The Tin Ferl Pop-Up Collective is back and hopes to help revitalise the Bahamas’ culinary landscape.
The collective made its debut in 2019 as a small business incubator and one-stop shop for food and beverage enthusiasts and vendors. Tin Ferl (a play on the Bahamian pronunciation on “tin foil”) became known for its culinary experiences and vibrant pop-up spirit.
Now, with new captains steering the ship, the collective is looking to build on its past successes, but in new ways.
Tin Ferl recently announced that its new chairman, Ariannah Wells, brings expertise and passion to the board.
“I am thrilled to lead a team dedicated to driving the noble causes of Tin Ferl Pop-Up Collective, supporting Bahamian brands and businesses. Together, we will make a lasting impact,” she said.
The newly appointed board is comprised of professionals who are excited to shape the future of Tin Ferl. Their vision is to curate a culinary experience and provide a platform for food and beverage vendors to thrive.
Tin Ferl is now inviting vendors to join the “culinary revival” by showcasing their unique dishes and other creations. Corporate partners are also welcome to explore collaborations and sponsorship opportunities.
“As Tin Ferl renews its commitment to culinary excellence and pop-up collective engagement, we invite patrons, vendors, partners and food enthusiasts to join us. Our next focus is our signature annual festival, where vendors become owners, raising funds for advocacy and brand development,” said Stefphen Sands of Tin Ferl’s marketing department.
“Tin Ferl has evolved from being the host of pop-up parks to working alongside public and private organisations to support their events
and venues. This, however, is only temporary and the collective plans to incorporate both models,” he said.
“As a pop-up collective first organisation, we support micro food and beverage operators, food truck owners, and pop-up craft vendors in
delivering incredible Bahamian culinary experiences. Through events, vending opportunities and advocacy, the entity aims to strengthen vendors in the Bahamas.”
Over the last few months, Tin Ferl has engaged with close to 30
food trucks and pop-ups. However, close to 150 vendors participate in its online forum.
There will soon be an announcement regarding the upcoming events and new parks for 2023/24. The board is collaborating on the details for Tin Ferl’s upcoming resurgence that Mr Sands said will be “big”.
The collective first came together at the Downtown Night Market in December 2018. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it moved to the grounds of the Dundas Performing Arts Centre, where the Tin Ferl park hosted over 30 growing businesses.
The collective later moved from to the former Phil’s Food Service building on Gladstone Road.
With its revitalisation, Tin Ferl aims to provide a platform for vendors, pop-ups, partners and collective members to connect, celebrate, and discover the joys of outstanding food and beverages.
For more information, contact tinferlmarketing@gmail.com or 242-819-9017.
Elijah Stevens is one of the Bahamas’ most accomplished pianists, having won several competitions and having being recognised among “best and brightest” university students in the US.
His most recent achievement was placing third in the sixth annual Piano Competition Online, which was judged by world-renowned pianists, including Mateusz Borowiak, Blanka Kertész, Daria Żurawlowa, Arnold Gniwek, Dr Jan Gazdzicki, Malgorzata Fudala and Dr Marcin Mogil.
Some 600 pianists from 65 countries around the world entered the competition, which attracted both classical pianists and pianist duos.
“I saw the ad to enter on Facebook. I’ve always wanted to enter an international competition as they are extremely competitive and it says a lot if you’re able to win a top prize in any of them,” Elijah told Tribune Weekend.
“For in-person competitions, it takes a lot of effort to not only put together the performance programme but also to organise travelling and housing while participating in the competition. This online option was attractive to me because it allowed me to compete without having to travel anywhere or spend an excessive amount of time arranging such logistics. This allowed me to test the waters of where I stand in a rather large community of international pianists, with a panel of judges who are very decorated musically.”
Elijah, who is no stranger to international recognition – he was named an HBCU All-Star Student by the White House in 2017 – was elated to place in the top three of such a prestigious competition.
“I felt so full of joy that I could not wait to share the news with my family and friends who were all ecstatic. I am always excited to represent my country on any level, but to do so on an international level, and in a field I am so passionate about, means so much to me. I am happy that my country placed in (the top three) and I hope to continue being an ambassador for our beautiful and talented nation,” he said.
Elijah, who studied at the Bethune-Cookman University in the US, said while there are many very talented Bahamian pianists and musicians, the pool is still a small one, and there are only a few classical musicians and even fewer classical pianists.
“On a larger scale, Black classical musicians and pianists represent a very small percentage
of musicians globally compared to other ethnic backgrounds,” he said. “Representation is so important and I want to be present in this field so that someone coming up can identify with someone who looks like them and see that someone is already doing what they aspire to do and that they can do it too,” he said.
He believes one of the most talented Bahamian pianists and musicians was the late Lee Callender, whom he described as simply extraordinary in every way.
“He always encouraged me in my music and I will treasure the path that he made for upcoming musicians like myself. Currently, I am still very much inspired by my former teacher Olga Kern, who was the 2001 gold medallist at the Van Cliburn piano competition, but I’ve also discovered the music and artistry of Michelle Cann, who is an incredible African-American pianist making waves in the music world and she really inspires me as a fellow Black classical pianist,” said Elijah.
Offering advice to young pianists, he said while there may be many hurdles and obstacles in their path, they should keep fighting for their dreams.
“It’s not easy being a minority in any area, but it’s also what makes you unique, outstanding and powerful. Don’t be afraid to dream big dreams and never let go of them, no matter how impossible they seem. I would also encourage any and every one to cultivate a strong relationship with God, because for me it was always the word of God coming to me continuously that reaffirmed my faith and hope and was and is a pillar of strength that I can always lean on in difficult times,” he said.
