07012022 WEEKEND

Friday, July 1, 2022

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Weekend

Fashion report Page 07

Painting to preserve Abaco artists host auction to save historical lighthouse

pgs 08 +09

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

books

‘Bahama Grandma’ comes to life in colourful cookbook

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

B

eyond just documenting her grandmother’s beloved recipes, Dr Desiree Clarke wanted to capture the whimsical world of a typically Bahamian matriarch.

She does this in her new book, “Bahama Grandma’s Recipe Gift Book,” a colourfully illustrated cookbook peppered with entertaining short stories and loaded with helpful tips.

Even though writing cookbooks is a new venture for Dr Clarke, she is not new to the local culture and culinary scene, having operated gift shops and restaurants in both Grand Bahama and Cat Island.

“I love to write. Sometime during my college years, I found that while many students found writing a chore, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s something that comes naturally to me and I find writing to be somewhat therapeutic,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Born and raised in Nassau, Dr Clarke has lived in Florida, New York, and Washington, DC, all for the purpose of advancing her education.

She’s a dentist, a mother to a teenage daughter, entrepreneur, and now the author and illustrator of “Bahama Grandma’s Recipe Gift Book”.

Dr Clarke said she didn’t want to write “just another bland Bahamian cookbook”, but rather capture the essence and colourful character of her maternal grandmother, the late Roseina Strachan of Cat Island.

“I’ve added quantities and measurements to the recipes, because Bahama Grandma never measured her ingredients when she cooked. She always knew how much of everything to add. I guess she stored this information in her head. I have modernised the recipes to fit our busy lifestyles, because let’s face it, who has time to bark a coconut, then grate it, then strain it to get fresh coconut milk the way Bahama Grandma used to do?”

As a young girl, Dr Clarke said she would stand in the kitchen of her grandmother’s tiny clapboard house and watch her prepare her legendary meals for the family.

The cookbook is a way to share her grandmother’s story and preserve her recipes.

“May her memory live on forever,” said Dr Clarke.

“This was my first book venture. Readers will find the cookbook to be detailed and carefully crafted. It took a while to illustrate and write the book. To see the book published, wow. The experience can only be referred to as pure joy. One true test to determine if you have a good product is if you have repeat buyers. Retailers continue to repeatedly invest in my cookbook, so this is a good

sign. I have also received many favourable reviews of the book from satisfied customers.”

Choosing a favourite recipe in the book is a tough one for Dr Clarke, as she loves them all.

But if she had to pick just one, it would be the seafood curry.

Primarily, she said, because it satisfies her love of seafood, and the aroma of the curry brings back so many warm memories of cooking with her grandmother.

Other classic recipes include conch chowder, slowly simmered in a rich tomato broth; golden grouper fingers, and decadent island rum cake.

Dr Clarke said she has also launched her brand of Bahama Grandma handmade ocean-themed Christmas ornaments. Before the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, she said readers can expect two brand new ‘Bahama Grandma’ cookbooks.

The first of which will focus on healthier recipes, while the second one will be a “spirited Bahamian cookbook” that showcases dishes made with rum.

“Additionally, before the end of this year, Bahama Grandma Original will launch a Bahamian-themed children’s book series that will address topics like climate change, sensitivity to feelings, and conflict resolution. The books will be

DENTIST and author Dr Desiree Clarke

written in simple, child-friendly terminology,” said Dr Clarke.

“Bahama Grandma’s Recipe Gift Book” is available for purchase on Amazon and can also be purchased by emailing Dr Clarke directly at bahamagrandmagifts@gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, July 1, 2022

entertainment

COMEDIAN Chloe Robinson

(Photos via Instagram)

MARVEL star Simu Liu enjoys his stay at Baha Mar and swimming with the pigs

THE VIEW’s hosts

MATT Rogers and Bowen Yang, stars of ‘Fire Island’

Marvel star declares Bahamas stay ‘best vacation’

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

C

anadian actor Simu Liu, star of the Marvel blockbuster “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, enjoyed his recent stay in the Bahamas so much, he declared it one of the beautiful places he’s ever visited.

The action star was visiting Baha Mar this week as part of a special taping of the Emmy Award-winning talk show The View.

The hosts of the ABC show, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar and Ana Navarro, showcased aspects of Bahamian culture to their millions of viewers as

part of the The View’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

They were joined by several celebrity guests, including Simu Liu, who was on the show to promote his new book, “We Were Dreamers.”

“It is my first time in the Bahamas and I would say one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too.

I would say 95 per cent of it has been the best vacation I have ever been on, and to address the other five percent, I did have a pig encounter just the other day,” he said while showing a small bandage on his hand.

Host Ana Navarro joked that she did not blame the pigs for biting the attractive actor.

Despite his minor mishap, Simu said swimming with the pigs in Exuma was an incredible experience.

Other guests included Tyra Banks; Ne-Yo; Andy Grammer; comedian Chloe Robinson, and actors Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, who were there to promote their new movie “Fire Island”, a queer romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”.

