09232022 WEEKEND

Culture Exploring the roots of Junkanoo in Ghana

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

SINGER-SONGWRITER

Oswald “Ras Cooper” White is determined to use his musical gifts as a “weapon” of positivity.

He recently returned from Ghana where he performed for that country’s royal family.

During the visit, he and fellow Bahamians Dr Michael Pateman, Robin Lightbourne and Christo pher Davis all received honorary titles for the work they did in researching and tying together local Junkanoo traditions with traditions in Africa. They had the opportunity to meet with some of the officials to discuss connections between the two countries and explored some of the country.

“My title is an Akufo warrior of the Ahanta people in Ghana. It’s a title given to warriors of the tribe. Ahanta people were the ones who started the Junkanoo,” Oswald told Tribune Weekend.

“One of the slave ships carry ing Ahanta warriors landed in the Bahamas, so some of the first sets of slaves which landed here were Ahanta. That gives us the lineage and the direct link to the Ahanta

He wishes more Bahamians would embrace their Afri can heritage, which he said is a major part of our cultural identity.

Now back at home, Oswald continues to use his unique brand of music to inspire people and send positive messages to his fans.

“People will only receive posi tive vibes from my songs. Music is a weapon; it can be used to heal or cause harm through its influ ence. So, I want people to feel strong and bold feel good in doing good,” he said.

Oswald explained this was important to him because there is so much negativity and immorality prevailing in the world today.

“I am trying to bring forward the

righteous through music and uplift the people’s minds to motivate them that it is still good to do good.

“It is still good to uplift and push positive things, even though you may still not be recognised in this world. But this is the devil’s world, so try to make sure that you are doing things that are pleasing to Jah and consider the world you are leaving your children,” he said.

“My inspiration to make music came about in the early 1990s. I was a rapper first as a youth. Then I started to chant in my teens, at about 16 years, so I just set out on this journey and have developed my craft.”

He describes himself as a “Sing J”.

“It’s like a mixture of a DJ and

singer combined together,” he noted.

Some of his more popular songs include “My Protector”, “Never Give Up”, “Strength in Numbers” and “Candle in a Dark Room”.

While his very first musical inspiration was the legendary Bob Marley, he said he also drawn to other artists who have an aura of positivity around them.

And he writes his own material to ensure that he can get that posi tive message across.

“I do write my own songs and my inspiration comes from the life and the elements of life that we face daily as a people of the earth, the good, bad, happy and sad; the things that bring us joy or give us motivation in time when it is needed most,” he said.

If he could perform with any singer alive or dead, Oswald it would be Lauren Hill and Marvin Gaye.

Looking to the future, he said:

“I see myself growing and becoming better so my supporters will grow and take me to another level.”

When he is not focused on his music, Oswald enjoys arts and crafts, writing poetry, gardening, and he would love to eventually direct and write short films and music videos.

BAHAMIAN music artist Oswald “Ras Cooper” White enjoys Ghanaian hospitality.

theatre

Comedy show takes audience down memory lane

Jeffarah Gibson | Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

THREE of the Bahamas’ most popular comedic voices will converge on one stage for a special show that will take audiences on “A Stroll Down Memory Lane”.

Dynamite Daisy joins The Hallelujah BoysWilbert Stubbs and David Wallace - for a night of comedy taking place this evening at St John’s Auditorium starting at 7pm.

The three comedians said they are excited and enthusiastic about being able to inter ject some fun and laughter into the lives of Bahamians.

Wil and David, who reside in Grand Bahama, have hosted a number of events and have served as masters of ceremonies over the past decade. They have become famous for their Election Comedy Shows where they have impersonated former Prime Ministers Perry Christie and Hubert Ingraham.

Wil told Tribune Weekend they are looking forward to bringing the show back to reflect the way things were before COVID-19.

“We are trying to remember how things were before the pandemic. Before the pan demic I could go to your house, sit down in your living room and a have discussion. I could even give you a hug. But now, because of our distancing, we cannot do those things as much. So, we are going to remember how things were when life was normal. That is the concept of it,” he said.

Wil said now more than ever people need something to laugh about.

“The Bible says ‘A merry heart doeth good like medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones’ and we have found that to be the case,” he said.

“I got a call from dear friend of mine in Nassau and he had no idea that we were plan ning a show. He said, ‘Wil, man y’all need to do something soon. I am so stressed.’ He said every time he turns on the news, he is hearing of a shooting this way or something happening that way. He said it would be good to get a good laugh to relieve the stress.”

Wil said they understand that comedy shows such as theirs can serve as a stress reliever for people.

“A lot of people keep their stuff in. You may see people walking around and think that they are OK. But if you hear some of their stories

you would break down and cry,” he said.

One such story that almost brought him to tears was that of young women who attended their show some years ago.

“This was show we did sometime after Hur ricane Francis or Hurricane Jeanne. There was young lady who lost everything during the storm in West End, Grand Bahama. Her car was gone and her house was gone. Her cousin invited her to attend the show but she did not feel like going. She was so down she did not feel like going anywhere. She decided to attend the show and when it was over this young lady came to me and said what we did for her that night she could not pay for.”

Wil said he hopes tonight’s show can have as great an impact on audience members.

Lynn Terez Davis, who plays the character of Dynamite Daisy, said she always enjoyed the comedic relief David and Wil bring to the table. Collaborating with them was a no-brainer.

“They are hilarious and have been faithful contributing to the arts,” she said.

As for her part, audiences can expect a brand-new wardrobe for Miss Daisy for starters.

“They can also see Daisy talk about some cultural things of yesteryear and some things that still remain the same,” she said.

DYNAMITE Daisy and Wil Stubbs, above, and David Wallace, below.

