layer with a distinctive unwillingness to comply with traditional colour schemes give her work an ethereal haze, one that soothes the soul in the simplest of ways.

Bahamian landscapes are as dramatic as they come. Commanding attention near and far they will always sit prominently in our galleries. Etched into our minds are the moments that happen against these exquisite backdrops. Often working from a photograph or an amalgamated series of photos of the same scene, the works have a delicate, emotional guise to them. There’s a humility to Samantha’s work that is collectively very powerful and strikingly honest. The ability to relate to the work is effortless. It’s almost as though the works depict your own fragmented evocations from years bygone. The simplicity behind a laundry line of billowing whites, a dramatic sky in the gloaming or a volatile sea are things we’ve all seen, and things we see all the time but often pay no mind to. There are hundreds of these moments banked in our memories but their beauty is something Samantha doesn’t take for granted.

Permeating her work is an appreciation for our environment and the feelings and emotions that exist within them. The emotional aspect is seemingly achieved through colour pushed beyond the natural range. Often laced with quieter references to a personal memory, Samantha’s meticulous digitalised preliminary studies allow her to repeatedly sketch a scene until she has manipulated the palette and application to her liking.

Often working from photos, she sketches on her iPad repeatedly until she’s satisfied and then transfers the vision onto canvas. These studies are each as stunning as the final hitting different notes of colour, mood and sentiment. An artist’s method is something not always visible and Samantha’s modern twist is really quite interesting as her work has an undeniable ‘Old World’ glow to it.

Review: ‘Sunday’ is an exploration of water and light

ARTIST Samantha Treco

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Friday, May 13, 2022

food

Learning how to “elevate” your stewed fish

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

T

REATING mothers to a special day while adding some extra fire to their culinary arsenals was the goal of a culinary master class spearheaded by Chef Simeon Hall Jr. The “Nola’s Grandson Culinary Masterclass pre-Mother’s Day” event saw daughters and sons treat the matriarchs of their families to a professional cooking class as way to bond over making good food.

The event was held at The Kitchen, Baha Mar, and put Bahamian chefs and food culture in the spotlight.

The mothers participating in the class were no strangers to the kitchen, having whipped up countless meals for their families over the years. However, this experience offered something unique.

“It taught traditional Bahamian food in a simple but elevated way, along with some tasty treats from my seasonal menus,” Chef Hall told Tribune Weekend.

Participants prepared Bahamian stewed fish - a common and beloved local dish. But like Chef Hall intended, the dish was prepared in an elevated way… “while getting a little history and some lessons on sourcing the best fish,” he said.

Ingredients available to the students included olive oil, Inagua salt, citrus EVOO oil, Ronny Butler’s Guinea corn, hominy and lard grits, double smoked wild Andros hog bacon, Johnny cake biscuits, fried chicken butter, and Shacara’s honeycomb and local pepper sauce.

The reason the menu was chosen, Chef Hall, said was to “wow the students and reintroduce Bahamian flavours.”

Chef Hall said he received great feedback from those in attendance who learned some new tips and tricks to making stewed fish.

“First of all, plenty ‘tings that will hopefully inspire them to fellowship through food more,” he said.

He hopes they also found out something new about Bahamian culture through food.

“We should all run, not walk, to our kitchens to just cook,” he said.

Chef Hall was not the only one providing his expertise. He was joined by Chef Quentin Scott and apprentice Derek Sawyer. Chefs Basil Dean and Jamaal Petty also dropped by.

While the date for the next master class is still to be determined, Chef Hall remains steadfast in spreading his expertise and elevating the local food culture in whatever way her can.

He prides himself on using local ingredients with global techniques to tell a regional story. As a staunch supporter of local ingredients, farmers and fishermen, he has become a true Bahamian culinary ambassador.

PARTICIPANTS in Chef Simeon Hall Jr’s recent master class learned new tips and tricks for preparing a beloved Bahamian dish.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 13, 2022

interview

Sean Lightbourne ‘242 Pond Guy’

After studying his unusual trade at a leading facility in the US and working with famous reality TV stars, this aquascape contractor is now delighting Bahamians with his skills. He tells Cara Hunt how he makes even the most elaborate dreams of fish tanks and ponds come true for his clients.

S

ean Lightbourne fell in love with aquatic life as a youngster. Almost two decades later, he has turned his passion into a lucrative career. As the ‘242Pond Guy’, as he’s now known, he creates amazing aquascapes for his clients.