Former co-host Sherri Shepherd stopped by to promote her new talk show, ‘Sherri’. Between joking about sex toys, she declared that she’d been having a great time partying in the Bahamas, but that she’d been staying away from the beach.

“You know I can’t swim. I’ve tried to swim over the years, and it didn’t go so well,” she said.

Ethiopian-born Swedish celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson was also on hand to spotlight his newest restaurant, Marcus at Bahamas Mar Fish + Chop House, as well as the Bahamas Culinary and Arts Festival which will be held at the resort this October.

The hosts, of course, spent time showing off Baha Mar’s water park and other amenities, and Joy Behar even took a turn playing bartender, serving the resort guests drinks she mixed. To relax, the hosts took part in a special yoga class featuring real flamingos.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

interview

Sia Wright After proving herself at the Bahamas’ leading competition for young chefs, this teen cooking sensation now dreams of one day opening a fully vegan restaurant.

She tells Cara Hunt how and why cooking became such a big part of her life.

F

ourteen-year-old Sia Wright has had an unusual upbringing when it comes to food: she was raised vegan.

This lifelong experience has made the teenager passionate about creating plant-based dishes that will delight both vegans and non-vegans alike.

As a winner of last year’s Bahamas Young Chef Culinary Senior Competition, the Akhepran International Academy student is well on her way to achieving her dream of opening a fully vegan restaurant “I was raised on a plant-based vegan diet by my parents and everyone around me also is vegan, and so it is what I have always been exposed to,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Her interest in cooking began at a very early age.

“I started helping my parents in the kitchen from about the age of five,” she remembers. “I just love cooking; there is something so cool about being able to go into the kitchen when you are hungry and just grab ingredients and make a meal that everyone can eat and enjoy.

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, July 1, 2022

“I think that being able to cook is a skill that everyone should have, in fact, to be honest, I find it weird when people can’t cook. It saves money, and if you can cook well, then you can even turn into a business.”

Sia believes parents should expose their children to cooking as early as possible.

“Let them help out and be around you as you are cooking, so they can began to get familiar with it.”

Growing up, the more time she spent in the kitchen, the more creative Sia became, experimenting with new ingredient combinations.

“I really like soups like a lentil-based soup or stir fry. In our house we use quinoa rather than rice. I also really like cooking mashed potatoes and I have a recipe for a vegan cream of mushroom soup I love to make.”

While her family always loved her dishes, it was not until she entered the Young Chef competition that Sia realised just how talented she was.

The Bahamas Young Chef Culinary Competition is held annually and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Mahatma Rice and Robin Hood Flour.

This year, students were challenged to use any of the rice and flour products to prepare a dish and dessert based on the theme, “Bahamian Culinary Resilience: Going Back to Our Roots”.

Sia chose to create a coconut-infused lentil brown stew stuffed in a savoury parcel topped with a pan-seared mushroom and mixed salad. For the dessert, she made a layered guava pudding topped with chocolate mousse.

Sia said she entered the contest on a whim and was thrilled with the outcome.

“It was my first cooking competition and I just entered it on a whim. I like trying new things and I just thought it would be something cool to do.

this

weekend in history July 1 • In 1979, the first Sony Walkman goes on sale, sparking a revolution in portable electronics. It sold for approximately $150 and was one of the company’s greatest success stories.

• In 1997, Hong Kong is returned to China. The ceremony was attended by

I will say I was a bit nervous, but I had people around me who were able to help me and give me a bit of confidence. But it was fun to experiment and create those dishes.

“I usually only cook for my family and I feel that while they may have told me that they didn’t like something, they probably do try to spare my

feelings, so having the professional judges in the industry tell me that I can cook brought joy to my heart.”

Taking part in the competition has also unexpectedly awakened a new dream in Sia; that over owning her own vegan restaurant one day.

“I am really interested in marine science and that is what I wanted to do, but after being in the competition, I am thinking that I may want to do both.

“I know there are restaurants that are vegetarian and have meat options or restaurants that have vegetarian options, but I would want to serve only vegan in my restaurant.”

Sia said she would love to show people how versatile vegan cuisine can be.

“I don’t try to force my food choices on other people, but if someone is curious about vegan food, I would begin by asking what their favourite foods are and then try to recreate that food in a vegan option. I feel like you can find a way to do that with just about any food dish.”

In fact, she demonstrated that ability when she participated in a cooking showcase at the International Culture Day, which was hosted by the Holy Qubtic Church of the Black Messiah, at the heritage site of Arawak Cay last Saturday.

She made a jambalaya dish for the event using substitutes like beans to replace the traditional meats the recipe usually calls for.

When it comes to people exploring the vegan lifestyle, Sia said people should take their time and slowly ease into it, especially if they have grown up eating a meat-based diet.

“Otherwise, they will have withdrawal symptoms as it will still be all around them,” she said.

then British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles of Wales, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. China had ceded Hong Kong, then a sparsely inhabited island, to Britain in 1841. In 1898, Britain was granted another 99 years of rule under the Second Convention of Peking.