Elijah plans to enter more international competitions in the near future.
“I am also now composing, so one of my goals is developing the Bahamian genre with classical music. I may also be pursuing further education and working on a few other major music projects,” he said.
To keep up with Elijah Stevens’ journey, check out his Facebook and Instagram accounts (Bookof_elijah).
Freeport native is proud to represent Black minority in classical music
She has travelled the world as the lead vocalist of a famous choir, shared the stage with international gospel stars, and flourished as a praise and worship leader. Now, she tells Cara Hunt, she has released her latest song, “We Trust in You”.
As a member of the Bahamas National Youth choir, Latasha Taylor has sung for audiences all over the world, but she found her true passion when she devoted her talent to singing praise and worship.
Music is in her blood and she has been singing since she was five years old.
“So, it’s been 20 years or more,” she told Tribune Weekend. “I got my start in church and then I was a
lead singer in the Bahamas National Youth Choir for six years.”
Latasha said being part of the world-famous choir was a tremendous and challenging experience.
“Of course, my director was (the late) Cleophas Adderley and he was a stickler for perfection. When I first started, I was very green as it relates to reading sheet music, but in that environment I really grew. We were trained to sing a variety of music such as opera and Negro spirituals,” she said.
Latasha also got to see the world.
“We were very well-travelled, including trips to North and South America, China, and Helsinki, Finland, and I got an appreciation for the world, because no matter where we went, music is the universal language,” she said.
Her time as lead singer also allowed her to develop confidence in performing and in her voice.
“I was really just thrown out there,” she said.
Latasha is a graduate of New Covenant University in Jacksonville, Florida.
There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Leadership and Organisational Skills.
She is currently the lead vocalist and praise and worship leader at Mount Tabor Church. It’s a position she came to by accident.
“As I grew in my spirituality and became more serious about my relationship with Christ, I knew I wanted to become more involved in church. I went in for an audition, for what I thought was a position for the choir, but instead it was really for the praise team,” she said.
Latasha said she felt the connection to singing praise and worship.
During her time in this position, she has had the opportunity to share the stage, both here at home and abroad, with well-known gospel artists such as Paul S Morton, William Murphy Vashawn, She Simpson, Miranda Willis, Nadene Moss, Bebe Winans, Tasha Cobbs, Judith McAllister, Marvin Sapp and many more.
All of these experiences, she said, were amazing.
“It’s amazing when you realise that you are singing on the same stage as these people that you only know from seeing on TV and on the internet, and you see how people are encouraged by them,” she said.
Latasha explained that she doesn’t approach being praise and worship leader in the same way one would view performing.
“It’s more than just singing,” she said. “When I am in praise and worship, everything is so
July 14
• In 1789, the Bastille in Paris is stormed by revolutionary insurgents demanding the arms and munitions stored there. When the guards resist, the crowd captures the prison fortress in an act that symbolises the end of the ancien régime and a flashpoint of the French Revolution.
• In 1881, American gunfighter Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty) is shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett at the
Maxwell Ranch in New Mexico. He was 21 years old. While he boasted he had killed up 21 people during his lifetime, the real number of victims was probably closer to nine.
July 15
• In 1997, Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered by serial killer Andrew Cunanan on the steps outside his Miami mansion. Versace is shot twice in the head and Cunanan flees the scene. He dies by suicide eight days later.
• In 2006, co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone publicly launch their online microblogging service Twttr (later changed to Twitter). At the start, the free application allowed users to share short status updates with groups of
intertwined with my personal spirituality and who I believe God to be, that I am singing and worshiping based on my own experiences. I bring all of that to the service, so it is more of an experience than a performance. It is my ministry based on who I knew God to be.”
Latasha said it was a period of fasting that led her to decide to pursue music as a profession.
“I was fasting, waiting to know God more deeply, and that is where the idea for the song ‘No Flesh’ came from, and that became my first single in 2010. I was encouraged by the Holy Spirit to encourage God’s people,” she said.
In 2016, she released another single called “Right Back to You”, and this month she is back with her latest song of praise, “We Trust in You”.
The song encourages people to put their faith in God no matter what trials and tribulations they may be going through.
It is now available on all music platforms. “My music is just passionate. It is all about what I hear and feel from God, and then all I do is try to recreate that God-inspired sound,” she said.
“That is what I want people to really think about when they hear my music. I want them to think about God and hear the message in the words. I always want God to be at the fore is that it is not my voice, they are hearing, but God’s.”
• In 1945, at 5:29:45am, the first atomic bomb – the result of the Manhattan Project – is successfully exploded near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
The following month, the US drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, hastening the end of World War II.
friends by sending one text message to a single number, “40404”. Within the following decade it increasingly became a source of breaking news and information, and accumulated more than 300 million users.
July 16
• In 1999, John F Kennedy, Jr, along with his wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and her sister, Lauren Bessette, die when the single-engine plane that Kennedy was piloting crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. A lawyer, publisher, and the only son of US President John F Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, he was 38 years old at the time of his death.