“Growing up, I always wanted a fish aquarium but it was not something my family could afford. But we were renovating a bathroom in our homes as a child and I was able to take the old bathtub and that become the first pond I ever made. And now today I am making ponds for clients that are 100x100 and 12 feet deep. The hobby that started when I was a child is now a career that I wake up every morning excited to do,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Sean learned about professional aqua landscaping at the Aquascape Academy in Illinois, where he studied things such as water feature maintenance, pond ecology and pond construction. He said he is the only certified aquascape contractor in the Bahamas, and he has certainly tapped into a niche market here at home.ƒ Sean returns to the Illinois facility annually to get recertified and has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names, such as Wayde King and Brett Raymer, the stars of the successful reality show Tanked on the Animal Planet channel. The brothers-in-law, best friends and business partners operate Acrylic Tank Manufacturing, the biggest aquarium-building manufacturer in the US. Sean has also started making a name for himself as as the “242 Pond Guy” since he founded his aqua landscape company Aquaria 242.

“You know you have landscaping, which is about your garden and your lawn, well, aqua landscaping is all about creating a water-based environment for my clients to enjoy,” he explained.

“We do ponds, fountains, waterfalls and fish tanks and pondless ponds (a waterfall that disappears into an underground reservoir so there is no pool of water at the top).

“Since I started about 15 years ago, the business has just exploded. And the pandemic definitely saw an increase in business because so many people were stuck at home and they really wanted to create their own private oasis that they could enjoy. That is what our company does, we provide the start and then Mother Nature takes over. We are currently booked until December and I have a team of three employees.”

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, May 13, 2022

POND designs by Aquaria 242

Aquarium lovers are very special and clients see the marine life they house as extended parts of the family, he noted.

“A lot of my clients get started because maybe they brought a koi fish from the local pet store and they have it for a while and it gets bigger and they have fallen in love with it it and so they want to give it a special home and that’s when they call me and we can get them started and then it becomes a a passion,” he said.

this

weekend in history May 13 • In 1568, Mary Queen of Scots is defeated in a battle south of Glasgow by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, the regent of the son, King James VI of Scotland. The Catholic queen then flees to England, seeking the protection of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. However, after an initial welcome, Mary is put under house arrest, which lasted for nearly 20 years, until her death by execution in 1587.

While it is an expensive passion (even the smallest ponds or tanks can cost thousands of dollars to create and maintain), most people feel it is worth it.

“These animals are part of the family. Koi, for example, are very smart, like little puppies, and they know their owners and will feed out of their owners’ hands and there is just so much enjoy to be had watching them in these amazing environments.

We can create a whole little ecosystem right in your yard that can be enjoyed by every member of the family. Creations are really only limited by space and budget, and my clients are so thrilled when they can just sit and listen to the water and see the fish swimming they love it,” he said.

It is also an addictive hobby.

“I do suggest that people not build smaller ponds, because your fish will get bigger and then you will want a bigger pond eventually,” he said.

Sean is determined that his clients share his passion for the welfare of the marine life.

“We don’t just want to take an animal and put in an environment where they will suffer, we want it to

be in as natural a habitat as possible, so we teach our clients the best way to care for their pets and the ecosystems they should be in and we are of course also available to come and do maintenance and repairs if they need it,” he said.

Sean explained that quite a lot is involved in the process of maintaining a tank or a pond, such as making sure the water is oxygenated and that the water levels are maintained. But he feels the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

“Giving a child a fish tank is such a great educational tool and it teaches them quite a lot of responsibility,” he said.

Sean’s advice to any anyone who wants to start this hobby is to do your research about pond and tank maintenance and which animals would be a good fit for each environment. He is also available for consultations for those who may need some advice getting started.

Sean’s custom builds can take a few weeks or upwards of a month, depending on the design.

“We start with a consultation and I can come up with some design sketches and decide what to do.

It often takes a few weeks to get the materials into the Bahamas and then we can get started and we are done in a few weeks,” he said.

The biggest project he has done took about a month, primarily because there was a lot of excavation involved.

“In Chicago, they don’t have a lot of limestone they can tell you about,” he said of the location where he learned his trade.

Sean said that one of the more exotic fish he has handled and built a tank for was a group of stingrays, and he recently converted a full-size swimming pool into a pond for one of his clients.

“So now (the client) can actually swim with her fish, because everything we put in the pond for the fish is safe for humans as well,” he said.

May 15

• In 1940, Winston Churchill gives his first speech as Prime Minister to the British House of Commons, declaring: “I have nothing offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

• In 1897, the world’s first ever LGBT rights organisation, the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, is founded in Berlin, Germany, by Magnus Hirshfield to campaign for the social recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and against her persecution. Their motto was “Justice through science”.