July 3 • In 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg, the most decisive battle of the American Civil War, ends.

Confederate Robert E Lee’s last attempt to break the Union line ends in defeat. Lee leads his army out of the North, never to invade it again.

July 2 • In 1865, the former Methodist Reform Church minister William Booth and his wife Catherine found the East London Christian Mission which eventually evolves into the worldwide organisation known as the Salvation Army, with a membership of over 1.7 million.

THE ORIGINAL Sony Walkman

• In 1956, Elvis Presley records the iconic hits “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel”, setting the stage for him becoming the ‘King of Rock and Roll’.

• In 1969, Rolling Stones guitarist and original leader Brian Jones, 27, is found dead of an apparent accidental drowning in the pool at his home in Sussex. He had been fired from the band three weeks prior due to his ongoing drug problems.

construction (7) 27 Bear loses head in whirlpool (4) 28 Celebrity by railway looked idealistic (6-4)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

helped (5) Across: 1 Wellbeing, 727Tennis,

9 Develop, 10 Once, 12 She, Friday, July 1, 13 Upright, 14 End, 15 Heat, 17 Idolise, 19 Stress, 20 Ceaseless.

Down: 1 Widowers, 2 Eden, 3 Lav, 4 Bellicose, 5 Enough, 6 Night, 8 Shelters, 11 Erodes, 13 Unite, 16 Asks, 18 Ice.

tAE E B l Al r

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 20; very good 30; excellent 39 (or more). Solution on Monday

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

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Workplace for one’s competitors (10) 6 Perfect but inconclusive thought (4) 10 One kind of timber that’s just made for the job (5) 11 Majority status (9) 12 Fabric obtained for ready money only (8) 13 Regret holding gym lessons for money (5) 15 Ended series having exceeded time allowed (7) 17 Proverbially thick-set? (7) 19 A short month on a Roman road for Antony’s wife (7) 21 Centre of a dance revolution (7) 22 Make a deduction (5) 24 Paid a brief visit and asked for help (6,2) 27 Found out people’s feelings about sand and caves (9) 28 I’ve an order that’s simple (5) 29 Young leader in wild set makes painful sight (4) 30 A subject for those who have a mind to study (10)

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18 He bows both during and Down: 1 Tamil, 2 All, 3 Lawn, 4 Reeked, 5 Muleteer, 6 Free after his recital (9) verse, 7 Interns, 11 Transport, 20 Makes a legal charge 13 Accolade, 14 Codicil, (7) 16 Snacks, 19 Linen, 20 Port, 21 Musical number that is 23 Moo. cold in a way (7) 23 Feel like something a bit extravagant? (5) 25 French apathy (5) 26 Tax it out of frivolity (4) Down Across 1 Spoken (4) 1 Lacking in awareness (3,2,5) 2 Retaliation in kind 6 7 8 (3,3,3) 6 Spend time idly 9 (4) 3 Binding power (5) 10 Modify (5) 4 Prevent in advance (7) 11 Malicious destruction (9) 5 Strive (7) 12 Put up with (8) 7 An addictive drug 13 (5) 13 Desert beast of burden (5) 8 Genealogical diagram (6,4) 15 Eminent (7) 18 9 Whimsical (8) 17 Amount short (7) 14 Filming away from studio (2,8) 19 External (7) 16 Flourish 21 Amount left over threateningly (8) (7) 18 Vain (9) 22 Carrying a 25 weapon (5) 20 Bring into contempt (7) 24 Overshoes (8) 26 21 Strengthen (7) 27 Never-ending (9) 28 23 Muslim place of 28 Maxim (5) pilgrimage (5) 29 Closely 25 Polynesian related (4) islands group (5) 30 Rowdy disorderly 26 Lower in price (4) place (4,6)

EASY PUZZLE

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.

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THE ALPHABEATER

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.

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, July 1, 2022

celebrity

The Weekend Fashion Report

BET Awards 2022

FAIL

HIT

FAIL

SPLIT

SPLIT

Keke Palmer

Lizzo

Billy Porter

Halle Bailey

Mary J Blige

Karin says: “It’s so basic.

Without the bizarre train, it would just be a halter dress you wear around the house.

I also don’t understand the patchwork pattern. It’s a weird choice for sure.”

Karin says: “Lizzo knows how to bring over-the-top glamour to the red carpet. I love it!

This Gucci gown is all Golden Age Hollywood and she wears it perfectly. Love the exaggerated feathers and the sparkle!”

Karin says: “Billy always seeks to create a (gender nonconforming) sensation on the red carpet, but it backfired this time…big time. This sweaterskirt ensemble is just so drab and even a bit grotesque. The makeup and hair only work to complete the awful look.”

Karin says: “The future ‘Little Mermaid’ went a bit risqué with this plunging Monot corset gown. I actually like it, even though it looks like it’s going to slide down on her at any moment. Loving the hair though.”