Reportedly require to make dough (5) TOdAY’S TARGeT
Across
1 Leave the wrong impression (10)
6 Belt as part of a shirt (4)
10 Just about suitable for restoration work (5)
11 Some repast eaten little by little? (9)
12 Wild pursuers of royal dreams? (8)
13 Saddle and take horse about midnight (5)
15 Deeds brought before a judge (7)
17 Dad’s turn to indicate name for an office (7)
19 Relatively speaking hep news is going around (7)
21 A muscle that turns either way (7)
22 Fall behind it at the end of the day (5)
24 A patient does little to gain from this treatment (4-4)
27 Tried to make potted meat - nothing less (9)
28 Free-style wrestling can leave one so exhausted (3-2)
29 Sustained hunger (4)
30 An afternoon trip from France? (3,7)
1 A state of pure chaos (4)
2 What a waiter may do? That’s a lot of rubbish! (6,3)
3 In the meantime I’m after it (5)
4 They give full retirement (7)
5 Prospect following land clearance (4,3)
7 Tip in stupendous style (5)
8 Not a true origin of race perhaps (5,5)
9 Pet cried out on its last legs (8)
14 Service no longer used by gunners (10)
16 Extra work for being late? (8)
18 Where Albania had prohibition among other things (5,4)
20 One may itch to do it (7)
21 Settled for having the team in scarlet (7)
23 Obtain promotion to board (3,2)
25 A measure of restraint (5)
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. Across 1 Out of favour (2,8)
26 Sandpiper in difficulty (4)
6 Stage in a process (4)
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 Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
pursuing a deadly sin (7) 27 Time to nag about a dynasty (4) 28 Treated hen differently when intimidated (10)
ACROSS
1 Infirmary (8)
6 Promise (4)
8 Inexperienced (5)
Good 17; very good 26; excellent 34 (or more).
Solution next Saturday.
lAST SATURdAY’S SOlUTION
11 Speak indistinctly (6)
12 Dispatched (4)
14 Joan of _, French heroine (3)
15 Nobleman (5)
16 That man (3)
17 Scheme (4)
19 Number in a football team (6)
20 Stratum (5)
21 Entrance or way in (4)
HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here?
22 Put off (8)
DOWN
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.
1 All the people in a residence (9)
TODAY’S TARGET
For today’s solution call: 0907 181 2583
*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
lAST SATURdAY’S SOlUTION
ACROSS 1 Category, 6 Used, 8 Erase, 11 Cannot, 12 Bird, 14 Art, 15 Below, 16 Any, 17 Tape, 19 Almost, 20 dense, 21 Wise, 22 Standard. dOWN 1 Cupboards, 2 Tear, 3 Gentlemen, 4 rat, 5 Weathered, 7 Science, 9 robot, 10 Scripts, 13 deals, 18 Asia, 19 Ant.
Yesterday’s Easy Solution
Across: 1 Canvass, 5 Fauna, 8 With a will, 9 Age, 10 Ruse, 12 Contract, 14 Affray, 15 Plenty, 17 Top brass, 18 Stop, 21 End, 22 Lie fallow, 24 Sully, 25 Scamper.
Down: 1 Cower, 2 Net, 3 Away, 4 Suitor, 5 Full tilt, 6 Up against, 7 Adeptly, 11 Soft-pedal, 13 Fair play, 14 Artless, 16 Assess, 19 Power, 20 Data, 23 Lap.
Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution
Across: 1 Collect, 5 Burns, 8 Pictorial, 9 Tie, 10 Rack, 12 Bears out, 14 Charon, 15 Versus, 17 Aversion, 18 Keep, 21 Nee, 22 Doornails, 24 Loner, 25 Essence.
Down: 1 Caper, 2 Lac, 3 Eros, 4 Tailed, 5 Belfries, 6 Retrousse, 7 Sheaths, 11 Chameleon, 13 Consider, 14 Channel, 16 Morose, 19 Paste, 20 Onus, 23 Ian.
Down
1 Move by small degrees (4)
2 Unsafe (9)
10 An inland waterway (5)
11 Reach adult status (4,2,3)
12 Unwavering in purpose (8)
13 Subsequently (5)
15 Using extreme force (7)
17 Silly idle talk (7)
19 Deferential esteem (7)
21 Remarkably typical (7)
22 Oppressive (5)
24 Happy-go-lucky (8)
27 Not fully worked out (9)
28 Male duck (5)
29 Special influence (4)
30 Be dismissed (3,3,4)
3 A discharge of guns (5)
4 Tell in detail (7)
5 Observation (7)
7 Orderly succession (5)
8 Greater liking (10)
9 Country of southern Africa (8)
14 Beyond reasonable limits (4,3,3)
16 Routinely encountered (8)
18 Wild ruffian (9)
20 Perceived by touch (7)
21 Happening now (7)
23 Declare invalid (5)
25 Falsify (5)
26 Retained (4)
Good 21; very good 31; excellent 41 (or more). Solution on Monday
2 Knock out (4)
3 Meddle (9)
4 Breathable gas (3)
Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer
Call 0907 181 2585 for today’s Target solution
5 Ceded ends (anag.) (9)
7 The USA (7)
*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.
9 Greek author of fables (5)
10 Green, leafy (7)
13 Furniture item (5)
18 Shakespearean king (4)
19 Centre of a storm (3)
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.
anti bait band bandit BANdWIdTH bath
CAN you crack the Alphabeater? Each grid number represents a letter – or black square. As in Alphapuzzle, every letter of the alphabet is used. But you have to complete the grid too! Use the given letters and black squares below the grid to start. The grid is ‘rotationally symmetrical’ – in other words, it looks the same if you turn the page upside down.