May 14 • In 1796, the English country doctor Edward Jenner administers his cowpoxbased vaccine for smallpox for the first time in Berkeley, Gloucestershire as he inoculates a 13-year-old boy. Smallpox, which has killed millions worldwide over centuries, becomes the first disease to be eradicated by a vaccine.

• In 1973, America’s first space station, Skylab, is launched into orbit around the earth. It was a

MARY Queen of Scots in 1560

success and provided important information for scientists and astronauts. Its orbit eventually began to deteriorate, and in 1979, the parts of the station that did not burn up in the atmosphere crashed down in Australia and the Indian Ocean.

• In 1957, American evangelist Billy Graham launches his “Crusade” in front of a crowd of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Considered one the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century, Graham spent six decades on TV preaching his message.

9 7 3 8 1 4 2 6 5

hurtful (7) 27 Peer left, behind organ (4) 28 In the late evening, routine turnout (10)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 13, 2022

Across: 1 Successor, 7 Extent, 9 Stoical, 10 Tomb, 12 Rot, 13 Broaden, 14 Ian, 15 Sate, 17 Lighter, 19 Scones, 20 Threshold. Down: 1 Sustains, 2 Up to, 3 Coo, 4 Exchanges, 5 Stands, 6 Onion, 8 Tattered, 11 Bovine, 13 Batch, 16 Tell, 18 Two.

nco E i u X t E

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. Each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals.

Verb forms ending in s permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 11; very good 16; excellent 22 (or more). Solution on Monday

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

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Part of a village? (6) 4 Beautiful homes and ruins (8) 9 Uncommonly haughty (6) 10 The capital has foreign currency difficulties (8) 12 Urban area to the West and North (4) 13 Such work is speculative (5) 14 Russian plane loaded with North Chinese pottery (4) 17 Far into a journey a thirsty traveller welcomes it (4,2,3,3) 20 When licked it may go into a corner (7,5) 23 Our mixture number ten is used for sauces (4) 24 Plate gets broken - a bit of a bloomer (5) 25 But it’s no aspersion on the score (4) 28 Near riot breaks out at the front (8) 29 Soft illumination leads to engagement (6) 30 Races round a ship and causes trouble (8) 31 Left one with a Shakespearean part (6)

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Down 1 Built-up area of urban development (4,4) 2 Nota bene: Indicate a source of water (4,4) 3 They may be shocking swimmers (4) 5 Equipment that checks aircraft on carriers (8,4) 6 It takes a lot of beating (4) 7 Boring outfit (3,3) 8 US officer shows the flag (6) 11 Left to the majority to decide (3,2,3,4) 15 Two small firms merge to produce a drink (5) 16 Singer graduates in this way (5) 18 Some steps placed outside an upper window (8) 19 Light entertainment to repeat all over the place (8) 21 Get a whiff of scent at herb mixture (6) 22 Dairy product provided by a goat (6) 26 They go round in circles (4) 27 Singer of a Walton piece (4)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Jeans, 4 Dynamic, 8 Car, 9 Backwater, 10 Proceed, 11 Exude, 13 Tetchy, 15 Tender, 18 Buyer, 19 Injured, 21 Go to earth, 23 Ike, 24 Shelter, 25 Dregs.

Down: 1 Jackpot, 2 Airworthy, 3 Sabre, 4 Decade, 5 Nowhere, 6 Mat, 7 Curse, 12 Under fire, 14 Harvest, 16 Redress, 17 Mirror, 18 Bogus, 20 Jihad, 22 Tie.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Idler, 4 Grenada, 8 Peg, 9 Army corps, 10 Satchel, 11 Aphis, 13 Ethics, 15 Amoral, 18 Capri, 19 Algebra, 21 Momentous, 23 Aid, 24 Capsize, 25 Order.

Down: 1 Impasse, 2 Lightship, 3 Reach, 4 Gamble, 5 Exclaim, 6 Air, 7 Asses, 12 Hardboard, 14 Chianti, 16 Leander, 17 Parole, 18 Comic, 20 Gusto, 22 Mop.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Italian tenor, died 1921 (6) 4 A mess (8) 9 Italian west coast port (6) 10 Following modern trends (2,2,4) 12 Basic cause (4) 13 Absurd proceedings (5) 14 Look after (4) 17 Utterly fed up (4,3,5) 20 Very rapidly (4,8) 23 Principal (4) 24 Barren and windswept (5) 25 Castle’s central tower (4) 28 Extroverted (8) 29 Seem (6) 30 Highly secret (4-4) 31 Faithful (6)

Down 1 Marked dissimilarity (8) 2 Censure (8) 3 Cast off (4) 5 Two-faced (12) 6 Debatable (4) 7 Chief (6) 8 Unfaltering (6) 11 Resentment (4,8) 15 Well-founded (5) 16 Intoxicating (5) 18 Eternal (8) 19 Danger (8) 21 Artfully suave (6) 22 Break in continuity (6) 26 Nonsense (4) 27 Stimulus (4)

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

Solution on Monday 1

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black squares: 2, 30, 31, 32, 35, 37.