Karin says: “I hate everything about this look. It looks sloppy. The hair ages her; her foundation is the wrong shade; the pink nails look cheap, and overall, she just looks really uncomfortable. This is the wrong type of sexy for her.”

Cara says: “This dress is another variation of the little sexy black dress. I think it’s OK, but it doesn’t blow me away, probably because we see this style in some form or other so often.”

Cara says: “Mary has been rocking a lot of white gowns on the red carpet and this is another great one. I am usually not a big fan of chokers, but this works. It’s such a fun look and those shoes are killer.”

Cara says: “This is the dress that really wanted to attend the ball and so it tried to pretend that it was something special, but it sadly wasn’t. I don’t understand the point of the train other than it being a tripping hazard.”

Cara says: “I just love Lizzo.

She always understands the diva assignment. This look screams old school Hollywood glam, from that amazing hair to the ruffled hem. Really love this look!”

Cara says: “There aren’t adequate words to convey how horrible this hot mess is. First of all, the grey is so gloomy, the shoes are ugly and the shoulders are ridiculous.

I had to look twice because this is the worst Billy has ever looked.”

(Photos by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

gardening

Vines for climbing colour

G

ood day, gardeners.

When looking for colour to add to a garden space, there are lots of options. Flowering trees (yellow elder, crepe myrtle), shrubs (plumbago, dwarf bougainvillea), perennials (pentas, vinca), annuals (impatiens, marigolds), or groundcovers (coral creeper, wedelia) can all be used to bring a splash of colour to the garden.

For those that enjoy a rambling garden or seek to add something to soften the look and add colour at different heights, there are many vines that do well in our region.

One that many are familiar with is the allamanda vine with its large bright yellow flowers. The allamanda can be used on a fence or building if it is given support with fishing line or similar. I enjoy seeing allamanda planted in garden beds where there are shrubs and trees present, as it tends to send vining branches up into the trees and through the shrubs where it can be supported as it does not have tendrils to hold itself up.

Allamanda does not overwhelm the other material and sort of blends itself in, but then when it is flowering, the big yellow flowers are a delight.

The mandevilla vine is one that has a more typical vining habit in that it grabs on to supports and finds its way up and out without much help or support needed. Mandevilla are available in several species, one with a small yellow flower, and a few with shades of pink. The pink varieties have larger flowers than the yellow mandevilla does, but they are smaller than the allamanda. Mandevilla are easy to establish if the soils are amended to lower the pH of our native soils with the addition of composts or organic materials. They can hold on to branches of trees and fences to make an excellent fence cover or rambling vine.

The pink varieties of mandevilla tend to be a bit more demanding than the yellow in terms of nutrients, and there may be encounters with mealybug, but that isn’t much different from anything else.

Dipladenia is a vine that can also be used as a shrub with regular pruning. Dipladenia have larger flowers

All of these vines mentioned are not aggressive or invasive and they are all easily controlled by pruning if control is needed.

There are allamanda shrubs and compact varieties as well, if vining is not wanted, but today it’s about the vines. Each one of these mentioned can be successfully kept in a pot, they do not have to go into the ground. When grown in a pot, one advantage is that they can much more easily be kept under control, and this suits small spaces a bit better than a rambling vine might. When kept in a pot they can still be allowed to vine on a trellis or supports at an entranceway for example without becoming a monster to deal with. Vines add a bit of softness or a wilder look, and they can be maintained to shape if they are to climb on a rectangular trellis in confined spaces, or if a more formal or controlled look is desired.

There are many other vines that do well, but the allamanda, mandevilla, and dipladenia are all lovely and worth using, in my opinion. Easy to control, they can be grown in pots or in the ground, with basic nutrient needs, and they all prefer the soils to be on the dryer side than wet which makes them a bit more tolerant to neglect or dry spells. The flowers of all of these mentioned are beautiful and cheery and any of them may make a great addition to any garden space, small or large! As always, I wish you happy gardening.

PINK allamanda vine than the mandevilla but still smaller than the allamanda. Dipladenia can have either red, white, or pink flowers and is a real treat as they flower

often and profusely. These are vining in the sense that the new growth grabs on to supports by twisting around them to hold itself up.

• 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, July 1, 2022

community

Miss Bahamas Universe contestants get business savvy ahead of pageant finale

By CARA HUNT | Tribune Features Writer | cbrennen@tribunemedia.net

I

n less than 48 hours, a new Miss Bahamas Universe will be crowned.

Outgoing queen Chantel O’Brian, who had a historic year, will take her final curtsy during the pageant on Sunday evening at the Rosewood, Baha Mar, where 10 new contestants vying for the crown will be unveiled.

The pageant takes place in the resort’s Grand Salon, starting at 7pm.

The organisation is buzzing with excitement for all of the events to unfold. This year’s pageant is being held under the patronage of Ann Marie Davis, who has announced her desire to partner with the Miss Bahamas Universe and its 2022 ambassador to help amplify the winner’s platform and passion projects. Mrs Davis, the wife of Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, also stated that this is another way of “empowering women”, both locally and internationally.

