10202023 WEEKEND

CELEBRITY PUZZLES GARDENING MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY INTERVIEW

Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

Culture Fest Page 03

On a nautical mission BBC show fosters new generation of marine saviours in Bimini special pgs 04 + 05

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

food

From sea to spoon Stone crab industry sets the bar for sustainability WHILE Bahamians eagerly anticipate the start of fishing seasons for beloved seafood like the land crab and the Bahamian spiny lobster, there’s a hidden culinary gem in local waters often overlooked by local consumers – the delectable and sustainable stone crab.

In contrast to its more popular seafood counterparts, the stone crab stands as a year-round delicacy, with only a brief closed season lasting a little over three months, from June 1 to October 15.

But what truly sets the stone crab fishing industry apart is its commitment to sustainability.

According to Bahamian celebrity chef and international culinary contributor, Simeon Hall Jr, the stone crab is harvested in an eco-conscious and sustainable manner. Only one of their claws is collected while the rest of the crab remains intact.

It’s not just ethical; it’s the law. Harvesting whole stone crabs is illegal in the Bahamas, and this unique approach to harvesting allows the stone crab to regenerate its claws over time.

Chef Hall, a staunch advocate of the seato-spoon movement, firmly believes that this harvesting method is not only vital for our local ecosystem but also plays a crucial role in safeguarding our thriving stone crab export industry, which is the third largest fishery export in the Bahamas.

“Many Bahamians are unaware that stone crab claws are a significant million-dollar export for the Bahamas, with local fishermen supplying these crab claws to restaurants in Florida and along the southern US coast. It’s a big deal, said the restaurateur.

Captain’s Mustard Sauce Ingredients: ● 1 cup Hellmann’s Mayo ● 1/2 cup Dijon mustard ● 1 tsp your favourite local pepper sauce ● 2 tsp cold milk ● 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Captain Chris Symonette, from whom Chef Hall often sources his stone crabs and seafood, provided further insights into this crab species. He emphasised their abundance in the waters of Andros, Grand Bahama, Abaco, and Eleuthera.

Captain Symonette also mentioned the unique practices of some fishermen, noting that they may choose to boil their stone crabs at sea to preserve their freshness. However, this method’s implementation varies and can depend on the setup established by the fishermen, with some using cooking vessels or seafood processing plants for this purpose.

He further highlighted that stone crab prices are influenced by the international market, much like lobster. During the last season, these prices spanned from $15 to $20 per pound.

Chef Hall’s

How to prepare

Chef Hall advises that the first and most crucial step for preparing stone crab claws is ensuring that they are purchased from a reputable fisherman, particularly from a boat that harvests in small batches to guarantee fresher crabs claws.

“Once home, thaw your stone crab claws overnight in your refrigerator away from any raw or uncooked foods,” he said.

In some instances, the stone crab claws are actually boiled by the fisherman after catch to preserve freshness, so local customers should ask their fisherman or vendor if the crabs are already pre-cooked. ● Kosher salt to taste

Instructions: 1. In a bowl, mix Hellmann’s Mayo until smooth.

2. Add Dijon mustard, local pepper sauce, cold milk, and Worcestershire Photo: Edrin Chris Symonette sauce. Mix until well combined.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning with

Kosher salt if needed.

4. Chill the sauce and serve with stone crab claws.

San Fran Cocktail Sauce Ingredients: ● 1 cup premium ketchup ● Juice from 1/2 lime ● 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce ● 4 tsp fresh milled black pepper (yes, it’s a lot) ● 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Chef Simeon Hall Jr Photo: Aneris Photography ● 1 tsp of your favorite local hot sauce Instructions: 1. In a bowl, combine premium ketchup, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, fresh milled black pepper, prepared horseradish, and your favorite local hot sauce. Mix well.

2. Refrigerate the sauce for at least 1 hour.

3. Before serving, mix the sauce well again.

4. Serve and enjoy!

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, October 20, 2023

culture

Food fest weekend Enjoy a culinary trip around the world and celebrate Halloween in the dungeons at Fort Charlotte

By ALESHA CADET | Tribune Features Writer | acadet@tribunemedia.net A NEW venue and longer hours to sample delicacies from around the world await patrons of the highly anticipated International Culture, Wine and Food Festival (ICWFF) this weekend.