Jameson Strachan interview

As a newly minted reality TV star, this Bahamian model and former athlete has stars in his eyes. And rightly so. He tells Alesha Cadet about going viral thanks to a new American dating show and booking gigs with Naomi Campbell. Now, he dreams of working with Beyoncé and just maybe starring in a Marvel movie.

BEING his authentic Bahamian self has made model and fitness trainer Jameson Strachan the breakout star of a new reality TV dating show in the United States.

Similar in concept to popular shows like “For the Love of Ray J” or “Flavour of Love”, the Zeus Network original series “Bobby I Love You, Purr” features a number of contestants who are all vying for the affection of a celebrity.

In this case, the celebrity is Florida rapper Bobby Lytes, cousin of rap star Trina. He is also one of the eight original cast members of “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” and the franchise’s first openly gay main cast member.

On this new show, which premiered on August 21, 15 men compete for Bobby’s love. While the contestants include notable names like Canadian professional basketball player Grandy Glaze, it was Jameson who stood out from the crowd almost immediately.

Known by the nickname of “Island Boy” on the show, Jameson has become a fan favourite. Clips of his antics have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram. Bahamians, in particular, appreciate his comedic flare as he “reads” (calls out) and “shades” the other casts members; all with his Bahamian dialect in full effect.

Jameson spoke with Tribune Weekend about his experience on the show and the publicity he has received since it started airing.

“I didn’t know I was going to blow up the way I did, to be honest with you, but I said God finished what He started,” he said.

A Nassau native from Soldier Road, Jameson once had dreams of being a professional athlete, but things panned out differently.

“I went to college at the University of Texas, where I stayed. I did track and field for a minute where I had a scholarship. I tried to go pro, however God had a different plan for me. I did what I needed to do and started to work, and the entertainment (industry) was such a blessing to be in at that moment. I did modelling and had a lot of friends from college in the entertainment world. When you get more exposure, more things come in your favour and that’s how I got into show busi ness,” he said.

Talking about what he brings to the show

‘I am going to give you something the Bahamas will want to see.’

“Bobby I Love You, Purr”, Jameson believes it’s his authenticity and his ‘Bahamian-ness’ that make him stand out.

“I am from the Bahamas, and if it’s one thing the Bahamians know how to do, is ‘read’ (call out some one). So, if you see a Bahamian read you, and you don’t know what it is…they were so lost in what I was saying. I told one of the guys, ‘You’re not a peach on the beach, you’re a sh*t in the pit; a cabbage in the garbage.’ It was the cabbage in the garbage for me.

“The ‘authenticness’ is what brought my character to life, and I think it’s what’s bringing my social media page numbers up. It’s bringing a lot of attention to my page. A lot of things are happening in my life right now. The show is interesting,” he said.

As filming started, Jameson said he realised the producers had cast people from different back grounds and nationalities, and this was something he had to adapt to.

“There were people with different ethnicities and backgrounds, so it was kind of difficult trying to fit in knowing that I am a Bahamian and knowing that it is a big culture difference. But also, being in America for so long, I have had exposure to so many different things that it wasn’t anything new for me,” he said.

“With me having the opportunity and having the chance to debut and broadcast myself for reality television, it was a blessing and I can’t take that away from the Zeus Network, because they gave me a platform to display who I am and show how Baha mian I am.”

Unlike some of the other cast members, Jameson said he was asked by Bobby Lytes himself to be a part of the show.

“Me and Bobby had met in Los Angeles at a man sion party in April and he mentioned the show that was going to be filming in June and July. He asked me if I wanted to be a part of it. He saw my character

jail, the orphaned boy later travels to the Arizona Territory where he begins his career as a notorious outlaw and gunfighter. It is believed he killed eight men before he was shot and killed at the age of 21.

hidden cameras and “gotcha journalism” popular.

September 25

September 23

• In 1846, the planet Neptune is discovered by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle at the Berlin Observatory. He was able to do so thanks to the calculations of French astronomer Urbain-Jean-Joseph Le Verrier regarding the gravity-induced disturbances in the motions of Uranus.

• In 1875, Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty) is arrested at age 16 for stealing clothing and two pistols from a Chinese laundry in Silver City, New Mexico. After escaping from

September 24

• In 1890, the Mormon Church, faced with the threat of having their sacred temples confiscated by the government and its members’ basic civil rights revoked, reluctantly renounces the practice of polygamy. The church leaders order all Latter-day Saints to uphold the laws of the United States.

• In 1969, The Beatles release their 11th and final last recorded album, Abbey Road. (The album Let It Be, although mostly recorded earlier, was released in 1970 alongside the film of the same name). Critics today view the album as one of the band’s best and rank it as one of the greatest albums of all time. weekend in history

• In 1968, the first episode of the famous CBS show “60 Minutes” airs. It is a pioneer of the “news magazine” format and the longestrunning primetime show in American television history.

Initially aired as a bi-weekly show hosted by Mike Wallace and Harry Reasoner, it made re-editing interviews,

• In 1513, Spanish conquistador and explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa becomes the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean. He was standing “silent, upon a peak in Darién,” on the Isthmus of Panama.

THE ONLY surviving authenticated por trait of Billy the Kid sold for $2.3 million in 2011. SEVEN

2 Spasm, 4 Exhort, 5 Constriction, 6 Furious, 7 Leer, 8 Uninterested, 12 Sentient, 14 Annular, 16 Imbibe, 18 Evade, 19 Gala.