This year’s contestants are Rickia Bonimy, Bashar Isaacs, A’shia Darling, India Davis, Angel Cartwright, Jael Peters, Latesha Gilbert, Kanice Canter, Juanita Rolle and Natalya Pratt.

Baha Mar announces inaugural Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival The Baha Mar resort has announced the first the Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival at Baha Mar, to be held October 21-23.

The event will bring together globally celebrated chefs and local Bahamian artists for a weekend of food, art, and culture

MISS Bahamas Universe held is first annual business symposium for delegates.

Sunday’s event will be the culmination of weeks of activities and intensive training for the delegates.

One of the final activities the delegates participated in was a business symposium., which promoted beauty, brains and good business sense.

The contestants heard from heads of companies in various industry sectors.

The symposium was heralded as a “game-changing” for the Miss Bahamas Universe Organisation as it was the first of its kind. It is expected to be staple of the annual roster of activities from here on out.

The event, which was sponsored by the Margaritaville Resort and Fidelity Bank & Trust, brought

together seasoned entrepreneurs for an afternoon of motivation.

Along with the reigning Miss Bahamas Universe, Chantel O’Brian, other panelists included Aaron Pinder, CEO of Perfect-Tone; Philip Davis Jr, CEO of Eden Farms; Stermon Rolle, CEO of the Lancaster brand; Chef Jasmine Bain; Sonia Brown, CEO of the Brown Entertainment Group; Lakindes Brown, CEO of Elle B Jewelers Bahamas, and Nathaniel Adams, CEO of Wicked Wings.

Anthony Smith, national director for the Miss Bahamas Universe Organisation, said the idea to host the first business symposium was inspired by the idea to have young

(Photos/KIROS Images) women concentrate on entrepreneurship in a much more meaningful and resourceful way.

“Long after the pageant is over, many of the ladies will walk away with great contacts from power houses in corporate Bahamas and entrepreneurs who they may wish to partner with, receive some form of funding/ investments for their ideas, or simply to become empowered by the stories or trials as well the successes,” he said.

One of the main goals of the conference was for delegates to identify their personal brands.

For Sunday’s pageant, ticket information can be found at www. missbahamaspageant.org.

Ethiopian-born Swedish celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson of Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House, French chef Daniel Boulud of Café Boulud, and Italian butcher Dario Cecchini of Carna, will be joined by TV personality and culinary maven Amanda Freitag along with author and restauranteur Carla Hall, as well as Bahamian culinary artisan, event curator and chef Simeon Hall Jr. The festival will kick-off with a welcome party hosted by Marcus Samuelsson on Friday, October 21.

Throughout the weekend, guests will be able to enjoy a two-day culinary and arts expo featuring interactive cooking demos led by Baha Mar’s leading epicurean talent and guest chefs, new exhibitions from local artisans in partnership with The Current, curated by the resort’s executive director of Arts and Culture John Cox, and a grand dine-around

showcasing a taste of the very best of the Bahamas and Baha Mar’s more than 45 celebrated restaurants, bars and cafés. All headlining chefs will each host exclusive, bespoke interactive experiences, to be announced later this summer. The celebration will conclude with a special ticketed event for an al fresco dining experience with the festival’s participating chefs and artists on Long Cay, Baha Mar’s private island hideaway.

“We envision this festival becoming the leading celebration of food and art in the region, providing locals and visitors with the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the island’s rich culture and

gastronomic offerings,” said Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar. Chef Samuelsson said: “We’ve set the stage for a truly unforgettable festival, and myself, alongside my colleagues and friends, are excited to continue highlighting the local culinary scene, matched with unique Bahamian art and culture.”

During the festival weekend, The Current gallery and studio will take guests on a cultural journey showcasing the local art and its artists displayed throughout the property.

Attendees will also experience local artists creating unique pieces of work - live - inspired by the event’s happenings and surroundings.

Tickets for the event are now on sale, ranging from $79 to $499.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

Literary Lives – Sidney Bechet (1897 – 1959)

A deity of early jazz Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the American jazz saxophonist, clarinettist, and composer, who was one of the first recorded soloists in jazz. His erratic temperament hampered his career, and he did not earn wide acclaim until the late 1940s. He spent much of his later life in France.

“People got the wrong idea about jazz ... they think it’s all red-light business. You gotta mean it and you gotta treat it gentle.”

– Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet was born on May 17, 1897, to a middle-class Creole family in New Orleans. His father was a shoemaker and also played the flute. All four of his brothers were musicians. His older brother Leonard Victor was a dentist who played the trombone part-time.

Bechet played several instruments that were lying around the house, and first mastered the cornet – teaching himself. He then switched to the clarinet which he played exclusively until about 1919.

When he was six years old, he played with his brother’s band at family gatherings and developed a natural instinct for traditional jazz music. He later played and studied with Joseph “King” Oliver, Bunk Johnson, Freddie Keppard, Lorenzo Tio, Louis Nelson Delisle and George Baquet. He played in several New Orleans ensembles, learning improvisational techniques varying the melody. He played with the young Louis Armstrong and may have been one of the early jazz musicians to develop a “swing” style of jazz and influence the widening difference between jazz and ragtime.