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same if you turn the page upside down.

Solution on Monday A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Kakuro Answer 30 25 13 7 16

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THE ALPHABEAT

TARGET Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

A L Q J W W C L E W D N 28 S A Y T N I C K

5 3 6 9 7 2 1 8 4

SMALL CroSSWorD27

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1 x Battleship

3 x Destroyer

2 x cruiser

4 x submarine

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

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, May 13, 2022

staycation

An escape into paradise

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

W

hile life as we knew it is slowly returning to normal and many Bahamians are venturing overseas again, some are still a bit hesitant to resume travelling abroad.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking for a break from the daily grind; to see and experience something new and different. For those people, a staycation is the perfect choice.

Nassau has many great staycation options – some featured previously in this publication – but this week, we’re taking a closer look at The Cove, Atlantis.

The Paradise Island resort offers everything from bespoke concierge services to bookable experiences such as intimate beach dinners and exclusive programming at the resort’s 14-acre marine mammal habitat, Dolphin Cay. Kapil Sharma, senior vice president and general manager of The Cove, said itineraries can be tailored to accommodate any budget or group size.

“There are the favourites like snorkelling, scuba diving and the thrilling 141-acre water park with extreme water slides and exciting river rides, along with incredible marine life adventures like swimming with dolphins, playtime with sea lions and even walking with sharks,” said Mr Sharma.

One Bahamian guest, Toni Bethel, said of her stay: “Definitely, my favourite part of the experience was at The Cove pool. The vibes were good, the service was good. We ate at FISH and Seafire (Steakhouse), and the food selections were delicious. Mostly too, for me, I loved the cleanliness and whole look of the property; that stood out. The whole entire time, I felt as if I was on vacation and out of town.”

Like Toni, Takiyah Johnson said she enjoyed lounging by the pool, the water rides and dinner at the various restaurants on the property.

“The environment was welcoming and the service was excellent. As a Bahamian, I truly felt like a tourist while staying at The Cove,” she said.

FISH at The Cove

THE COVE Pool

WHOLE Fried Lobster at Fish At The Cove

Mr Sharma said the strive to be the ideal place for local residents seeking to escape their daily routine.

“A staycation gives residents the opportunity to experience and discover the beauty of things close to home. It also provides extended quality time with family and friends where they can escape the hassles of day-to-day life and simply enjoy each other’s company. It’s perfect for a bachelor/bachelorette party or even a girlfriend’s getaway or simply a mental refresh, a genuine break from work and the pressures of life, where one can simply relax and take in some high-quality rest time if you choose,” said Mr Sharma.

“Staycation is the new vacation among residents. It has accelerated during the pandemic because it’s an easy way to take a break without travelling too far. It has also given residents the opportunity to discover and fully experience some wonderful destinations and places right in their own backyard.”

When it came to her personal experience, Bahamian guest Crystal Gibson added: “I think too often we are quick to seek a sweet escape in other destinations around the world without ever looking home first. I implore any Bahamian before booking that trip to the United States or elsewhere, become a domestic tourist and explore your home first.”

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, May 13, 2022

gardening

Plants for life

Cabbage cannot replace pine

G

ood day, gardeners.

Let’s go deep.

There are two carbon sinks freely available to us on this earth: the ocean and plant life.

Carbon dioxide has increased exponentially since the beginning of the industrial revolution. We are filling the ocean with our plastic, creating dead zones with our fertilizers and livestock run off, poisoning it with our sunblock and our pharmaceuticals. As we cut down pine trees (legally or illegally) for space to grow crops and for building houses or condos on wetlands and marsh, all best knowledge tells us that those pine trees are invaluable, they should not be cut. The same goes for mangroves. They are priceless.

Cabbage cannot replace the pine tree. Yet, we all need to eat, we all need an income to pay for food and shelter. To grow a forest and to grow food is survival, it is a science, and it is an art. The two are one in the same, food and the forest. They are equally as important. They are both also a connection to the world around us, seen and unseen. With no farm, there is no food, and with no forest there is no clean air to breathe.