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

G P n i i M A r

Across 1 Athlete fired by club (4-6)

6 Girl about to have a meal (4)

10 Communist firm about belief (5)

11 It’s considered unlucky getting some hole in one (9)

12 It may provide a smoke ring that’s unequalled (8)

13 Company about to broadcast in Egypt (5)

15 Complex King of Thebes (7)

17 Compares as some say compound plants (7)

19 It is very boring and is due to be altered (7)

21 New process examined in the mortuary (7)

22 In favour of leave but do without (5)

24 Telling lie Grant is found out (8)

27 Enter into an arrangement for storage (9)

28 One wasn’t there to make such a defence (5)

29 Gunned down in the attempt (4)

30 Rich and of high standing? (4-6)

Down 1 Fire an employee for drinking perhaps (4)

2 Such a discussion gives opportunity for falling out (4-5)

3 Evidence of spiritual strength (5)

4 Hypnotic states from which rest can come (7)

5 Rile mob perhaps and start trouble (7)

7 One chap comes up holding a ring for a girl (5)

8 Is to have under 500 to take away (10)

9 Good man rebuilt a crock - for racing? (5,3)

14 Heraldic battledress (4,2,4)

16 Skilled player caught in thoughtful mood (8)

18 I sent Les a replacement key (9)

20 A diner’s ordered fish (7)

21 Officer who sounds a bit of a nut (7)

23 Sense of proportion needed in arbitration (5)

25 Sign he has dropped out of the race (5)

26 Be careful - it’s said to be booby-trapped (4)

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. (4,2,4) (4) (3,4) (8) (9) (5) Always (4) Course leading nowhere (5,5)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution

Across: 1 Solicit, 5 Shoes, 8 In the swim, 9 Elm, 10 Kick, 12 Free hand, 14 Openly, 15 Brainy, 17 Go places, 18 Snub, 21 Act, 22 Shake a leg, 24 Drama, 25 Repress.

Down: 1 Slick, 2 Lot, 3 Crew, 4 Tawdry, 5 Symmetry, 6 Operation, 7 Someday, 11 Cleopatra, 13 All at sea, 14 On guard, 16 Repair, 19 Bogus, 20 Seep, 23 Lie.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution

Across: 1 Bedevil, 5 Amass, 8 Old-timers, 9 Sum, 10 Down, 12 Falsetto, 14 Pliant, 15 Beware, 17 Altering, 18 Used, 21 Ion, 22 Passers-by, 24 Tepid, 25 Nettled.

Down: 1 Brood, 2 Dud, 3 Veil, 4 Leeway, 5 Assisted, 6 Alsatians, 7 Someone, 11 Written up, 13 Intrepid, 14 Pianist, 16 Unison, 19 Dryad, 20 Pelt, 23 Sol.

EASY PUZZLE

Down 1 Tight (4) Final demand (9) Undergo instruction (5) Shake from fear (7) Colouring matter (7) Mean, grasping person (5) Australian Aboriginal trumpet (10) State of hostilities (8) Done just in time (4-6) Excessive admiration (8) Everybody (3,3,3) Laborious effort (7) Forsake (7) Clever expedient (5) Mediterranean island country (5) Sole (4)

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 18; very good 27; excellent 36 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s Sudoku Answer

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition) 0907 181 2585 today’s target cost 80p per minute your telephone company’s network access

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

Solution tomorrow 1 3 4 5 6

targEt thE alphapuzzl

NEuralgia

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 tomorrow

ague airgun angular argue auger aura aural glue granule gruel guile guinea iguana inure langue langur lieu luge lunar lung lunge lure luring neural NEURALGIA ruin ruing rule ruling rune rung ugli uglier ulna ulnar unreal unrig urea urge urinal urine

across: Ebbs, Abjectly, Reign, Treat, Sneezy, Adieux, Wimple, Matte, Dialect (clue), Farmyard, down: Equating, Half, Blister, Virtue, Party, Gender, Eerie, Demean, Teeth, Yank, Excepted.

●

Yesterday’s Kakuro Answer

and personality and he said to make a video and submit it.

“The crazy part is, my video was so dry, but I guess they wanted some thing chocolate. They never had anyone with the Bahamian dialect. The executive producers told me the only reason I was on the show was because of Bobby. They already had hundreds of submissions, but Bobby said (he wanted me). I guess my per sonality from the beginning stood out to him in LA,” said Jameson.

As each episode airs, more and more fans flock to Jameson’s social media pages to share their thoughts. However, he admits he doesn’t always read the comments.

“You have people who really don’t know you or your personality, people who come from all walks of life, they come and judge you from what they see. When you read the comments, they may have a negative and positive effect on you, however, I don’t read them. I am just embracing what God has put into my life; it is a different ball game now,” he said.

Jameson encourages his supporters to continue watching the show, as they are not done filming yet.

“We have the reunion to film. The reunion is going to be epic, and that’s the funny part, just wait for it. What I can definitely say is, watch the show, guys. I am going to give you some thing the Bahamas will want to see. Ya’ll are going to see a lot of dynamics that are going to change and it is going to be so funny. The executive produc ers knew what they were doing when they made the show, and I can say my personality never changed. The Baha mas is already known, but in reality television, the best is yet to come.”

Also on the agenda for Jameson later this year is some modelling work in London and sharing the stage with iconic supermodel Naomi Campbell.

“There are a lot of things I can’t disclose until they emerge. Me and my agent are trying to get on a Beyoncé campaign for November, and that is one of my biggest goals. We are work ing towards that,” he said.

And fans can expect to see him grace their screens soon with another project.

“Another reality TV show is coming soon…building my Instagram and showing the people who I am, and a lot more modelling gigs are coming up. There are a lot of things I am embedded in with Zeus, so the net work has me working. A lot of things are in the making, but my main thing now is to be in a movie. My main goal is to play a character in ‘Blade 3’...so, Bahamas, watch out!”

OLD SKOOL REGGAE PARTY RETURNS

Jeffarah Gibson | Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

AFTER a two-year hiatus due the COVID-19 pandemic, the One Blood Old Skool Reggae Party is back for the folks with an appetite for good music and good vibes.