Unlike other clarinettists who relied on solo “breaks”, Bechet tried to dominate a performance, competing

with trumpeters or cornetists playing with him. Trumpet players found it difficult to play alongside him. He was always anxious to be the lead instrument.

“Jazz is a name the white people have given to the music. It does not explain the music. There are two kinds of music. There is classic and there is ragtime. When I tell you ragtime, you can feel it; there is a spirit right in the word. It comes out of Negro spirituals – out of the rhythm.”

– Sidney Bechet Bechet performed in New Orleans parades with Freddie Keppard’s brass band, the Olympia Orchestra, and in John Robichaux’s dance orchestra. From 1911 to 1912, he performed with Bunk Johnson in the Eagle Band of New Orleans, and in 1913 to 1914 with King Oliver in the Olympia Band. From 1914 to 1917 he toured as far north as Chicago – sometimes playing with Freddie Keppard.

He travelled to New York City in the spring of 1919 and joined Will Marion Cook’s Syncopated Orchestra. The orchestra travelled to Europe and performed at the Royal Philharmonic Hall in London. Both the band and Bechet were especially popular. While in London he discovered something he had never seen before – a straight soprano saxophone, and learned to use it instead of his clarinet – a completely different style. Bechet was the first influential soprano saxophonist, and led to its rising popularity in jazz.

“But if you have a feeling for the music, you can understand him, and that is why he keeps it so important to himself ... the Black man, he’s been learning his way from the beginning. A way of saying something from inside himself, as far back as time, as far back as Africa, in the jungle, and the way the drums talked across the jungle, the way they filed the whole air with a sound like the blood beating inside himself.”

– Sidney Bechet Bechet’s soprano saxophone could be described as emotional, reckless, and large. He often used a broad vibrato, similar to some New Orleans clarinettists at the time – like Johnny Dodds, who played in Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings. In 1919, Ernest Ansermet, a Swiss classical music conductor, wrote a tribute to Bechet, one of the earliest to a jazz musician from the field of classical music, linking Bechet’s music with that of Bach.

Bechet’s first recordings were made in 1923 and 1924. The session was led by Clarence Williams, a pianist and songwriter, better known for his music publishing and record producing. Bechet recorded “Wild Cat Blues” and “Kansas City Man Blues”. The first is in a ragtime style with four sixteen-bar themes, and the latter is a simple twelve-bar blues. Bechet worked with Duke Ellington for three months and made a significant impact on Ellington’s early jazz style. Ellington called him “the epitome of jazz”.

Bechet never learned how to read music.

Bechet and other members of the Revue Nègre, including Josephine Baker, sailed to Europe arriving at Cherbourg in France on 22 September 1925. The revue opened at the Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées in Paris on 2 October

1925, and was an example of negrophilia in France at the time. He toured Europe with many different bands and reached as far as Russia in mid 1926. In 1928 he led a small band run by Ada “Bricktop” Smith in Montmartre, Paris. Bechet found much more freedom in France than in the United States and was much more appreciated.

He was imprisoned in Paris for eleven months, writing in his autobiography that he accidentally shot a woman when he was trying to shoot a musician who had insulted him. After he was released he was deported to New York, arriving soon after the 1929 stock market crash.

Bechet made his way to New York in 1932 to lead a band with Tommy Ladnier – and played in the Savoy Ballroom.

He also played in Noble

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Friday, July 1, 2022

BUNK Johnson and Sidney Bechet Sissie’s orchestra, which toured Germany and Russia. In 1939, Bechet and the pianist Willie “The Lion” Smith led a group that recorded early versions of what was later called “Latin Jazz”, adapting méringue, rhumba and Haitian songs to the jazz idiom. On 28 July 1940 Bechet made a guest appearance on the NBC Radio show The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street playing two of his showpieces “Shake It and Break It” and “St Louis Blues” with Henry Levine’s Dixieland band. Levine then invited Bechet to the RCA Victor recording studio where Bechet played his soprano saxophone in “Muskrat Ramble”; and then on 18 April 1941 played six different instruments on a version of “The Sheik of Araby” – later issued in the 1965 LP Bechet of New Orleans.

In 1944, 1946 and 1953, Bechet recorded and performed in concert with the Chicago jazz pianist Max Miller. These private recordings have never been issued, but are described in John Chilton’s 1989 biography Sidney Bechet: The Wizard of Jazz.

Jobs in music were always difficult to find in Bechet’s life. At one time

he opened a tailor’s shop in New York with Tommy Ladnier. Musicians often visited them and they played in the back of the shop. He had a tough time making ends meet and he realised that the waning jazz scene in America had little to offer him.

importance in the music industry at a time when jazz was losing its popularity. Shortly before his death, he dictated his autobiography Treat It Gentle (1960) to Al Rose – a record producer and radio host. He had worked with Rose several times in concert promotions.