Solution on Monday
dawn habit hand tanh than thaw twain wadi wain wait wand want what
Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer
Call 0907 181 2586 for today’s Target solution
*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge. All puzzles use The Chambers Dictionary
● Alternatively, for six Extra Letter clues to your mobile, text DXBEAT to 64343. Texts cost £1 plus your usual operator
By JEFFARAH GIBSON | Tribune Features Writer | jgibson@tribunemedia.net
Bahamian celebrity chef Simeon Hall, Jr, has been chosen to grace the cover of an international culinary magazine, giving readers a taste of what the local dining scene has to offer the world.
Chef Hall is the cover story for the July/August travel issue of Plate magazine – a publication that calls itself a “voice for independent restaurants and restaurant workers, and a trusted resource for the professional chef community.”
Plate features insights into the personalities, inspirations and communities that make restaurants important.
The award-winning magazine also offers interactive virtual events, digital content, and suite of weekly newsletters.
For its Summer issue, Bahamian restaurateur Chef Hall is showcasing the vibrant flavours of Bahamian cuisine and dishing on his culinary pursuits.
Chef Hall Jr said this opportunity was the result of “divine intervention” and due to the connection he made with renowned food photographer Clay Williams.
“I think we met first through mutual friends and then through social media. Clay Williams is literally known by everybody in the food industry from the fact that he shoots amazing and reputable industry people such as top chefs and bartenders,” Chef Hall told Tribune Weekend.
“When Clay pitched the story on my behalf, the editor of Plate was definitely interested, and through some making things happen, it came to be.”
He added: “These publications do their research, and they try to figure out who you are and what you’ve accomplished before they greenlight a feature with you.. To get the cover story? That’s a big, big deal, not only just for me, but for the Bahamas.
Baha Mar, one of the largest resorts in the Bahamas, will also be featured in the cover story. Chef Hall Jr thanked the resort for its substantial contribution to making the project happen by housing Plate magazine personnel during their stay in New Providence.
“Plate magazine is an incredible publication through which to promote Bahamian cuisine because it is a highly-reputable industry magazine; it’s an industry connector. Because of stories like the one we’re about to release, readers will not only see the Bahamas for its sun, sand, and sea,
but will know us for our food culture,” said Chef Hall.
“It gives them a reason, an excuse to come visit the Bahamas. Not just because it’s amazing
in terms of aesthetics, but because there is soul here.”
Liz Grossman, the editor-in-chief of Plate magazine, echoed a similar sentiment when she reflected upon the collaboration with Chef Hall.
“Simeon’s essay embodies everything we wanted in the travel issue of Plate. We loved having such an iconic chef dive into how he stays connected and gets to the heart of his island roots, reporting directly from the source,” she said.
“Not only did photographer Clay Williams capture stunning photos that bring the Bahamas to life for our readers, but we also loved hearing the story of the dishes that speak to Simeon and how he’s made it his culinary mission to get people to understand and appreciate Bahamian food. We strive for every issue of Plate to not only tell these stories, but also connect industry professionals so they can learn from and be inspired by each other to become better chefs and leaders.”
The issue will be available at https://plateonline. com/chefs-and-restaurants/chef-simeon-hall-jrcooks-bahamas upon its release.
“Because of stories like the one we’re about to release, readers will not only see the Bahamas for its sun, sand, and sea, but will know us for our food culture.”CHEF SIMEON HALL, Jr
Good day, gardeners. I’ve recently stopped back into Nassau, and I have to write about this. It’s hot! It’s really hot. I’m a bit mind-boggled as to why people wonder, why is it so hot?!
Well, driving around, it appears very simple; we choose to cut down more trees than we choose to plant. The roads are miserable. There’s trash everywhere. It’s dirty. It’s congested, and yes, it’s hot!
So many roads used to be lined with trees. Poinciana trees, palms, shade trees. Now, having decided that hey, we don’t need trees on the roads, it’s just become one hot and ugly town. Do you really wonder why it’s so hot?
Trees, they do so much more than provide a home for birds, bees, butterflies, lizards, frogs, and so on. For those with fear of frogs et al, get serious and grow up! Conquer your fears, you’re an adult.
Yes, I said it. We need living creatures amongst us. All of these things help us!
I’m not so sure where we got so confused, or why we’ve been on a mission to cut trees, instead of planting them. During the so-called “pandemic” government went on a binge of tree cutting, for reasons only a few are to know.
We are a tourist-driven economy, and yet we go ugly instead of beautified. It does not make sense to me. If you’re one of those complaining of the heat, well, when was the last time you planted a tree?
If you haven’t, then you don’t get to complain; it’s like if you don’t vote, you don’t get to talk politics.
Along Bay Street there are quite a few trees that I’ve planted over the years, and they’re providing shade and cool. I’m proud of that. The Village Road intersection is one of the most disgusting intersections I have encountered on the island. The east-west highway is slowly being detreed, as if that’s a word.
The Cable Beach strip, yeah, we want all those trees gone too it seems...Gladstone Road, and so many others. Forget about downtown. But yet, even in the main hotspot (double entendre anyone?) of our tourist hub, there’s no shade
THERE are only a few spots in Nassau where trees can be seen and enjoyed (Tribune Photo)
provided by trees! Who does that? Why? It’s regressive and backwards. I am calling on government to use some of the ridiculous and heavyhanded overtaxation of the average person, of the small and medium sized business, to use some of our money, your money, to go on a tree planting mission, and give our town some relief.