Building on the success of their old school reggae series, the Concepts marketing firm seeks to once again celebrate the diversity, influence and power of reggae with “One Blood XXI – The Original Old School Reggae Party” on October 1.

Concepts’ Old School Reggae party series was established in 2004, taking on the One Blood name after a few different iterations of the event which has grown in popularity over the years.

The reggae parties have con sistently drawn a cross section of Nassau’s party-goers, from ages 25 to 50-something. The last event was held on December 26, 2019, at Club Waterloo and saw over 1,200 attendees.

Next month’s event will feature entertainment by Selector Ty and DJ XL, who is considered a legend in old school reggae and is making his

return to the musical scene with this party.

Leah Rose of Concepts said she is looking forward to bringing back the event, which was cancelled twice during the pandemic, in March 2020 and December 2021.

She said they are targeting reggae lovers of all ages and backgrounds.

A reggae lover herself, Leah designed the event to take people back in time while also filling a void in Nassau’s entertainment scene.

“Next month, we will take the One Blood party series to another level with a larger and more dynamic experience, creating an event unfor gettable to satisfy the pent-up demand created by the pandemic for quality entertainment,” she told Trib une Weekend.

The event, which was introduced almost two decades ago at the Pirates Museum, creates in people a feeling of fond nostalgia, said Leah.

“I think there are a number of factors which contribute to the sus tenance of the One Blood brand… one of them being the consistency of the musical experience. Selector Ty and Selector 3D have been with me almost from the beginning and defi nitely have the formula for creating

an old school party that delivers 100 percent on our promise of pure old school reggae vibes all night. The other factor that contributes to this event is the positive energy and vibes that the attendees bring. The event is a reunion of sorts for persons that don’t regularly party, so it’s always a happy time,” she said.

“We are extremely grateful that people continue to patronise the event and look forward to taking things to a new level now that we are passed the challenges of the pandemic.”

A philanthropic element has always been tied to the series, with Concepts hosting a number of ben efit editions of the Old Skool Reggae Party. The group anticipates to sup port more causes in the near future.

‘Being community-minded, there’s always a charitable partner for or events, even if we don’t talk about it, and in the past, we have hosted benefit editions, most recently in the aftermath of Dorian. Moving for ward, we will continue to seek out opportunities to impact causes that matter to our team and followers,” she said.

Tickets are available at www.one bloodreggae.eventbrite.com.

SELECTOR TY, Leah Rose of Concepts and Selector 3D.

gardening

One tree

GOOD day, gardeners.

The character of the Once-ler, on page 55 of The Lorax (Dr Seuss, 1971) says: “And then I got mad. I got terribly mad. I yelled at the Lorax, ‘Now listen here, Dad! All you do is yap-yap and say ‘Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!’ Well, I have my rights, sir, and I’m telling you I intend to go on doing just what I do! And, for your information, you Lorax, I figgering on biggering, and big gering, and biggering, and biggering, turning more Truffula Trees into Thneeds which everyone, everyone, everyone needs!’

And at that very moment, we heard a loud whack! From outside in the fields came a sickening smack of an axe on a tree. Then we heard the tree fall. The very last Truffula Tree of them all! No more trees. No more Thneeds. No more work to be done. So, in no time, my uncles and aunts, every one, all waved me good-bye. They jumped into my cars and drove away under the smokesmuggered stars. Now all that was left ‘neath the bad-smelling sky was my big empty factory… the Lorax… and I. The Lorax said nothing. Just gave me a glance… just gave me a very sad, sad backwards glance… as he lifted himself by the seat of his pants. And I’ll never forget the grim look on his face when he heisted himself and took leave of the place, through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace. And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with the one word… ‘unless’. Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn’t guess. That was long, long ago. But each day since that day I’ve sat here and worried and worried away. Through the years, while my buildings have fallen apart, I’ve worried about it with all of my

heart. ‘But now,’ says the Once-ler, ‘Now that you’re here, the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. Unless someone like you cares a while awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’

‘So… Catch!” calls the Once-ler. He let something fall. ‘It’s a Truffula Seed. It’s the last one of all! You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.

And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.’

Why do we insist on clearing these properties and not leave one single tree? When will we care, when there are none left? Native trees are essential in the circle of life, not only that, but they also cool things down, yet, we are fans of hot black asphalt and buildings that consume unsustainable amounts of air condition ing. Will the property in the photo be another church, that swelters under the sun while preaching of God’s love, or will it be wrath. You, the gardener.

“Unless someone like you... cares a whole awful lot... nothing is going to get better... It’s not.”

Plant a mustard seed of thought or plant a seed and plant a tree. Future generations will thank you. As always, I wish you 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 dis cussed, at gardening242@gmail.com

AN AREA of Nassau completely cleared of trees.

‘Why do we insist on clearing these properties and not leave one single tree? When will we care, when there are none left?’

History Grassy Creek Flamingos

I never understood why Andros is referred to as being an island, since it consists of several islands and many, many cays, some very small.

While flying the Police Patrol plane, I saw flamingos over South Andros, but only at times when there was not enough food on Inagua, but there used to be thousands of these pink birds, the national nird of the Bahamas, living and breeding in Grassy Creek, near the southern tip of South Andros.

In 1946, when Dr Paul A Zahl (1910-1985), a biologist, explorer and writer, decided to study these fla mingos, he contacted Elgin Forsyth (1877-1972) for guidance. Forsyth and his father each served as Com missioner at Mangrove Cay and the name ‘Fer-sight (as the Andros islanders pronounced it) was a household name. Elgin’s advice was to “contact…Robbie Ferguson… look him up at Mars Bay…a little set tlement near Grassy Creek. Robbie’s honest and he’s been watching the comings and goings of those birds, all his life.”