For the 26th edition of the popular festival, proceedings have been moved to Fort Charlotte and will take place from 11am to 11pm on Saturday, October 21, and from 11am to 9pm on Sunday. There has been no change in admission fees which remain at $10 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

“I like to think that the festival has a bit of a Woodstock feel,” said Janet Johnson, ICWFF president. “It’s nostalgic and familiar and has universal appeal.”

Janet said organisers love that the festival has become the destination of choice for people coming out of church on Sunday.

“They have wide variety of cuisine to choose from at reasonable prices. They can literally dine around the world and we greatly appreciate their support,” she said.

“We will be celebrating a three-decade milestone very soon and that is truly awe-inspiring.

Indeed, it is a testament to the dedication and commitment made by foreign nationals who have chosen the Bahamas as their adopted second home, that causes it to continue to flourish and grow,” said Janet.

She said the ICWFF team has tried to introduce something new every year so the festival doesn’t become static and stale. Last year, the event went fully digital.

“We’re bringing back Festival Dollars this year and so patrons have a choice and can load up their digital wallets with Kanoo in advance or exchange their legal tender for ‘funny money’,” she said.

This year, innovations include longer hours and the new venue at Fort Charlotte, which Janet feels should help the festival become even more attractive to tourists.

“ICWFF is an event that ought to be highlighted on Tourism’s calendar that visitors plan for and come and enjoy. There are thousands of cruise passengers arriving daily that ought to be encouraged to visit these cultural events and leave their disposable income here in the Bahamas. Being close to the port, they can see the ships from this vantage point and we trust that lots of passengers will make their way to the festival this year,” she said.

Live performances are the hallmark of the festival, and local artists like D-Mac and the Spank Band will rock the stage on Saturday night.

With the move to Fort Charlotte, Janet said

festival-goers are being encouraged, in the spirit of Halloween, to dress up for the occasion, be it as a pirate, a wench or Woodes Rodgers.

There will also be a haunted house in one of the dungeons where both young and old can get their “boo” on. There will be lots of prizes and surprises.

Janet praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for being an invaluable partner to the festival and for their help in facilitating the import of beers, wines, food and spices to create an authentic culinary experience for patrons.

“This goes a long way to ensuring the festival’s longevity and sustainability,” she said.

Booth COUNTRIES from holders, she around the world who said, are encouraged have a presence here to decorate in the Bahamas will their disonce again be sharplays and make them ing their culture with as authentic festival-goers. as possible so as to provide a window into the cultural heritage of the various participating countries.

“Years ago, and in cooler weather, members would wear national costumes.

This year, a national costume fashion show is in the entertainment line-up and countries have eagerly signed up to wave their national colours,” said Janet.

In boosting pre-sales this year, she said they are encouraging patrons to purchase their tickets online. This will alleviate the long lines and patrons can have the QR code on their digital ticket scanned and be fast-tracked.

“We’ve also brought back the raffle this year with 30 amazing prizes. There is something for everyone: luxury weekend stays, fine dining, a half day boat charter for four, spa treatments, day trips, free mammograms, etcetera,” she said.

Raffle draws will take place at the festival on Saturday and Sunday at 6pm. Proceeds are earmarked to help with funding a United Nations trip for students.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

interview

Daniel Brook

DANIEL Brook on his undersea adventure.

A television series from the BBC has put shark conservation in the Bahamas in the spotlight. The children’s series recruited youngsters to come to the islands and swim with sharks to learn more about the risks facing the world’s shark population. Daniel Brook, one of the show’s participants, spoke to STEPHEN HUNT about making the series, and about how sharks are misunderstood.

F

OR Daniel Brook, it was a TikTok video that led to him swimming underwater with sharks in the Bahamas for international television.

The video was an invitation for youngsters to take part in a TV series made by award-winning BBC natural history presenter Steve Backshall, Deadly Mission Shark.

The show put the spotlight on the risk of extinction facing sharks – with 70 percent of oceanic sharks lost in the past 50 years.

Producers sent out the call for ten kids to take part to save the world’s sharks – with the nation being a shark sanctuary.

For Daniel, a 15-year-old who lives near York in England, answering that TikTok call was the first

step of his Bahamian adventure.

First there was an application form, and then he had to submit a 30-second video.

“I was drumming and did a little rhyming song about why I should get in,” he said.

Then came an interview and finally Daniel made it to boot camp, where the first episode of the show was filmed and where 12 candidates were whittled down to six final participants, which were then joined by four kids from Bimini.