We in the Bahamas have been fortunate that the machine that is the global supply chain gets us what we want, when we want it. That chain degrades quickly when one or two links are damaged or broken. The best place to grow food, whether cabbage or breadfruit, is wherever we are. The least environmental harm comes from the hyper local growing of crops. Community plots seem to have proven viable in some places around the world. We need areas dedicated to farming and we need areas dedicated to the lungs of the earth, the pine forest and the deciduous forest, and we must protect the ocean. These things are what allow this world to be livable, not in the realm of idea, but in fact. They give us the air we breathe. We must eat and we must breathe. Are we

BAHAMIAN pineyards

human wellbeing.

Manicured lawns are ecological deserts… there’s that term again. It remains true.

Leave some of the weeds, they help the health of your garden, as well as the health of the whole global community. We are a small pin drop on a fragile earth, but we can all make a difference right at home. Plant a seed or plant a tree, it is not only healthier and more sustainable than the idea of a secure supply chain, but it can also feed you and your neighbor, or at least give you a sweet treat now and again. Homegrown food always tastes better anyway. Cabbage or mango, eggplant or breadfruit, let’s start at home. Viable, sustainable forestry management and farm management are both essential to us all. It takes one seed to start, and one plant at a time. We can create a bountiful garden, starting right at home.

What are you planting now? No one of us can grow everything, so what are you growing? Is it edible?

Did you have to cut a tree to make that space? Please plant another tree somewhere else. The summer heat will be limiting on vegetable crops, but it is a great time to get fruit trees in the ground! I’ll think about lightening it up a bit next week, but as always, I wish you happy gardening.

I bring it to you, the reader. It takes a community to feed a community.

We ought not take for granted times of bounty. A bountiful garden can be free of poisons, and it can benefit a community let alone a household, to be growing something useful to

• 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.

A CABBAGE patch (Photo_pixabay_ josiedeo) willing to allow unregulated destruction of our forests?

There will need to be trees cut to make way for farms and for housing, but New Providence cannot afford to lose any more of our pine trees.

How to structure it all and manage it all is for Government and NGOs. What can we do about it in our own garden spaces? Grow more food and grow more pine trees. We know that trees must come down to make space at times, and that our pine trees are endemic and also limited in their preferred growing range. We also know that we should be replacing as many trees as possible, more than we are cutting. Is the Forestry Unit growing pine trees for distribution and replanting? I know not, and I will likely have forgotten about it once I get done writing and have moved onto something else, but I think it would be a great program for the health of the nation. This is why

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, May 13, 2022

music

Qpid returns with new catchy tune

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

B

AHAMIAN singer and entertainer Qpid says his newest song is an expression of gratitude for the complexity and unpredictability of life itself.

For him, the track “TGFL” (Thank God For Life) is an acknowledgment that despite the obstacles he has faced, each day gives him another opportunity to pursue his dreams, work hard, and live abundantly.

Qpid was 11 years old when he started to become passionate about music, thanks to Edward Hanna, who introduced him to the National Youth Orchestra under the direction of Duke Errol Strachan.

“I was able to enhance my musical theory and practical skills while attending Government High School.

In my early career as a musician, culture played a major role in everything I did. By the time I decided back in 2009 to be a part of the music industry, the ease of transition as it relates to creating the sound I wanted was already cultivated due to my journey through some of the country’s best musicians,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Qpid said his first song to be widely played on radio was called “Bus Driver”, released in 2010. It was a humorous song that became a fan favourite.

Over the years, his life became a source of inspiration for his music.

He would write lyrics based on what he saw or experienced in daily life.

His songs “Church and Bar”, “DEA”, “Stupid Visor” and “Peep Ghost” received great feedback from the public and assisted in elevating his career and stature as an artist.

It was after competing in the inaugural Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival’s Music Master’s competition with the song “Fusion of Vibes” and then “Gimmie My Culture” that Qpid scored his biggest hits to date. The songs earned several awards, Bahamian Icon nominations, and live show appearances in Florida, Atlanta, New York City and Philadelphia.

When asked how he came up with the name for his newest single, “TGFL”, Qpid said usually when running into an old friend or classmate, he’d ask, “How are you doing?”, and the reply is more often than not something like, “I’m fine,

man, thank God for life.” So he decided to shorten that to the catchy “Initially, we released teasers for the song on April 22 to actively seek feedback from listeners. However, we got a larger response than we expected, thanks in particular to producer, engineer and musician Shaad Collie, who worked very hard to make this song possible. I would also like to thank Whitney Dionne, Fred Ferguson and Ray R Ewing who all contributed to the production of this song,” he said.