“Flamingo Hunt” (1952) is Zahl’s account of his scientific hunt for the nesting grounds of the national bird of the Bahamas in 1946.

Accompanied by Duane Feather stone, a newspaperman who would aid with photography, Zahl booked passage to Mars Bay on a sailing sloop, and set off on his first of three ventures to the lake-strewn, half-sea, and half-land desolation of South Andros’ Grassy Creek.

“On the Tongue of the Ocean “Our waif of a boat was pounded mercilessly…Duane somewhat seasick and I, violently so…”

Robbie Ferguson was away on a turtle hunt, but a boatman named Hackett, who was introduced as “knowing more about the birds than Fergu son”, offered to “take them to the Grassy Creek nesting grounds,

before dark”- in a ‘crumbling’ dinghy. “Our decision had been made for us”.

Hackett did not waste words and would not answer questions, but he got them to Grassy Creek. “Sometimes the water was only ankledeep and the dinghy would ground. We’d all jump overboard and drag her over the bar.” Later, pointing southward, Hackett announced that the fla mingo nesting ground were a two-hour wade through the shallow water.

They chose a nearby shore, where the land

was a little elevated, toted their supplies, over “so impossible ter rain…sticky mud, in which spikes of iron-hard, knife-edged coral rock, deceptively buried, made it down right dangerous, even with our thick rubber-soled sneakers” and set up camp. Hackett headed back to Mars Bay and grunted when Zahl called out: “Don’t forget to come back.”

On day two, they rolled up their shorts, “stepped into water, two feet deep, sank into the marl bottom, to our ankles. Each step became a slosh…a thousand such sloshes got us there…it took about two hours to reach where we thought the birds would be”.

They spent hours wading through the swampy world, seeing flamingos in flight, but not finding their habitat.

After sloshing and wading day after day, they happened upon another ‘new’ lake where, “perhaps a half mile away, on a vegetationfree marl bar, jutting into the lake, through binoculars, they saw a lot of elevations that looked like flamingo nests. Thirty minutes later, they were among the nest mounds. At last, they were at the rookery.

Hackett turned up, on the agreed two weeks, and on the way back to Mars Bay, Zahl spotted Robbie Ferguson’s boat. Robbie had been looking for Zahl and Featherstone and knew exactly where to take them.

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

Literary lives – Cary Grant (1904 -1986)

Hollywood’s ultimate leading man – Part IIII

Sir Christopher Ondaatje continues to write about the Englishborn American actor whose transatlantic accent, debonair demeanour, and light-hearted approach to acting made him one of Hollywood’s definitive leading men.

“It’s important to know where you’ve come from so that you can know where you’re going. I prob ably chose my profession because I was seeking approval, adulation, admiration and affection.”

– Cary Grant

In the mid 1950s, Cary Grant was 51 years old, extremely wealthy, still apparently happily mar ried to his third wife Betsy Drake, and fed up with playing slapstick comedy roles for a host of movie producers. He wanted to leave the film industry.

But Alfred Hitchcock and Paramount Pictures had other ideas. In 1955, Hitchcock, who had the film rights to David Dodge’s mystery book To Catch a Thief, approached Paramount to convince Cary Grant and Grace Kelly to star opposite each other in the film about a jewel thief called “The Cat” who had retired on the French Riviera. This was not just another run-of-the-mill comedy – but a full-blown romantic lead. They agreed and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences of Grant’s career. They worked well together and became good friends. Critics were mixed in their reviews but none could doubt the glamour and good looks of both Grant and Kelly in spectacular surroundings.

“Of all the pictures I’ve ever worked on ‘To Catch a Thief’ is my favourite. And it was also the most difficult. From Grace Kelly’s pièce de résistance gold ball gown to shopping for bathing trunks that would please Cary Grant, who was more difficult to please than Hitch was. Cary knew exactly how he wanted to look, but he also wanted to be comfortable. He didn’t want a tight elastic distracting him. He selected most of his clothes for the film. Grace was much easier to work with, but I never had a free moment

to see the Côte d’Azur ... I was in costume designer’s heaven. Can you imagine? Grace Kelly playing one of the richest women in America so she could afford the most elegant clothes and most fabulous jewels. Then, a fancy costume ball, with hundreds of extras ... Hitch told me to dress Grace like a princess, and I did. Of course, I had no idea I was dressing a real princess-to-be!”

– Edith Head Costume Designer

Grant, a very shrewd businessman, received more than $700,000 for his ten percent of the gross of the incredibly successful To Catch a Thief, while Hitchcock received only $50,000 for directing and producing the film.

Back in harness, Grant starred opposite Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember (1957), playing an international playboy who falls for her affections. It was a defining moment in Grant’s film career in one of the most endearing romantic pictures of the decade. He went on to appear opposite Sophia Loren in The Pride and the Passion (1957). The film was shot on location in Spain and Grant and

Loren were rumoured to have become romantically involved during the filming. They were cast oppo site one another in Houseboat the following year – a difficult film project for the producers as the leading actors’ passion had cooled.

Later in 1958, Grant starred again with Ingrid Bergman in the romantic comedy Indiscreet, play ing a successful financier who has an affair with a famous actress while pretending to be a married man. It is a superb film, possibly the best romantic comedy of the era, and one of Grant’s favourites. He received the first of his Five Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor and ended the year as the most popular film star at the box office. No one could doubt that he had fully matured as a lead romantic actor. He was confident and refined.

Alfred Hitchcock again directed Grant in North by Northwest in 1958, who played an advertising executive involved in a sinister case of mistaken identity. Both critically praised and financially suc cessful, North by Northwest is now regarded as being one of the ten best films ever made. Hitch cock extracted one of Grant’s finest performances, and he was perfectly at ease handling the role of a suave advertising man-on-the-lam. Eva Marie Saint and an evil James Mason were also superb in the American spy-thriller. It was the canonical Hitchcock film of the 1950s.