He said: “The first episode is of the boot camp with the 12 kids and then the rest of it is Steve Backshall taking us to the Bahamas, us learning how to scuba dive, us meeting different species of sharks and doing like local traditions and conservation work – and then finally leading up to some

bigger dives like a shipwreck dive and a great hammerhead dive.”

For Daniel, this was a world away from his home in England – and especially his first experiences meeting sharks.

The kids had some initial training in a swimming pool on diving, and then they were slowly introduced to the sharks.

“We first saw them just standing on the docks looking down at bull sharks and that was really, really cool and then before I dived with any, I was waist height with some baby lemon sharks and we saw reef sharks from the boat,” he said.

Then came getting into the water itself.

“My first actual dive with them was on the shipwreck dive, there was a nurse shark hanging about and that was amazing,” he said.

Was he scared?

“Not really, the only time I was scared – slightly scared – we did a dive with loads of nurse sharks, there must have been like 30 and a hammerhead turned up and we weren’t expecting it… and it started swimming straight towards me.

That’s the only time I was maybe a bit nervous, but I was never petrified.”

The show was a ten-part series on Children’s BBC – also available on the BBC iPlayer – bringing the undersea environment of the Bahamas to viewers across the UK and

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, October 20, 2023

beyond.

That is the crucial point for Daniel.

“I think one really important thing about the whole show was that the sharks were becoming endangered. We were talking a lot about conservation of sharks and how they’re not dangerous, they’re just misunderstood – so I think that was an important thing to come out of it. And also, just the whole experience was amazing,” he said.

It also served as an introduction to the Bahamas – with the children being introduced to other parts of the country during their visit.

Daniel said: “One group went on a tour round the town, another person went to the local school, someone else did fishing and I was in a Junkanoo festival.

“It was really fun, it was boiling because we had to wear this outfit, but it was really really fun. I had trousers with colourful paper glued to it and I had a headpiece that went over my shoulders as well.”

Patricia Hidalgo, director of BBC Children’s and Education, said of the show: “BBC Children’s remains committed to fun content

DANIEL (right) with BBC presenter Steve Backshall.

PARTICIPANTS of ‘Deadly Mission Shark’ boot camp.

that sparks wonder, ignites curiosity and educates younger viewers about the world around them. In a time where our natural world faces unprecedented challenges, Deadly Mission Shark aims not just to inform its younger audiences, but inspire. Through Steve’s guidance and the passion of these young participants, Deadly Mission Shark brings adventures in the deep depths of the Bahamian oceans to

audiences wherever they are across the UK.” For Daniel, that inspiration has certainly taken hold – he talked of wanting to study marine biology and to one day return to the Bahamas, and the sharks that have captured his imagination.

Daniel said it was an opportunity of a lifetime, saying how he felt “very, very, very, very lucky – I don’t think I quite believed it. Even

when we were there, I don’t think I realised how lucky I was”.

For the Bahamas, it put the spotlight on how the nation is playing a crucial role in shark ecology and protecting the numbers of sharks not just in our waters but far beyond.

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26 Draw ox around noon (4) 27 Chap back to see indifference (9)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

SMALL CROSSWORD CROSSWORD SMALL

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

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13 Water vapour (5) DOWN 1 Ring a bell, 2 Lout, 3 Croissant, 4 Lit, FIND where fleet of ships shown is hidden 18 the Street (4)to the right of and 5 Relocates, 7 Crusade, 9 Humid, 10 Neither, in the grid.

The numbers 13 Saver, 18 Ouch, 19 Law. below19 the grid indicate how(3) many of the Sealed tin

Down 1 Issue forth abundantly (4) 2 Car may be minus oil note (9) 3 Green area for driving (5) 4 Signs I’d put out for resting track runners (7) 5 Little creatures of high birth (7) 7 Private lodging provided with little hesitation (5) 8 Intended to take counsel (10) 9 Experiment on patient may set a precedent (4,4) 14 Just reason for building a showplace (10) 16 Opening for a photographer (8) 18 The case for holding various shares (9) 20 Try to make a little yarn go a long way? (4,3) 21 Take the lead but quietly drop back later (7) 23 Aimed to provide TV, radio and film (5) 25 Subject of a Canaletto picture (5) 26 Office job (4)

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CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Philanthropist throwing a coin in the water (4-6) 6 Good-hearted type (4) 10 A place where waiters are forgotten? (5) 11 A home for King Charles?