Qpid said a lyric music video to accompany the song is currently in production.

“I have outsourced it to a creative cinematographer from Toronto, Canada. I expect to publish it by the end of April. In this lyric video, I wanted to produce a different type of visual that was not so cliché.

Through effects and mood transitions, I think we have accomplished that,” he said.

Qpid hopes to release more music as the year continues.

The artist can be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat under ‘Qpid’ or ‘Qpid242’.

“TGFL” is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Deezer.

R&B stars Ashanti and Robin Thicke to perform at Atlantis festival Atlantis will be hosting Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter Ashanti and five-time Grammy Award nominated and diamond-selling performer and songwriter Robin Thicke to perform at the Music Making Waves outdoor concert series on Saturday, July 16, at Casuarina Beach.

The performances will feature a mix of Ashanti and Robin Thicke’s biggest hits, including “Foolish,” “Baby,” “Rock Wit U” by Ashanti, “Blurred Lines,” and “Lost Without You,” and “Magic” by Thicke. Performances begin at 9.30pm. Tickets start at $47 and can be purchased online at atlantismusicmakingwaves. com.

ASHANTI The Music Making Waves concert grounds open at 7pm, where guests and families of all ages can enjoy the concert village filled with local

ROBIN Thicke food trucks and pop-up experiences in the Atlantis activity fun zone. A 360-degree beer garden will offer a selection of cold brews, cocktails,

wines, and plenty of seating. A complimentary round-trip shuttle service is provided for all concert guests to Atlantis’ hotel towers and parking garages.

A portion of the proceeds from the Music Making Waves concert series will support the Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, a nonprofit organisation with the mission of saving marine life and their extraordinary habitats throughout the Bahamas and surrounding Caribbean seas.

Music Making Waves outdoor concert performances will be held all summer long at Atlantis, including Sheryl Crow on May 28 and Jake Owen on August 20.

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literary lives – Nicholas Monsarrat

Amateur sailor turned best-selling author Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the British novelist best known for his sea stories, particularly The Cruel Sea (1951) and Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953), but who later wrote some five novels.

“No novelist of his time conveyed more articulately than Nicholas Monsarrat the tepid rage of Britain in the post-war period when the country won a war, mislaid a great Empire, lost its national nerve, but preserved a saving decency.”

“Sailors, with their built-in sense of order, service and discipline, should really be running the world.”

Resigning his wartime commission in 1946, Monsarrat entered the diplomatic service. He was posted first to Johannesburg, South Africa and then, in 1953, to Ottawa, Canada. He started writing full-time in 1959, settling first on Guernsey, in the Channel Islands, and later on the Maltese island of Gozo.

– Nicholas Monsarrat Nicholas John Turney Monsarrat was born on Rodney Street in Liverpool, England on March 22, 1910, to Keith Waldegrave Monsarrat, FRCS, probably the best-known surgeon of his time, and Marguerite Turney.

He was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge. At his family’s home in Anglesey, he developed an early love of yachting. He had intended to practice law, but decided instead of follow his instinct to become a writer. He moved to London and worked freelance for a number of newspapers.

– John Sutherland Lives of the Novelists, 2011

The three novels Monsarrat published between 1934 and 1937 are now out of print – so is his play The Visitor. His fourth novel, This is the Schoolroom, is partly autobiographical about a young ambitious writer experiencing the real world for the first time. The Cruel Sea

Between 1934 and 1939, he wrote four novels and a play. But he never managed to keep his head above water or earn back his advances. He lived rough and became an ardent pacifist.

When war broke out in 1939, he joined up as a temporary Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. His love of sailing made him a competent naval officer, and he served with distinction in a series of corvettes and frigates, assigned to escort convoys and protect them from enemy attack. He ended the war as a Commander of a frigate and drew on his experiences in his postwar sea stories.

A YOUNG Richard Attenborough (right) in the film ‘The Ship That Died of Shame’ based on Monssarat

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JACK Hawkins leads his men to war in the 1953 film ‘The Cruel Sea’ based on the novel of the same name

THE CRUEL Sea Tribe That Lost Its Head (1956), and its sequel, Richer Than All His Tribe (1968), drawn on his experiences in the diplomatic service, and the British colonial experience in Africa.