In 1951, Bechet emigrated to France permanently – mostly as a result of his surge in popularity after performing as a soloist at the Paris Jazz Fair. He found work much more easily and it was well paid. He married Elisabeth Ziegler in Antibes. He signed a recording contract in 1953 with Disques Vogue that lasted for the rest of his life. He recorded many hit tunes including “Petite Fleur”, “Les Oignons” and “Promenade aux Champs-Élysées”. He also composed a classical ballet in the late romantic style of Tchaikovsky called La Nuit est une sorcière (The Night Is a Witch). He was almost respected as a god in France.

“The kindly old gentleman in his book was filled with charity and compassion. The one I knew was selfcentred, cold, and capable of the most atrocious cruelty, especially towards women.”

– Al Rose Treat It Gentle

Bechet was married three times: Norma Hale (1918 – 1929); MarieLouise Crawford (1934-1942), and Elisabeth Ziegler (1951-1959). He was known to have an abrasive attitude, and confident about his

Nevertheless, Treat It Gentle remains a staple account of an insider’s view of the New Orleans jazz tradition.

“All of my life I’ve been trying to explain something, something I understand – the part of me that was there before I was. It was there waiting to be me. It was there waiting to be the music. It is that part I have been trying to explain to myself all my life.”

Sidney Bechet

Bechet’s music has been included in the soundtrack of over sixty films, including JFK (1991); Chocolat (2000); The Quiet American (2002); and his marvellous “Si Tu Vois Ma Mère” in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011).

Sidney Bechet died in Garches, near Paris, of lung cancer on 14 May 1959, on his sixty-second birthday.

He was buried in a local cemetery.

Billie Holiday and Lester Young, two other jazz greats, also died in 1959.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; and Treat It Gentle (1960) by Sidney Bechet

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

history

Demolition by neglect

N

ot far away from the demolished buildings on Cumberland Street (mentioned in the article above) is the sparkling white St Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk, of which one of the principal founders was a Scotsman named Neil McQueen.

When he died in 1838, McQueen had been editor and publisher of The Royal Gazette, Nassau’s only newspaper for some 25 years. Surprisingly, this founder of the Kirk is one of the earlier graves in St Matthew’s churchyard, also the closest to the door of the church.

Because my mother is a second greatgranddaughter of Neil’s sister, Flora (McQueen) Forsyth, my sister, Betty, my mother and my mother’s father are all buried in Neil’s grave.

My wife had been told that a lot of work had been done to improve the

appearance of graves in St Matthew’s churchyard and been sent a photograph of the changes made to the McQueen/ Wright/Aranha grave.

Not far away is the Aranha plot, where my father and my brothers, Norman and Ted, are buried, and recently, I took my nephew to see these two grave sites.

From a historical point of view, tombstone epitaphs can be the key to tracings one’s family tree, as I found out by reading that Henry Oswald Wright was born in Lewisham, England. This one piece of information enabled me to trace my mother’s ancestors back to Derby, in the 1400s.

Vandalising/defacing a tombstone is like demolition by neglect. Although the graveyard looks neater for the work that has been done, my parents’ graves have not been improved. Rather, they

had been damaged. The inscription for Henry Oswald Wright has all but vanished and my father’s epitaph has become an eyesore.

Many graves looked very different, but I couldn’t help thinking that it would have been better to give our oldest church edifice a good coat of whitewash. The whole neighbourhood would look so much more attractive.

St Matthew’s is an integral part of my life, the place where I was baptised, where I attended Sunday school and where I was confirmed. In my youth, its church bells, playing the Westminster chimes every 15 minutes, was a beloved part of the neighbourhood.

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

PAUL C ARANHA

FORGOTTEN FACTS

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Friday, July 1, 2022

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

BHS Shelter full to capacity

PET OF THE WEEK

By The Bahamas Humane Society Luna’s already a BHS superstar, having attended the NEMA conference with Assistant Shelter Manager Peter Feldman.

This six-month old potcake is very well-behaved and enjoys being around people.

She’s hoping to find a home of her own soon, perhaps one with humans who’ll take her for walks and trips to the beach.

Are you looking for a young, smart dog to join your family?

Luna might just be the right fit!

Please give the Bahamas Humane Society a call at 323-

“T

here is no room at the inn” – This is such a famous phrase remembered and repeated over and over again through generations, borrowed to highlight so many situations.

The Bahamas Humane Society is leaning heavily on this phrase; we are full. There simply is not another square inch to squeeze another animal into.

Animals have been pouring into the shelter, people surrendering animals, complete litters, some with the mums, and some not; dogs, cats, puppies and kittens.

There appears to be an amazing lack of responsible animal ownership at present. If you plan to dump your pet’s newborn puppies and kittens, then, why, oh why, don’t you get your animal spayed so that she doesn’t have any babies?

If you are going to deprive her of her offspring, surely you cannot use that very old and ridiculous excuse that you wanted her to experience being a mother, only to then take them away from her and leave her full of milk, suffering, and no babies to feed; that is a desperate experience for mothers of any species.