(3,6) 12 In use can turn into a problem (8) 13 Beat and serve out broth (5) 15 Manila’s wild creatures (7) 17 Unruly campers are made to skedaddle (7) 19 They may be worn by those shortening sails (7) 21 His act is viewed as buffoonery or tripe maybe (7) 22 Recompense merit perhaps (5) 24 The old find it disconcerting to associate closely (8) 27 Kind of steak that is rarely served (9) 28 Brief paralysis of one in a game (5) 29 Board of trade (4) 30 Extend an invitation to sleep on the floor? (7,3)

20 Hot seat included with your A 26 leader (6) TODAY’StoTARGET 23 Graduates take German B Friday, October 20, 2023 Good 17; very good 26; be hot stuff (5)

Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Georgia, 5 Fatal, 8 Ill humour, 9 Toy, 10 Gate, 12 Free fall, 14 Forbid, 15 Speedy, 17 Nauseous, 18 Beam, 21 Awe, 22 Thesaurus, 24 Deter, 25 Bravery.

Down: 1 Going, 2 Oil, 3 Glut, 4 Aboard, 5 For keeps, 6 Tete-atete, 7 Loyalty, 11 Turbulent, 13 Five-star, 14 Finland, 16 Superb, 19 Musty, 20 Lava, 23 Rue.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Perused, 5 Lotto, 8 Entertain, 9 Cry, 10 Sups, 12 Convents, 14 Period, 15 Descry, 17 Postpone, 18 Plan, 21 Ago, 22 Scapegoat, 24 Sheer, 25 Yangtze.

Down: 1 Peers, 2 Rat, 3 Spry, 4 Dragon, 5 Long view, 6 Technical, 7 Odyssey, 11 Periscope, 13 Composer, 14 Poplars, 16 Infamy, 19 Nitre, 20 Keen, 23 Oat.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Keen intuitive power (5,5) 6 With addition of (4) 10 Comparatively unimportant (5) 11 Directing an activity (2,7) 12 Start shooting (4,4) 13 Originated (5) 15 To place apart (7) 17 Long absence of rain (7) 19 Proposition to be proved (7) 21 Tallest living animal (7) 22 A pale pinkishviolet (5) 24 Maritime (8) 27 Seek to reach an agreement (9) 28 Group of domestic animals (5) 29 French Riviera resort (4) 30 Honoured publicly (10)

Down 1 Unchanged (4) 2 Person who hates foreigners (9) 3 One of the Great Lakes (5) 4 A building (7) 5 Come next after (7) 7 At a very slow tempo (5) 8 Personal pride (4-6) 9 Popular (2,6) 14 Intimate scandalous secrets (5,5) 16 A barbaric act (8) 18 Travel at top speed (2,4,3) 20 An authoritative order (7) 21 A firm Swiss cheese (7) 23 Chain of reasoning (5) 25 Deduce (5) 26 Slide sideways (4)

squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

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Solution next Saturday.

THE ALPHABEATER

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, October 20, 2023

gardening

What are you waiting on?

G OOD day, gardeners.

We’ve had a nice cool front this week, and the plants in the garden absolutely love it! As do I, and I hope that you too are enjoying it. It certainly makes for more comfortable gardening.

The greatest virtue that I have learned to foster for successful gardening is patience.

It goes somewhat against my grain to be patient, and so I breathe deeply and I take in the arrival of the migratory birds, the beauty that we create as gardeners, and I am able to slow down, sometimes. It is a practice that for me, requires diligence and intention.

Often, I want to make things happen, now! Why are we waiting?

Why isn’t it done yet?! All in good time.

I imagine the stress that farmers must experience when weather conditions or adverse obstacles become a hindrance to the progress or needed tasks that are limited in their timeframe.

Growing seasons, as with any timeframe, wait on no person.

At our nursery, we are late getting our flowering bedding plants in this year, due to circumstances beyond our control. It has allowed us to pay a bit more attention to the vegetables and herbs, but it frustrates me nonetheless. As a home gardener, starting material from seeds is an option as it is for us as commercial growers, but we often have to weigh time and effort against results, and so there are times when unfortunately, we just have to be patient.

The migratory birds wait on a signal before making the journey south. So long as the warm air currents from the south prevail, they wait.

As soon as the currents change and the cool air descends from the north, they take the sign and they hightail it towards the south. Well, for me as a gardener, this initial cool front of the season is the sign. It is now time to be busy.