Monsarrat was a prolific writer and wrote many more books between 1960 and 1979. He was married three times and retired wealthy to Malta, where in his final years he wrote two lively autobiographical works: Life is a Four-Letter Word: Breaking In (London 1966), and Breaking Out (London 1970); and The Kapillan of Malta (1973) – as much about the island of Malta as about the priest on the island during World War II. His final work, unfinished when he died, was The Master Mariner, Book 1: Running Proud (1978), and The Master Mariner, Book2: Darken Ship (1981).

MONSARRAT in later years (1951) is generally regarded as his best book – written after the Second World War when he resigned his commission,joined the Colonial Service and was appointed to Johannesburg in South Africa to open the British information office.

“In the boredom of that job, between heavy drinking and reckless adulteries (about which he is engagingly frank) he wrote ‘The Cruel Sea’.

– John Sutherland Lives of the Novelists, 2011

Based on his own wartime experience, The Cruel Sea is about a young naval officer and follows a series of postings in corvettes and frigates.

It is an unglamorous account of the small ships of World War II where the sea was as much a threat as the enemy. His short story collections, HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour (1949) and The Ship That Died of Shame (1959), were eventually made into a movie following the success of The Cruel Sea – also made into a successful movie in 1953.

Three Corvettes (1945 and 1953) were other books published about his wartime experiences, and included descriptions of summer holidays spent at Trearddur Bay in Anglesey, North Wales and a famous sailing club there. His brother Denys Monsarrat was killed in Egypt while he was serving in the Royal Navy and his book My Brother Denys recounted much of his youthful family life in Trearddur Bay. Monsarrat resigned his position in the Colonial Service in 1956, and published his now famous novels The

Nicholas Monsarrat died of cancer on August 8, 1979, in London. As was his wish his ashes were scattered at sea with the cooperation of the Royal Navy.

“Blue eyes as level as a foot rule, with wrinkles at the corners – the product of humour and of twenty years staring at a thousand horizons.”

– Nicholas Monsarrat • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Encyclopedia of British Writers (2003) by Christine L. Krueger; and Lives of the Novelists (2011) by John Sutherland.

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history

Abaco through a sculptor’s eyes

I

n his own words, this is how the sculptor Randolph W Johnston (1904 -1992) and his family fell in love with Abaco: “We arrived at ManO-War Cay this morning (January 7, 1951) after an overnight on the Stede Bonnet, the local mail boat from Nassau. As we set foot on the dock, I was impressed by the gay and lively colours worn by the men, women and children who had come to meet the mailboat. The young girls were particularly fetching, in their pinks, yellows, blues and greens. The style of the older women’s clothes was the Mother Hubbard onepiece dress, so stubbornly introduced by missionaries in the South Seas, a hundred years ago. Many of the men had just left their work in the boatyards, to meet the mail boat and they wore handmade blue dungarees and chambray work shirts. Many of the men, and all of the children, were barefoot and almost everybody wore a straw hat…neighbours bringing us bread, fruit and other offerings…a pretty blond girl…with a green coconut in each hand…she said these were a present and refused to take any money.”

Such unconditional hospitality kept the Johnstons in Man-O-War until their rented house was sold, then, in August 1951, they bought Langosta, a 47-foot sailboat with a 5½’ draft from Norman Albury and his son, Vernon. By February 1952, the ship was ready to go to sea and, saying adieu to Man-O-War, the Johnstons sailed south to Nassau. The search was on, to find the ideal spot to live, raise the family and create a foundry, so Randolph, a sculptor, could devote himself to his art.

After exploring the Exuma Cays, Johnston wrote in

PAUL C ARANHA

FORGOTTEN FACTS amazing man, only to find that she knew him already, from the days when he used to come to the Crown Lands Office, where she was the chief clerk, to acquire Crown land at Little Harbour.

Randolph W Johnston is remembered for his two bronze statues in downtown Nassau of Sir Milo Butler and The Bahamian Woman, and his 1975 autobiography ‘Artist on his Island – A Study of Self Reliance’.

Little Harbour is no longer isolated and the Johnstons now have neighbours, but the family still flourishes there.

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

JOHNSTON’s bronze statue of The Bahamian Woman at Rawson Square and Prince George Wharf his diary, “I have been told of a place that sounds like the paradise we have been looking for. It is called Little Harbour and it’s in the Abaco area.”

As the bird flies, Little Harbour is about 20 miles south of Marsh Harbour Airport, but because there was no road, it was unreachable by land and would remain so for a long time.