It is almost impossible for humans to raise a multitude of bottle-fed animal babies. It is stressful for the human who has to feed every three hours and devastating on the baby animal who needs the mother to nurture and love them. Many, many of the tiny babies brought to us catch airborne infections and end up dying. The only people you can blame for that are the thoughtless people who take them from their mothers in the first place.

If only we could get a handle on the thousands of unwanted dogs and cats born in the Bahamas, and it can be done. I have had this conversation a hundred time before with so many people, but here’s that word..but that always gets in the way, but it costs

A little Luna in your orbit

money, it needs government participation, and it will take five years.

BAARK, God bless them, are doing all they can with their splendid new mobile clinic, but it is one veterinarian only. She only has two hands. On a wonderful, everything-goes-right day, she can do about 20 animals. Multiply that by four days a week and then for the year. The results are amazing, but 4,000 animals a year is not sufficient, there are thousands of cats and dogs out there reproducing as we speak.

And don’t even mention euthanasia as a solution. It has been proven over and over again that the only lasting way is to spay and neuter and keep up

with it, coupled with that “responsible animal ownership” clause.

Why is it that animals are just not being taken seriously in the Bahamas?

Their well-being is of apparently no consequence to anybody.

There was a committee appointed on February 11. We are now in July.

Appointing a committee means nothing if it never meets. I have been appointed to that committee at least four times, and we have met a total of once.

Yes, you read correctly, once in about 12 years of existence. That in itself tells me that it doesn’t matter…to some.

What seems to elude people is that tourists do not like to see stray, abanHandfeeding baby animals at the shelter takes a lot of time and effort

5138 for more information, and do ask about the summer adoption specials going on now for dogs and puppies.

Luna 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.

Open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11am to 3pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Bring your bag! doned or suffering animals; it is terrible publicity. Every animal we take off the street and care for is assisting the image of this country. We are doing your dirty work.

So, we now have a shelter that cannot at present accept animals. What can you do?

Adoption would be a help. We have a lot of crime (70 people murdered so far this year), there is no better home alarm than a potcake. Please consider adopting from the BHS, there are some beautiful adult dogs if you don’t want to go the puppy route. And cats – no better exterminator, deals with rats and rodents in short order and effectively, plus brings a little love in to your life.

If you can’t adopt, then donate. It costs a lot of money to feed, care for and prepare animals for adoption. Or volunteer, come and help, see for yourself. If you are serious and can spare the time, we can keep you occupied.

The bottom line is that the Bahamas as a whole has to be aware of the problem. We all play a part in it. This is not a topic that can be ignored any longer.

We really could do something about if everybody cared enough to commit.

How difficult is it to keep your pets at home, how complicated is it to have them spayed or neutered, how taxing is it to not want to have a litter?

How selfish do we have to be before we realise there is a solution, and there are people to help implement that solution, but it takes a government and its people to commit and participate.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, July 1, 2022

society

Celebrating summer solstice and beyond

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

J

UST as the Coachella Valley Festival attracts people from around the world to the California desert every year, or the Glastonbury Festival attracts hundreds of thousands to the English countryside every June, so too does The Cove Atlantis hope to lure visitors with an annual festival to celebrate the season, or more specifically, the summer solstice.

Observing the summer’s longest day, the Paradise Island resort surprised its guests with a fun festival featuring signature cocktails, tasty bites, live art and dazzling performances during an event they called the “The Dawn”.

As the sun set, “The Dusk” event followed with moonlight soirée with curated menus, eclectic entertainment, and unforgettable moments.

Sacha Armbrister, the on-property marketing manager at Atlantis Paradise Island, said since it was the longest day in summer, they wanted to be able to offer a bespoke dawn-todusk experience centered around The Cove Pool.

But the fun isn’t confined to the actual solstice. There will be another festival on July 9 and the finale will take place on August 13.

All events will take the dawn (10am-6pm) to dusk (9pm - 1am) approach.

Highlights of the dawn experience include a henna tattoo and body painting parlour, a hair braiding bar, a saxophonist performance, a local deejay, a special menu crafted at Sip Sip, a dessert bar featuring the Sun and Ice ice-cream brand, signature cocktails created

by Bacardi, a Junkanoo performance finale and more.

During the evening’s festivities, the venue switches as things up to create a nightlife scene.

“The night is a completely different take because the theme for this particular day is invoking the ‘Spirit of Bahamania’, so there are a lot of vibrant colours, Caribbean flavours and sounds. You see it in the scene, the décor and all of the different things we provide. The Cove Pool is completely transformed; the palm trees are lit and what we are doing is utilising the pool to serve as the centre stage,” said Sacha.

“We have salsa dancers, a live international deejay, and we are taking on a spicy Latin Caribbean feel. And then we are also going to have some fire performances in the centre as well. That area is considered the epicentre of all of the fun and the energy of entertainment during the night.”

(Photos/Farreno Ferguson)