“One pretends to do something or copy someone or some teacher, until it can be done confidently and easily in what becomes one’s own style.”

– Cary Grant

Grant finished 1959 going back to comedy and playing a US Navy Rear Admiral aboard a subma rine in Operation Petticoat. It is a classic example of how to extract laughter without saying anything. Most of the gags play off him. It is his reaction, blank, startled, etc., completely underplayed, which makes the film funny. It was the highest earning film of Grant’s career, taking $9.5 million at the box office. So, the truth is that, however much of a romantic lead Grant became, the blood of the great music hall and vaudeville stars like Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers, still raced powerfully through his veins. He was an artist and a master of comedy.

The next year in the film The Grass is Greener opposite Jean Simmons, Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum, Grant even went as far as to mock his own refined tastes and mannerisms – which proved how far he had come from his own humble ori gins in the poorer section of Bristol. He was more

popular than ever but his twelve-year marriage to his one-time co-star Betsy Drake ended. It was the longest of Grant’s five marriages.

In 1962, Grant starred in the romantic comedy That Touch of Mink playing a wealthy, attrac tive businessman who gets himself involved with an office worker, played by Doris Day. The magic formula worked again and the film won three Acad emy Award nominations, and won The Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Picture, as well as another Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor. It was the second highest grossing film of Grant’s career.

Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, the pro ducer of the James Bond films, originally wanted Grant for Dr No in 1962, but Grant would only commit to a single film and not a franchise or series. Instead, he agreed to appear with Audrey Hep burn in Charade (1963), although he was worried that he was far too old for her. He was wrong. It was a wonderful experience and his last in a suave romantic role.

“It’s the film’s canny flirtatiousness that makes it such imperious entertainment. Grant and Hepburn play off each other like the pros they are.”

– Chris Barsanti Film critic, Author Film-ol-o-gy

As expected, the film was a major success, well received by critics, and is now well-known as “the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never made”.

In 1964, Grant played a grizzled alcoholic beach comber with Trevor Howard and Leslie Caron in Father Goose. The film is a light World War II romantic comedy and was a major commercial suc cess. It took in over $210,000 at the box office in the first week when it was released at Radio City Music Hall at Christmas 1964 – breaking the record set by Charade.

Grant’s last film Walk, Don’t Run, set against the back-drop of the1964 Tokyo Olympics with Saman tha Eggar and Jim Hutton, was not a success. Now over 60 years old he didn’t seem to belong in the film. Alfred Hitchcock tried to get him to star in his next film Torn Curtain, only to find out that Grant had decided to retire. It is a pity, because he might have helped Hitchcock to make Torn Cur tain (1966) the American political thriller that it deserved to become. Hitchcock was very unhappy with the film he made with Paul Newman and Julie Andrews.

Grant married actress Dyan Cannon on July 22, 1965. His daughter Jennifer was born seven months later on February 21, 1966. She was the main reason he retired – to focus on bringing her up and to introduce some permanence and stability into his life.

“My life changed the day Jennifer was born. I’ve come to realise that the reason we’re put on this

earth is to procreate. To leave something behind. Not films, because you know that I don’t think my films will last very long once I’m gone. But another human being. That’s what’s important.”

– Cary Grant

Grant and Dyan Cannon divorced in March 1968. Later that month he was involved in a car crash on Long Island and was hospitalised for two weeks with broken ribs and bruising. He had some severe disagreements with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but was nevertheless named as the recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 1970.

Early in Grant’s career, in 1932, he lived with actor Randolph Scott off and on for twelve years. There is no evidence that the relationship was homosexual. When the actor Chevy Chase said on television in 1980 that Grant was a homosexual, Grant sued him for slander, and Chase was forced to publicly retract his words.

Grant became more active in business. He was already a very wealthy man, had invested heav ily in real estate and the stock market, and joined the boards of the Princess Grace Foundation and Faberg. Later, in 1975, he was appointed a director of MGM, and sat on the boards of both MGM films and MGM Grand Hotels in Las Vegas when the companies separated.

Grant had a brief affair with actress Cynthia Bouron in the late 1960s. The actress filed a pater nity suit against him and stated that he was the father of her seven-week-old daughter. Grant chal lenged her to do a blood test which she failed to

provide, and the court ordered her to remove his name from the child’s birth certificate. Between 1973and 1977 he dated British photojournal ist Maureen Donaldson, followed by the much younger Victoria Morgan. On April 11, 1981 Grant married Barbara Harris who was forty-seven years his junior. They had met in London in 1976 while he was working for Fabergé. However, it was not until 1979 that she moved to California to live with him. Prince Rainier of Monaco, whom he had often visited after filming To Catch a Thief, said that Grant had never been happier than he was in the last years of his life.

On the afternoon of November 29, 1986, Grant was at the Adler Theatre in Davenport, Iowa, taping A Conversation with Cary Grant. He seemed tired during a half hour rehearsal but sud denly things seemed to go wrong and he was taken with his wife to the Blackhawk Hotel. A doctor was called and discovered that Grant was having a mas sive stroke. By 8.45 pm he had slipped into a coma and was taken to St Luke’s Hospital where he died at 11.22pm, aged 82.

“Grant was not supposed to die ... He was sup posed to stick around, our perpetual touchstone of charm and elegance and romance and youth.”

The New York Times

His body was taken back to California where his body was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean. As he requested, he didn’t want the “nonsense” of a funeral.