I’ve been mentioning vegetables and seasonal plantings recently, hoping to gear you all up for the time to go. It is definitely that time now.

Depending upon the state of your garden, I do hope that you’ve been able to do some preparatory work at

the very least, if you’ve not yet planted your edible garden for the season. All things edible are happy to be growing now.

Just make your choices and get them in, whether from seed (some things are easier than others from seed, some much more difficult!), or by purchasing starter plants from a nursery.

For beginners, I certainly recommend using starter plants for most things. Tomato, cucumber, squash, corn, carrots and pumpkin are all relatively easy from seed.

Everyone will have their own unique experience and that is really the only way to learn or to be able to judge for oneself which material to plant from seed and which to purchase as starter plants. Don’t stress about dates on seed packages too much. If they’re a year out of date for example, the germination rate may decrease slightly, but the majority ought to germinate regardless. Do

not even try to mention GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).

It is impossible for consumers to purchase GMO seeds. Stop it with that whole thing, please. Some insist on “organic”, as if it really makes a difference outside of synthetic pesticides (it doesn’t).

Organic certification still remains a bit dubious.

As a lifelong gardener, student, and experimenter, as a home gardener, organic gardening is a bit laughable. If you want the best results, I really suggest simply staying away from persistent and toxic pesticides.

“Organic” fertilizers will generally increase input costs with no increased production or results to plant or human health, and zero negative results to either unless it’s over applied and you burn up your plants. That’s a good reason alone to use only high quality, controlled release fertilizers.

Need more sunlight? Prune your trees and shrubs. Need more shade?

Plant some trees, palms or shrubs.

Comparison shop. Less expensive isn’t always worth the savings. Service and knowledge hold value.

I love visiting nurseries when I travel, and if you’re not visiting nurseries that you don’t normally go to, you very well may be missing out! If you don’t love gardening, it’s not too late. We’d all be hungry and malnourished without gardeners and farmers. Please support your local farmers market and plant nurseries.

New Providence is bigger in your mind than in reality. When we shop at home, we all benefit.

Don’t have a vegetable garden yet? Make one. One pot is a start. 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 discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

art

A calling fulfilled Bahamian writer finds herself in portraiture and other forms of visual art

‘Jingle In My Genes’ - acrylic on canvas

FOR Nicole Burrows, being a visual artist is quite possibly the one calling that keeps her most connected to her truest self.

“You are it, and it is you, and there really is no separation between you and what you create,” she told Tribune Weekend.

“The artistic process is hum- ‘Creation IS bling; you can’t Evolution’create without acrylic on giving in to it. canvas (1) Some of the things I cherish knowing because of art in my life are: the freedom of expression inherent in the creative process. The drive that forces you to be beholden to what inspires you, requiring that you release it sooner or later in some shape or form. That innate talent is always with you; even if you abandon it, it never abandons you.”

Nicole describes herself as very introspective and expressive; and those two aspects of her personality, along with her love of nature, fuel her creativity.

“I loved taking photos as a child.

I loved to draw as a child, and as a teenager. I sat the Art GCE exam in high school –got a B. My first degree is in architecture. The artist in me has always been waiting for its time to flourish, and after suppressing it in search of a more practical career, for 30 years, it is finally taking its rightful place in my life,” she said.

Nicole studied Business and graduated with a degree in Economics. She then worked as a journalist.

“My life experience has been dynamic, to say the least. There ‘Expiate - Tear of All Tears’- acrylic on canvas

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, October 20, 2023

has never been just one thing alone that I’ve been interested in; that’s not something most people tend to understand or relate to. But there is one thing that most interests me now at this stage of life; that is being the most authentic version of myself that I can be, for my own fulfilment and to make a mark on the world while I’m fortunate enough to be in it,” she said.

Nicole believes in art firstly as a method of expression, secondly as a mode of commentary, and thirdly as a form of beauty. She aims to hit all those notes with every piece of artwork.

“I draw, I paint and I capture images on a camera. In drawing, my style is realist and very representational. It’s extremely important to me to capture a subject’s likeness above all else, but this is the only time I am drawn to representational work,” she said.

“In painting, my style is minimalist, expressionist and abstract. I use a lot of symbolism in my paintings to depict deeper meaning and overall themes in every piece. I am not fond of certain colours being used together; for example, yellow and green, so my palette choice is most often cool and depicts calm or the need for it.”