Trees help to clear the air, to clean the air, to absorb floodwaters, to cool the surface temperature, to provide shelter from the scorching sun. They provide beauty, they provide a sense of calm, they are part of our basic existence. In more mature places of the world, trees are everywhere, even in high density areas.
I cannot wrap my head around the fact that we have such a disdain for trees in public spaces. I wish for a change in attitude towards them, I beg for some tree planting, I agitate for some thought to go into it.
I’m honestly quite sick of it, and it is a real turn off for me, and for so many others as well. The smiling faces of our visitors is a diminishing sight. There are lots of frowns around town. Yet we wish to attract
the tourist trade, but we don’t put efforts into sensible and meaningful beautification.
Everyone wants to blame the owners of some of the rundown buildings, well, I blame whoever is responsible for our public spaces and the fact that we don’t plant trees. I blame the folks who decide to cut down trees without any sensible thought to replacing them with something more suitable. We hate history and we hate shade trees…. Is this so?! I refuse to buy it, but, then I look around. My heart sinks. My brow gets beads of sweat on it, and I wish to run to a place of cool and calm. All it takes is some trees! Solution found! Eureka! It’s very simple stuff. I doubt that there is a single member of parliament that hasn’t travelled widely, and I cannot believe that their eyes don’t see the beauty of other places that appreciate and value shade trees and flowering trees.
So why here do we do what we do? Why do we not have a sustained tree planting program to help cool our thoroughfares and our public spaces and our tourist hotspots?
Please, someone enlighten me. Maybe some of “the powers that be” have some hot idea. None of it makes sense to me, and I’ll flee this hot and ugly town at my soonest opportunity. Thank you, gardeners, for caring about your space, and planting trees for all even if it’s in your backyard and unseen by the public, it is for all beneficial. Please keep it up! As always, I wish happy gardening.
• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at Fox Hill Nursery on Bernard Road. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@ gmail.com.
There was a dry spot to be found at the Kiwanis Park in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, as patrons happily indulged in the island’s biggest foam and powder party to date.
The recent Pineapple Island Summer Fete not only provided festival-goers with fun wet activities, but also with live music. The lineup of entertainers included Selector Motto, DJ Bravo, Alex Da Great, Fresh International, Selecta Jmac, and Lil Giant.
The fete’s organisers, Popstylers Entertainment and Big G Promotions, told Tribune Weekend that when they initially started the event in 2018, they had no idea how successful it would become.
“The Pineapple Island Summer Fete has become more than just an
event; it is now an highly anticipated experience,” said Pedro Bethell of Popstylers Entertainment.
He said they have seen the joy the event brings to both locals and visitors to the island, and the team is happy to be able to provide such a platform in a fun, healthy and safe environment.
“With the Pineapple Island Summer Fete, from day one, we were looking for a type of party that wasn’t present on the island at that time. We all travel and have attended a fete before at least once, the promoters. So we wanted to connect with the soca parties that were happening in Nassau and bring (that vibe) to the party scene in South Eleuthera specifically,” said Pedro.
“It has outgrown previous locations, set-ups and expectations. We are grateful that it only gets
bigger and better. But even with this thought in mind, there is still much more room for growth.”
This year’s Pineapple Island Summer Fete included a day party in addition to its signature night event. The day party, Pedro said, was added in an effort to include those who wanted to bring their kids. There were water sports, food and drink stalls set up at the Kiwanis Park.
“The day party was something we have never had before. This was a plus for us; we kept it as a free-entry event during the day. Our event is just one day, and this year that one day felt like an entire weekend event,” said Pedro.
For all those awaiting the next Popstylers Entertainment and Big G Promotions event, he said they can November Fest event held at the end of the year.
Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the Bahamian-born American entertainer who was one of the preeminent entertainers of the Vaudeville era, and one of the most popular comedians of his time for both Black and white audiences. He was the best-selling Black recording artist before 1920 – and a key figure in the development of African-American entertainment.
“He
– WC FieldsEgbert “Bert” Austin Williams was born in Nassau, the Bahamas, on November 12, 1874, to Frederick Williams Jr and his wife Julia.
When he was 11, he emigrated with his parents to Florida. They next moved to Riverside, California where the young Bert graduated from Riverside High School in 1892.
In 1893, still in his teens, he joined various West Coast minstrel shows, including Martin and Selig’s Mastoden Minstrels in San Francisco, where he met his long-time acting partner, George Walker.
They performed song-and-dance numbers, skits and humorous songs.
Originally, Williams played the slick conniver, while Walker played the “dumb-coon” victim. They then switched roles and Walker played the strutting conniver and Williams the languorous oaf. His body language was masterful.
“He holds a face for minutes at a time, seemingly, and when he alters it, brings a laugh by the least movement.”
The duo appeared in The Gold Bug – a struggling musical that did not survive, but the pair got rave reviews and were able to transfer to Koster and Bial’s Vaudeville house for 36 weeks in 1896-97, where their zany version of the cakewalk helped popularise the dance.
They performed in burnt-cork blackface advertising themselves as “Two Real Coons”,
distinguishing their act from the white minstrels performing in blackface.
They did not need burnt cork to be Black, but it accentuated the performance of their act. In actual fact they lampooned whites in their cakewalk routine who were mocking a Black dance that originally satirised plantation whites’ ostentatious mannerisms.
Their act was so ambiguous that some Black newspapers criticised them for failing to uplift the dignity of their race. But they were so good that they were above criticism. Williams also made his first recordings, none of which survive today.