Another entry in his diary reads, “May 2, 1952 - … we are at anchor in Little Harbour. There can be no doubt this is our long-dreamed-of island. It is beautiful beyond description…There is no sign of man, except the distant lighthouse…”

In the late 1950s, I met Randolph Johnston when he came to Esso to buy fuels and I told my mother of that

LITTLE HARBOUR, Abaco, 1976

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animals

A tribute to a queen of trees

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

D

o you ever wonder what a tree would say if it could speak?

Trees are everywhere and many of them are as old or older than we are. They stand firm and silent whilst chaos reigns around them; just the rustling of their leaves or seed pods in the breeze. They nobly provide us with shade, they hold the soil together in hills, they “breathe”. Their demeanor never changes; if there are bombs dropping or children playing in their shade, the tree remains the same, at least to us. But do they remain unchanged by circumstances and events?

They live, grow, and breathe.

The breathing of a tree is process by which oxygen is brought into contact with its living cells and the carbon dioxide cast out. We need trees far more than they need us.

I am sure you remember my rescue of the coconut tree seven weeks ago. It was an emotional intervention. Looking back at old photos I can see that we planted that tree; a sprouted nut from Bird Cay in the Berry Islands. I used to love to bring back seedlings and cuttings from trees I had known as a child and plant them in my garden. It was as if I were taking a part of Bird Cay back with me to Nassau and tucking it up safely near the house to bring back those golden days of boats and beaches, of fishing, crawfishing and conching of our youths.

That magnificent 40-foot coconut tree once sat in the bottom of a boat as a nut and bounced its way to Nassau, covered in saltwater spray as we went over the interminable waves that we frequently encountered on our trips back. When we got to

Nassau the sprouting nut would have been carefully washed off and placed in a shady spot for planting early Monday morning, we would walk around the garden finding just the right spot. I remember watching how well and fast she grew.

Then in late September 2016 we received the very unwelcome visit

by Hurricane Matthew. It passed between New Providence and Andros; its eye missing us but the “dirty” side of the storm beating up the western end of New Providence pretty wickedly. It was interesting actually to see the difference in the damage in Lyford Cay and Sandyport in comparison with Winton and Yamacraw. To put it mildly, we got clobbered and so did my beautiful coconut tree. She fell hard on the

wet ground. The next day when we ventured out to survey the damage, I looked at her pathetic, no longer the tall sentinel, but a mangled mass of wind-burned palm fronds. When the clean-up crew arrived they thought I was nuts when I said, “No, leave her where she fell, give her a chance.”

We trimmed the burned fronds off her and gradually she started to turn up to the sun….a wonderful rebirth after total destruction.

I think if she could talk, she would say: “I love to feel the sun on my leaves, I love it when the rain pours down on me and darkness envelopes the garden and I become a refuge for nocturnal animals.”

She could tell us of watching my family grow: maybe she would even tell us that she is happiest being

pet of the week

The adoption fee includes spaying/neutering and a vet check.

Adoption hours are 12noon to 3pm, Monday to Friday, and 11am to 3pm on Saturday, or you can call 323-5138 for more information.

This tetrad of cuties hope that maybe you’ll find them to be the ones you fall in love with! See you soon!

Puppies galore!

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

G

ood day, all! The Bahamas Humane Society will be holding an adoption drive over the next few months.

We’re overrun with puppies and have a great selection of older dogs as well, so all puppies and dogs are half price until August.

Please be sure to have completed your adoption form so we can do a yard check.

on the ground when eventually my grandson will be able to climb on her or walk along her strong trunk in great toddler triumph.

She would tell us of the challenge her body faced to continue to thrive after being blown down and only one third of her roots remained buried in the soil. I am sure she must have been very grateful for the water we lavished on her those first weeks.

When we moved last year, leaving that tree was like leaving a friend.

I had sat on her trunk to stay away when prospective buyers looked at our home. I had watched her struggle to “reach” the sun…she was brave beyond means.

I tried the “no backward glance” approach, but I certainly missed that tree. When I was told that we could pick her up, I didn’t miss a beat, and once again her roots have been disturbed, but in a kinder manner, carried in triumph through the streets of Lyford Cay suspended from a crane to be settled into an awaiting hole full of rich welcoming soil.

I greet her every morning and I feel she knows that she is loved, frequently there will be one or more pigeons sitting on her trunk and they watch me walk to my car, no effort to fly away.

In the new week we will start to festoon her with magnificent growing orchids. She will look like an exotic queen clothed in nature’s finest clothing, colourful blooms making her all the more impressive.

(Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha)

If you can’t adopt, foster.

If you can’t foster, volunteer.

If you can’t volunteer, donate.

If you can’t donate, educate.

Help make a difference!

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