When it comes to her photography, Nicole said her style is minimalist,

macro and abstract. In the decades when she didn’t practice art, Nicole said she somehow still refined her skills as an artist, as those years allowed her to develop preferences of medium, format, style and method.

“I may not have realised it at the time, but all my life experiences moved me into place to build a new foundation for my artwork. You’ll see three of my recent and favourite portraits on the back of my business card and in my upcoming holiday ad.

The first of the three created – when I fully returned to art, as encouraged by my mother – is my paternal aunt whom I’ve never met in person; the second is my late uncle who was well known and well loved; and the third is my cousin who is like a little sister

NICOLE BURROWS

and, in my mind, will forever be my baby cousin,” she explained of her portraiture work.

“These three portraits represent the degree of care I take with and attention I have for things and people I love; I chose to use them in promotions because they fully display the attention to detail, I have for anything and anyone I care about, including my artwork.”

With regard to her most recent paintings, Nicole said she has created a piece called “Creation is Evolution”, which addresses the eternal debate about the beginning of all things, and another called “The Two Chambers”, which was inspired by historic genocides.

“I won’t say much more about them, because I like to save something for observers to ponder, and hopefully share their interpretations with me. Another recent painting, I produced is called ‘Expiate - Tear of All Tears’, and it’s a very, very personal piece inspired by the loss of a loved one and a relationship that was a significant part of my upbringing.

It contains, like my other paintings, great symbolism,” said Nicole.

“For portraits, I prefer graphite over charcoal, and I use a full range of leads to draw. My substrate of choice is Bristol board; it tends to be more forgiving for very detailed work, though I use a fine-toothed paper for

preliminary drawings. For paintings, I use canvas panels because they’re easier to acquire and lighter, which makes them easier to handle while painting and when mounting.”

Nicole said most people who know her do not know or have never known about this part of her life. If they went to high school or early college with her, they may have an idea, but up until now it’s been something she has played very close to her chest.

“The feedback has been… surprise, probably delight and then encouragement. Sometimes, there is recognition. My artwork might remind them of something or someone in their own lives, or they’ve had their own experience with the subject in my artwork,” she said.

For the remainder of the year, Nicole said she is going to place herself in a number of very different creative environments to expand her portfolio as she expands her experiences.

“I intend to visit and/or participate in fairs and events where I can share my work and meet other creators.

And this week I’ve started accepting orders for portraits and paintings as holiday gifts. Fall is my absolute favourite time of year, so I am extremely excited about all that I will create in this season. Sculpture and textiles could also be a highlight,” she said.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

literary lives

The Oxford Book of Short Stories – Edited by A S Byatt Sir Christopher Ondaatje summarises the celebration of the richness of English shortstory writing selected from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

“My only criterion was that those stories … should be startling and satisfying, and if possible make the hairs on the neck prickle with excitement, … aesthetic or narrative”.

– A S Byatt Dickens, Trollope, Thomas Hardy, J G Ballard, Angela Carter and Ian McEwan are included in this anthology. It is a work of great interest, tact and deliberation. There are an amazing number of eccentrics, and some alarming and wayward examples of the English genius.

“There is a linguistic confusion between ‘short stories in English’ and ‘English short stories’ but it goes deeper. There is a reluctance to think about Englishness. The English are what other English-speakers define themselves against. They are seen as imperialist, insular, … class-ridden, complacent. There is even a hinted feeling that to think about Englishness might lead to racism or xenophobia. It is not quite nice to think about being English.

– A S Byatt The stories have been arranged by the editor in chronological order – of their author’s birth, rather than of publication. She is influenced by “English” characteristics including the persistent temptation to whimsy. Thus, the first story - William Gilbert’s The Sacristan of St. Botolph features a demonic pig whose presence is rendered with an excess of information; flowed by a bravura rendering by P G Wodehouse of Archie Mulliner’s imitation of a hen laying an egg.

Dickens’s The Haunted House is included where the revelation of a ghost takes Dickensian farce towards the subtleties of Henry James – completely satisfying to Byatt.

Anthony Trollope’s Relics of General Chassé, an absurd and genial comedy, also pleased the editor for its unexpected climax. And Thomas Hardy’s A Mere Interlude she found to be a masterpiece of the English short story whose characters are complex yet believable, with a series of twists at the end each changing the previous one, which had seemed to be a climax.