In 1899, Williams surprised everybody, including his partner George Walker, when he announced that he had married Charlotte “Lottie” Thompson in a private ceremony. Lottie was a widow, eight years older than Williams – an unusual choice because the gregarious Williams was constantly on the move – travelling. However, they were a uniquely happy couple and their marriage lasted until Williams died.
They never had children themselves, but they adopted three of Lottie’s nieces, and generously sheltered orphans and foster children in their homes.
Although white society placed limits on them, Williams’ and Walker’s stars were on an upward spiral, and they appeared in a number of shows
including A Senegambian Carnival, Lucky Coon, and The Policy Papers.
In New York in August 1900, hysterical rumours erupted about a white detective being shot by a Black man. There was a riot in the streets and, unaware of the violence, Williams and Walker left the theatre and set off in different directions. Williams was unharmed, but Walker was dragged from a streetcar by a white mob and beaten.
The very next month Williams and Walker had their greatest success to date with Sons of Ham – a farce that did not include the extreme “darkie” stereotypes that were common in vaudeville.
One of the show’s songs, “Miss Hannah from Savannah”, even touched on class divisions in the Black community. The duo had anyway veered away from racial minority conventions to a broader, more inclusive, style of comedy.
In 1901, they recorded 13 discs for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
Some of them were standard blackface material, but “When It’s All Going Out and Nothing Coming In” had no racial implications and became one of Williams’ best-known songs.
Another Williams creation “Good Morning Carrie” became one of the biggest hits of 1901 and was performed by many artists – Black and white. Sons of Ham ran for two years.
The following year Williams and Walker performed in In Dahomey – written, directed and performed by an all-Black cast. It was an even bigger hit than Sons of Ham. In 1903, the production moved to New York. One of the highlights of the show was Williams’ reference to a 1670 book which traced the history of the continent’s tribes and people.
“With this volume, history could prove that every Pullman porter is the descendant of a king.”
– John Ogilby AfricaIt brought the house down.
In Dahomey was a major breakthrough as it was the first musical of its type to be produced in a major Broadway theatre. Seating inside the theatre was segregated. One of Williams’ songs “I’m a Jonah Man” cemented Williams’ hard-luck persona, and helped establish his woeful character.
“Even if it rained soup, my character would be found with a fork in his hand and no spoon in sight.”
– Bert Williams
was the funniest man I ever saw – and the saddest man I ever knew.”BAHAMIAN-born Bert Williams (1874-1922)
Nevertheless, Williams and Walker were delighted with their Broadway breakthrough, which came many years after they had established themselves on other stages.
“We’d get near enough to hear Broadway audiences applaud sometimes, but it was someone else they were applauding. I used to be tempted to take a $15 job in a chorus just for one week so as to be able to say I’d been on Broadway once. Some years ago, we were doing a dance before an East Side audience. They gave us a hand. And I called out to them, ‘Someday we’ll do this dance on Broadway’”.
In Dahomey travelled to London where it had a terrific reception. A Command Performance was given at Buckingham Palace in June 1903, and the show continued through 1904. Both Williams and Walker were initiated into the
Edinburgh Lodge of Freemasons. The Scottish Freemasons did not racially discriminate as did those in the United States.
Williams’ and Walker’s international success established them as the most visible Black performers in the world, and they hoped to promote this fame into a much more elaborate stage production in top-flight theatres. But their management team sued them from securing outside investors. At this time, they were each making $120,000 a year (or over $4 million in today’s money). The lawsuit was unsuccessful and they accepted an offer from Hammerstein’s Victoria Theatre – the premier vaudeville house in New York. A white southern monologist objected to the integrated bill, but Williams and Walker went ahead with the show without the objector.
In February 1906, Abyssinia, with a score co-written by Williams, opened at the Majestic Theatre. The ambitious show, which included live camels, was another smash hit. It also featured dance steps for the duo illustrating pride and freedom for Black performers, as well as a risky love story never before tolerated in a Black stage production. Walker portrayed a nervous suitor to his wife – an Abyssinian princess. White critics were uncomfortable about the show’s ambitions.
“It is at times too elaborate for them and a return to the plantation melodies would be a great improvement upon the ‘grand opera’ type, for which they are not suited either by temperament or by education.”
– New York Evening Post Williams recorded many of the show’s songs. One of them, “Nobody”, became his signature theme, and he was obliged to sing it, in his halfspoken, doleful, singing style at almost every appearance for the rest of his life.
“When life seems full of clouds and rain, And I am filled with nought but pain, Who soothes my thumping, bumping brain? Nobody.
When winter comes with snow and sleet, And me with hunger and cold feet, Who says, “Here’s two bits, go and eat”? Nobody
I ain’t doing nothin’ to Nobody, I ain’t never got nothin’ from Nobody, no time, And until I get somethin’ from somebody sometime,
I don’t intend to do nothin’ for Nobody, no time.”
“Nobody” remained active in Columbia’s sales catalogue, and extraordinarily for the era sold over 150,000 copies. Williams’ languorous, drawling delivery promoted sales in other similar songs like “Constantly”, “I’m Neutral”, “Somebody” and “Everybody”.
He had a completely different style and “Over There” – a top-10 hit in six different acts between 1917 and 1918 – remained untouched by competing singers. Williams and Walker were prominent success stories for the black community, and they received frequent admonitions in the black press to represent their race properly. However, as they were incredibly popular with white audiences, they had a difficult balancing act to consider, dealing with audiences’ expectations.