Grant’s estate was estimated to be in the region of $80 million, the bulk of which went to his daugh ter, Jennifer, and Barbara Harris.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Cary Grant: Dark Angel (1966) by Geoffrey Wansell; Cary Grant: A Biography (2005) by Marc Eliot; Cary Grant A Class Apart (2012) by Graham McCann; and Cary Grant, the Making of a Hollywood Legend (2020) by Mark Glancy.

GRACE Kelly and Cary Grant in “To Catch a Thief” (1955)

GRANT in Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” (1958)

GRANT with his fourth of five wives Dyan Cannon and their daughter Jennifer.

Books

How a lunchtime chat led to an Amazon best-seller about a famous Nassau murder

JOHN MARQUIS

spent 14 years working as a journalist in Nassau, including in the post of managing editor at The Tribune. Since his retirement from newspapers in 2009, he has continued writing books, booklets and blogs in what he terms “a frenetic outpouring of words that shows no signs of abating.”

Among his books is the internationally acclaimed “Blood and Fire”, about the 1943 murder of Sir Harry Oakes. Here he outlines its progress since it was published in 2005.

IT started off as a lunchtime chat, and ended up as an Amazon best-seller.

That, in a nutshell, has been the 17-year life of my book, Blood and Fire, about the 1943 murder in Nassau of the British Empire’s richest man, Sir Harry Oakes.

Since 2005, when it was launched at Breezes Hotel on Cable Beach, “Blood and Fire” has found its way all over the world, ending up as research mate rial in many leading universities, and earning high praise from no less than The Wall Street Journal, which described it as “one of the top five books in its genre.”

It all began when I had lunch with my old pal, the

late Jim Frew, a novelist who lived in Nassau for many years after a career as a bomber pilot, a com mercial airline captain, and an architect specialising in hotel design.

He introduced me to his publisher, Michael Henry, who - after hearing the story of the Oakes murderasked me to write a book about it. “Can you let me have 80,000 words by March?” he asked, hoping to add it to his list for 2005.

That gave me four months of slog, working every Saturday morning between demanding stints as managing editor of The Tribune. But the deadline was met, and the book has gone on to sell steadily right up to the present day, still holding its price and appearing on some of the most prestigious literary websites in the world.

A few days ago, I was surfing the internet when I stumbled upon a Daily Telegraph story about my

book. It had appeared, via syndication, in the Sydney Morning Herald, and recounted my theories about the Duke of Windsor’s involvement in a cover-up after Sir Harry’s death.

The book’s progress has taken it into the libraries of revered universities like Harvard and Princeton, the University of California, and - inevitably - the University of the West Indies. It has also found its way into several Canadian colleges, and has featured in the famous Palm Beach Post among many noted American publications.

It has also earned me four or five approaches from Hollywood and London movie producers, all of whom wanted to buy options on the story, and a string of appearances on high-profile documentaries on major television channels. In addition to all that, it was named an Amazon best-seller in Canada and the Caribbean.

I can’t claim to have become a mega-million aire off the back of it, but it certainly earned me

‘Blood and Fire’, published in 2005.

FORMER Tribune managing editor John Marquis.

recognition among some heavy-hitters in the worlds of movies and academia.

Probably most important of all, it laid a foun dation for a book-writing career following my retirement from The Tribune in 2009. For the last 13 years, I have published a string of titles off my own imprint, First Edition Press, with volumes covering everything from international crime stories to local histories of my beloved Cornwall, where my wife Joan and I have had a home since the mid-1980s.

My second book for LMH Publishing – “Papa Doc: Portrait of a Haitian Tyrant” – also originated in Nassau. It was while covering the three-week espi onage trial of Bahamas Information Director David Knox in Port-au-Prince in 1968 that my interest in Haiti’s sinister despot Francois Duvalier first took root.

The book has been cited several times as an insightful appraisal of the Duvalier regime and –like “Blood and Fire” – continues to sell steadily on Amazon and elsewhere, still holding its price and turning up in college libraries all over the world.

My third book inspired by the Baha mas was “Long Hot Summer”, reflecting on my three years as a political reporter in Nassau (196669) and my decade-long stint as The Tribune’s managing editor (19992009). The entire print run was sold for Bahamas distribution.

I’m hoping to produce a

revised and extended reprint in due course.

To underscore my debt to Nassau as a source of stories, I produced “Evil and Son”, about the Mommie and Clyde crime duo Sante and Kenny Kimes, who lived in the Bahamas from 1992-96 and ended up serving life terms for a string of con-andkill crimes across America.

This demonic pair drowned a banker in their bath in their rented home on Cable Beach, and later went on to strangle a New York socialite in an attempt to steal her $10-million Manhattan mansion.

Sante Kimes invited me to interview her in prison in upper New York state in 2011, and our three-hour encounter formed the basis of my book.

The writing/publishing life throws up endless opportunities, and I’m happy to report that my retirement ‘career’ to date has been every bit as stim ulating as my 49-year newspaper life, which included spells as an award-winning investigative reporter, London sports editor of Britain’s biggest newspaper group, and seven years as an international boxing writer, covering several Muhammad Ali fights among scores of others.

My output has included a word profile of the writer, D H Lawrence, two histories of the Cornish village where I live, and a sequel to “Blood and Fire” called “Death in the Night”, which offers my own answer to the Oakes mystery. I’ve also written a privatelycirculated boyhood memoir, “Outsider Looking In”, and two books of essays called “The Day That The Plane Came Down and On Being Provincial”.

My most recent productions have been Cornwall:

“The Land of Writers” and “The Most Famous Little Paper in the World: The Story of the Falmouth Packet”, the Cornish newspaper I edited for ten years before arriving for my second stint in the Baha mas in the final year of the 20th century.

But writing books began for me in a Nassau res taurant all those years ago, when Jim Frew and I sat munching cracked conch with one of the Caribbean’s most prominent publishers. The challenge he threw out that day set me on course for some of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Nowadays, I am content in the knowledge that my books are being read all over the civilised world.