Mary Mann’s Little Brother is plain and brief

A S Byatt and horrible whose naturalism obviously appealed to the Editor’s macabre taste; and is followed by M R James’s Two Doctors where supernaturalism, and indescribable horrors are contained and emphasised. Arthur Morrison’s Tales of Mean Streets is another grisly tale told with sober restraint and a certain dry wit.

Both Rudyard Kipling’s and H G Wells’s uncomfortable stories are of the rearrangements of modern science; and Charlotte Mew’s A White Night is another example of an English capacity to create pure horror from solid description. It describes the ritual live burial of a young woman.

Unforgettably precise. It is followed by Saki’s remorseless and brilliant The Toys of Peace.

“I found that Saki’s tales should not be read in bulk, for their idiosyncratic shockingness is diminished by proximity to other idiosyncratic shocks of the same kind.

– A S Byatt

G K Chesterton’s Tremendous Adventures of Major Brown has been chosen by Byatt because it is an unusual description of an Indian Army retired Major, and is an example of English whimsy. However, A E Coppard’s Some Talk of Alexander seems to have been chosen for its dour attempts to communicate suicidal intentions – farcically thwarted by bridge-playing priorities.

P G Wodehouse writes about Englishmen confined in a very narrow class boundary. Very English – and not an unusual choice; but Virginia Woolf’s Solid Objects and D H Lawrence’s The Man Who Loved Islands are examples of extreme and strange states of mind. Ronald Firbank, on the other hand, is as she says “frivolous, brittle, delicious, and decadent” – an English sensibility.

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Friday, October 20, 2023

A Tragedy in Green is a youthful showing off and depends, like Sylvia Townsend Warner’s heroine in A Widow’s Quilt, “performing a wicked magic in a minor key.”

chosen because it has all the qualities of brilliance, exoticism, sensuality, violence, and detected irony.

Her prose glitters, whereas Rose Tremain’s The Beauty of the Dawn is recognised for the rhythm of its writing and astonishing in its imagination of a post-1989 East Germany.

Aldous Huxley’s Nuns at Luncheon was one of the stories that most pleased A S Byatt. It is a story both grotesque, farcical, and, under the frivolity, uneasily disturbing and sad – tempting the reader into malice. Landlord of the Crystal Fountain is

by Malachi Whitaker – known as the Bradford Chekhov. Her story negotiates the minutiae of the English class-consciousness in a subtle and unexpected way, and pleased the Editor where the author’s energy overcame inhibitions.

“I chose ‘On the Edge of the Cliff’ (by V.S. Pritchett), a relatively late story (1980) for the English way in which it makes the exploration of the landscape, past and present, inextricably part of an exploration of the whole lives of the characters. The image is that of an old man (with a young mistress watching) standing naked ready to dive into the sea. ‘He was standing there, his body furred with grey hair, his belly wrinkled, his thighs shrunk. Up went his arms.’

The observation is casual and colloquial, and in the story placed like a line in a poem.”

– A S nByatt Rosamund Lehmann’s A Dream of Winter is a story both lyrical and precise of a cold country house in a wartime winter, containing the urgency of the feeling of entrapment and suppressed energy where there is savagery in the lyricism. Evelyn Waugh’s An Englishman’s Home pleased the Editor, and was chosen by her because it was a heartless exploration of English rural pieties, an English snobbism by a satirist who shared the pieties he was mocking.

Waugh remained an insufferable snob.

Graham Greene’s chosen story The Destructors is a masterpiece – and similar to his novels which contain sparseness, tension, and visions of evil.

TWO Doctors by M R James (Artwork Jowita Kaminska)

Ian McEwan’s Solid Geometry is a tour de force of the specific, and chosen for its matter-of-fact shocking climax. Finally, Philip Hensher’s Dead Languages ends Byatt’s collection. It is about the death of many kinds of English and the vanishing of Englishness. It is an observation and a good way to end her anthology. *

ANTHONY Trollope’s Relics of General Chassé.

However, the art is that of a great short story writer, and depicts a gang of boys in a blitzed landscape – completely real, physically and socially of wartime England and of human nature.

“What makes this tale English is again the mixed ambivalent tone.”

– A S Byatt H E Bates’s The Waterfall was chosen by Byatt because, she explains, it is one of the best stories of the English class system in all its shifting complexity. A vicar’s daughter encounters a vulgar rich tradesman who offers warmth and flowers. Her reservation and response are mysteriously presented.

The “waterfall” is purely symbolic.