“People ask me if I would not give anything to be white. I answer … most emphatically, ‘No’. How do I know what I might be if I were a white man? I might be a sandhog, burrowing away and losing my health for £8 a day. I might be a streetcar conductor at $12 or $15 a week. There is many a white man less fortunate and less well-equipped than I am.”
In 1908, controversy followed Williams and Walker. During their Broadway production of Bandanna Land, they were asked to appear in a charity benefit by George M Cohan, the Broadway superstar.
However, a prominent racist monologist protested and encouraged other acts to withdraw from the show rather than appear with Black performers. Only two acts shamefully joined Kelly’s boycott.
Bandanna Land continued the duo’s series of hits, and included a sketch that Williams made famous: a pantomime poker game played in total silence. With only facial expressions, Williams acted out the dealer’s up and down emotions as he considered his hand. The Williams’ reactions to the unseen actions of his opponents became a standard routine in his solo act.
While playing Bandanna Land in 1909 Williams’ stage partner Walker collapsed on stage – suffering from incurable syphilis. He dropped out of the show and died two weeks later. Walker, who had handled the duo’s business side of the relationship, left Williams alone and adrift. He never fully recovered from having to establish himself as a solo performer.
Jack Ford’s book “Island Teacher” (1992) includes an afterword by Patrick Bethel which ends with: “If it were possible for Jack and Eve Ford to return to ‘The Cay’ today, they would feel at home, because some things in New Plymouth have not changed very much during the past 40 years.”
That was written 31 years ago, during which time much more has changed.
Jack Ford, the author, a teacher and headmaster from England, had answered a classified ad in a newspaper and landed a job in the Colony of the Bahamas.
Jack and his wife Eve arrived at Oakes Field International Airport, where they were met by Miss Molly Albury, Secretary to the Board of Education, only to learn that no arrangements had been made to house the Fords.
Aunt Molly, as I think of her, offered them her bungalow on Delancy Street at two pounds a night. Though she is not my blood relative, during my time at Mrs Wright’s Kindergarten, also on Delancy Street, I used to walk to her bungalow after school to wait for my parents to pick me up after their day at the Crown Lands Office.
“Next morning, Jack reported to the Board of Education office, which he described as ‘a tiny, ill-equipped, dingy little affair…’
“Eve and I were to be posted to Abaco, the most northerly group of islands, to live on a tiny island called Green Turtle Cay. This cay had a romantic name but, on an official list, it was designated as ‘only fit for a single man’. I wondered what I had let Eve in for.”
Having survived an eye-opening ‘indoctrination’ to life in Nassau, they travelled to “The Cay’ (as they came to call it) on the Abaco mailboat, the m/v Richard Campbell, and found that the Board of Education had failed to book a cabin for them.
“We had been annoyed when we found that no cabin had been booked for us but, when we saw the cabins…they were awful little holes,
alive with cockroaches. I preferred to sleep on deck.
“When, at last, we were in sight of our new home…we wondered what our reception would be like, what the islanders would be like. Would we be happy there and able to make a niche for ourselves?
There was a large crowd on the dock and the first to approach us was a young padre, who introduced himself as Dobson then…a very irate and voluble lady pushed people aside to get at us. She turned out to be Amy Roberts, who was the teacher on the island. Just 10 minutes previously, she had received notice from Nassau that a headteacher and his wife were on the way. Oh, this Board of Education! Was there any humanity or organistion there?
Amy introduced us to her husband, who also had some choice things to say. We had to let them exhaust themselves before we got a word in edgewise. I explained I was not there to usurp her job or her authority. My work would take me all over Abaco and I would be away most of the time.
“As Area Supervisor, my job was to help and encourage all teachers on Abaco and, if she so wished, I would extend my assistance to her also. The atmosphere changed! She had said her (piece) and then showed the
warm heart that lay beneath. She and her husband, Albert, and what appeared to be half the settlement, accompanied us to a house, which had been rented by the Board, to be our furnished residence.
“It was furnished – but what furniture! Every piece of it had received the full attention of termites… hardly a serviceable chair and the one bed was a grim affair, with a badly stained mattress. The Director of Education had assured us that the house contained everything we would need. There was not even bedding for the night.
“Many people walked in to talk to us and sum us up… our future neighbour, Mrs Mizpah Sawyer, came in, with a tray of tea, to welcome us… and lent us bedding for the night.
“Our house was built of concrete, standing on soft local stone that was riddled with centipedes…sanitary arrangements were primitive. The ‘two holer’, at the end of the yard, was a happy hunting-ground for rats and scorpions. A visit after dark necessitated a good flashlight, plus time to scare away lurkers.
“Drinking water was one of the greatest problems…the only way to ensure a reasonable water supply was to build a rain-water tank.
The schoolhouse consisted of two rooms, one for infants, the other for all older children. A wooden screen separated the rooms, but there was no real privacy. Amy Roberts taught both rooms; how was a mystery to me.
“In those days, all travel was by hitch-hiking on one of the local boats, usually sail boats…I took the first opportunity to travel to the settlements on Great and Little Abaco, including Sandy Point, on the west side and nearby Moore’s Island where, the teacher held school in an old mission house. The school building had, literally, fallen to pieces and the Board of Education had promised a new one.
“My first chance came when the Anglican priest, the Rev Bob Dodson, offered me to travel with him on a pastoral trip. His church owned a large, native-built schooner, The Star, 16 feet on the keel, and if I would share the expenses, he would take me with him, to see the state of affairs in tiny, isolated settlements. We set off with enough food for about three weeks. “Clocks are not necessary in Abaco, for the day begins with first light and ends at nightfall.