Sitting at my study window, looking out over the gorgeous Falmouth harbour, in Britain’s most glo rious county, I look back on more than six decades as a professional writer, from a few weeks after my seventeenth birthday, when I started work as a junior reporter, to within a few months of my 80th, to be celebrated in 2023.

When I started out in journalism with the North ampton Chronicle and Echo in 1961, I was pounding out copy on Remington and Underwood typewriters dating back to the 1920s. Now my ageing fingers glide over my MacBook Air laptop, evading the hazards of predictive text and the irritating vagaries of com puter science.

But what a life it’s been. My dear old dad, a foundry storeman who never owned a car, or even a bike, thought it inconceivable that his youngest sonbrought up on a Midlands council estate - would end up writing for a living.

He thought it was a wholly unrealistic ambition and felt I should join my four beloved older brothers in the local hosiery factory. When I told the school careers officer I’d like to be a journalist, he burst out laughing and said: “Wouldn’t we all? What else would you like to be?”

“Nothing,” I said.

“But journalism is a very tough nut to crack,” he said.

“I’ll crack it,” I replied. I was 16 years old at the time.

More than 60 years on, I’m still hitting the key board every day, with a frenetic outpouring of words that shows no sign of abating. More books are planned for 2023, 2024 and beyond. It’s a habit I can’t break, even if I wanted to.

• John Marquis was a political reporter on both The Tribune and Nassau Guardian from 1966 to 1969, and The Tribune’s managing editor from 1999-2009. He was London sports editor and chief boxing writer of the Thomson newspaper chain from 1975 to 1981, and a Reuters journalist (staff and freelance) for 12 years. He was editor and publisher of Packet Newspapers, Cornwall, from 1986-99. In 1974, he was voted Provincial Journalist of the Year in the British National Press Awards, the ‘Oscars’ of British journalism. He and his wife Joan have eight children and 19 grandchildren.

SIR Harry Oakes’s murder remains unsolved to this day.

WESTBOURNE, Sir Harry’s Nassau estate where he was murdered in 1943.

(Photo: Bob Davies – oldbahamas.com)

animals

Exploring in Central Florida

I HAVE just returned from a few days in Central Florida, staying with friends.

We spent a wonderful day cruis ing around on the Banana River and the Indian River, both names that made me think of lush and exotic surroundings.

When we walked out to the dock there was a long walkway flanked on either side by a bank of very healthy mangroves.

I was told by the kids that several brown racer snakes live in those mangroves. We looked for a while. Much to the kids’ disappointment, we didn’t see these benign little fellows, though to be totally honest, I was not too sorry not to see the local snake community. They are not amongst my favourite creatures, so the walk out the boat was totally uneventful.

Once we left the dock, we took a sharp right and travelled through a very lush and narrow canal, with mangroves and trees on either side. Midway, there was a small wooden dock that accesses 50 acres of trails through the mangroves.

Thought I was fascinated by the island, we decided not to explore. The kids assured us that the trails were damp and full of mosquitos, so taking a pass seemed to be the sensible thing to do, but it looked mystical, spooky and a little bit beckoning.

When we got to the Banana River, the tropical feel gave way to splendid and very large homes everywhere; every type architecture imaginable, quite literally something for everyone.

Shortly after getting into the Banana River, moving suitably slow, our friend driving the boat throttled back and pointed where he had seen a manatee. He said only its nose was visible, and hearing the engines of our boat, the delightful animal, who somehow or other got mistaken for a mermaid in past centuries, took off, not to be seen again.

This, however, was not the case when it came the plentiful flock of pelicans lolling around the various

posts and boats.

There must have been 12 of them all sitting together, some with their wings extended, taking full benefit of the sun and gentle breeze to dry their feathers. There is something so very endearing about these ungainly feathered giants with a huge beak; talk about the kids rhyme of “What a wonderful bird is the Pel-i-can - whose beak can hold more than his belly can.”

I used to love that when I was small. How I wish that we had pelicans in the Bahamas. Over the years I have seen a few in the Berry Islands, but never

in pairs. I think I remember seeing a few photos on Facebook of the odd pelican visitor in New Providence.

During our cruise along the two rivers, we were treated to the experi ence of a swing bridge – a very lazy Old World experience for areas that cannot sustain a hump bridge.

As the day continued, I simply could not count how many wild dolphins we saw. Swimming free and happy in family pods, nearing our boat, curious and unafraid, this is how they should be the world over.

As the trip drew to a close and we headed down the magnificent mangrove

alley, there in front of us, perched up high on a pole, was a majestic osprey looking down at us in curiosity as he surveyed his kingdom below.

It was a rare treat to go to Central Florida and to see so much natural beauty… living in the Bahamas and going over to the “big continent” to see so much wildlife…

I must admit that when I went to see Bonefish Pond, I saw the poten tial of an amazing walk for visitors to enjoy - if only we could get some more birds and reptiles hanging around. There certainly appears to be a lot of marine life.

It is a real treat to go out and be able to enjoy the magnificence of nature in such a busy part of the world.

The Bahamas is blessed with so many national parks but so few of us take advantage of them.

My visit to Bonefish Pond was a real eye-opener. I was invited by a fellow Bahamas Humane Society board member, first lady of the Bahamas, Ann-Marie Davis, to plant some baby mangroves.

I was struck with the peaceful beauty of the park; it was quiet and beautiful. I felt like I was in the Out Islands, not sitting on the island of New Providence, just a few miles away from the mayhem and chatter of the city of Nassau.

We are blessed to live somewhere so magnificent and lucky that there are so many similar places around the world.

Animal matters

Kim Aranha

A manatee in the Banana River

A view of the Banana River