Cedar Harbour, on Little Abaco, is a ‘hidden’ settlement, a relic from the days of slavery, when runaway slaves could live a life of seclusion, at the back of very awkward channels and, if and when strangers appeared, the whole population fled to the woods, a habit that still continues, if they don’t recognise an incoming boat.
“I met the Local Constable, whose jurisdiction covered the entire island of Little Abaco. He was a real character and would laugh heartily at the fact that he had children in every settlement. He did not know how many but guessed about seventy.”
• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@ gmail.com
Did the Bahamas finally take the first step in actually recognising that the Bahamas has a certain dog that is our national dog? Did we finally move away from the word potcake meaning more than a slur and an insulting way to refer to a mix breed?
The fact that the Bahamas Humane Society was invited to parade a series of typical potcake dogs around the stadium at the opening of the Bahamas Games denotes that somewhere, somebody cares. This on its own warms my heart somewhat.
The fact that there were so few people in the stadium, not even sufficient for every athlete to have a set of parents attending, is troubling.
Where was everybody; where were the proud mummies and daddies? And the general public was nowhere to be seen.
National pride is essential, and it is all very easy to talk about it and plaster billboards with catchy slogans that do nothing except detract from the natural beauty of our spectacular country.
National pride has to come from within, because you love your country, because you love what your country represents, and you love and support what represents your country.
The overall lack of attendance at the Bahamas Games opening night was disappointing. I guess there was nothing free and no entertainment, except for the young people who had trained their heads off to be highly proficient in the sport of their choice, frequently denying themselves life’s indulgences in order to excel.
Having said that, I am immensely proud that the Royal Bahamian Potcake got his moment in the sun, or to be more exact, in the moonlight. Many members of our hardworking staff give up their leisure time to
be at the stadium, to wait until they were invited into the stadium and to parade their furry charges.
It was a very proud moment for potcake owners the world over, and hopefully just the start of proper recognition.
Over the years a very common thread has begun to establish as to what the Royal Bahamian Potcake looks like. The average weight of this delightful dog is 45-60 lbs, and they are approximately 22-25 inches at the shoulder, with males being a little bigger than their female counterpart.
They usually have short, smooth hair, that when properly cared for, is surprisingly silky. Their ears are usually large (especially when that are puppies) and either stick straight up or are cocked. They have a definite look of the American Labrador (as opposed to the English Labrador) with smaller heads. The potcake can usually back out of a collar because their necks tend to be thicker than their heads. They come in all colours but the most prevalent is the goldenbrown shade that literally glows in the sun. They have extremely expressive and intelligent eyes.
Two-year-old Olivia is already a star, having walked with the Bahamas Humane Society shelter dogs at the opening of the Bahamas Games last week, but she’d really rather that you come in and adopt her!
Olivia says she’s thrilled the BHS is doing their Summer Adoption Special (adult dogs $20 and puppies $25) until the end of August, because she’s sure this will
When you travel from island to island, you will notice distinct differences in how they look because of some visiting breed who probably left a few pups behind and they interbred, and the change gradually came to pass.
All potcakes are super smart, bond very intensely with their owners, and want to please, as well as being fiercely protective of their homes and their humans.
The experts say the average potcake on the street only lives about three years. That is probably because they are neglected, underfed (sometimes to the extent of starvation), kicked, shut out, yelled at, and generally vilified. A potcake at home can live easily to 10 years old. I presently have two 13-year-olds, and Chiefie made it to 15.
The street dogs have to battle heartworm and tick disease, as well as navigate through the everincreasing traffic, and of course the disgusting pastime of putting out poison if a dog barks too frequently.
The poison is against the law and constitutes cruelty, but try to get any to authority act on it. (that is another article coming soon).
There is no doubt that the Royal Bahamian Potcake is reaching a point when it should actually be recognised as a breed the world over. Somebody with the time and dedication needs to accept the challenge and run with it. I wish I could take that on as well, but as it stands now, there are not enough hours in the day.
It is high time we stop turning a blind eye to the plight of the national dog; high time we stop ignoring how deplorably they are often treated.
If you want a loyal guard dog, treat a few potcakes kindly, fence in your yard, and they will do just as good a job as your $3k Belgian Malinois or pit bull types.
Show some national pride and embrace these greatly maligned dogs who only want a chance at a good life and kindness in return for years of loyalty.
encourage you to come and adopt her.
She’s outgoing and friendly and gets along well with other dogs. At two, she’s young enough to be trained to be around cats as well (lots of kittens for adoption, too!).
Do you need Olivia in your life?
Come to the BHS to meet her or call 323-5138 for more information. Olivia looks forward to meeting you!
• Operation Potcake is back! Well, it will be, in January 2024. Volunteers are needed at four spay and neuter clinics across the island between January 18 and 27. Please contact operationpotcake242@ gmail.com if you’d like to assist.
Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and Ann Marie Davis joined guests from across the Bahamas and around to world to party like it was 1973 at last weekend’s “Golden Oldies Soirée”.
Guests travelled from near and far to attend this special event held at the Baha Mar Convention Centre in honour of the country celebrating 50 years of independence
Dressed in their best ‘70s-inspired attire, they danced the night away to the music of the funk and disco band T-Connection and Friends.
D’Asante Small, the creative director of the Independence Secretariat, said they wanted to put on an event that was something just for the “seasoned generation”… “a party that really took it back to the music, the style and everything they were looking for.”