T H White’s The Troll is a literary version of a tale heard from his father, who encounters a troll in a Lapland hotel on a fishing holiday. Byatt explains that she has read no better description of hallucinatory bodily terror, the narrator’s father outwitting the beast.

Elizabeth Taylor’s The Blush is another classic example of a well-made short story where the author makes an atmosphere out of single traits, and engineers a narrative shock in an apparently desultory and innocent set of observations.

Penelope Fitzgerald’s At Hiruharama, which follows it, has the ability to make a metaphysical fable out of surprising observations. Nothing in her story is expected.

She gives reality a surreal edge. Leonora Carrington, however, is a true surrealist, and imagines worlds and unprecedented preoccupations – similar to her extraordinary paintings. My Flannel Knickers is such a story – surreal and grotesque.

*

*

Dame Antonia Duffy (née Drabble), known professionally by her former married name as A S Byatt, is an English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Byatt’s novel Possession: A Romance received the 1990 Booker Prize, whilst her short story collection The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eyes (1994) received the 1995 Aga Khan Prize for Fiction. Her novel The Children’s Book won the 2010 James Tait Memorial Prize.

Antonia Byatt’s The Oxford Book of English Stories encompasses comedy and tragedy, farce and delicacy, elegance and the grotesque, ranging from social realism to the supernatural, from surreal fantasy to science fiction.

“The definition of Englishness fits with the eccentric differences and excellence of the English stories collected in ‘The Oxford Book of English Short Stories’. It is only partial, but that is its charm. The English are hard to sum up.”

– A S Byatt UÊ - ÀÊ À ÃÌ « iÀÊ " `>>Ì iÊ ÃÊ Ì iÊ >ÕÌ ÀÊ vÊ / iÊ Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from The Oxford Book of English Short Stories.

Alan Sillitoe’s Enoch’s Two Letters has been chosen because of its exploitation of coincidence as a narrative device; and J.G. Ballard’s Dream Cargoes is a science fantasy, at one level, and myth at another. John Fuller’s two short stories – different from each other – Telephone and My Story are taken from Worm and the Star – a curious work made up of sixty-three different fables, where Angela Carter’s The Kiss has been DICKENS’S The Haunted House.

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

history

Women’s suffrage as a means to men’s ends

A

few weeks ago, we wrote about the visit of Secretary of State for the Colonies Alan Lennox-Boyd to the Bahamas in April 1958, which paved the way for some important electoral reforms. Yet Lennox-Boyd also publicly declared, “Representations have been made about votes for women. The Governor and I are, however, not convinced that at the moment there is a sufficiently widespread demand for this change.”

As early as 1952, a “Movement for Female Suffrage” had submitted a petition with 600 signatures to the House of Assembly and the Legislative Council. In 1953, a proposal to extend the suffrage to women was put forward by a Member of the House but quietly referred to, i.e. buried in, a Select Committee. By 1956, universal suffrage was included in the PLP’s platform.

Another petition for women’s suffrage signed by more than 3,000 Bahamians was submitted to Lennox-Boyd upon his arrival in the Bahamas.

Somehow, none of this convinced him that there was “sufficiently widespread demand for this change.”

By 1961, moderates around Roland Symonette had come to dominate the direction of the UBP. Staunch reactionaries such as Stafford Sands and Bobby Symonette, the party’s original founders, found themselves marginalised. A draft bill extending the suffrage to women was presented in the House. It was passed by a 15-14 majority.

The UBP, who had long ignored women’s suffrage, voted in favour of what became the Votes for Women Act – Independents and the PLP, the professed supporters of women’s suffrage, voted against it.

This appears paradoxical, but the origins of the women’s suffrage movement, the history of the Votes for Women Act, the outcome of the 1962 general election, the first

SUFFRAGISTS call on the Governor in 1960 one in which women voted, and the interpretation of its results show that the right of women to vote was not primarily a question of rights for women. Rather, it was a means through which certain men hoped to achieve their goals.

One of the early leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Mary Ingraham, allegedly became a suffragette after her husband lost his seat in the 1949 general election and blamed this on the absence of the female vote. Her granddaughter, Hope Strachan, opined “A lot of us may like to believe that … there was some lofty reason why she may have done it, and the point about it is, it was to help her husband. … Her thing was that she needed to ensure that Rufus was taken care of, and he was happy, and he was doing well, and his politics, and all the rest of it.”

The PLP’s ostensible support for women’s suffrage was not altruistic either. By 1960, fearing the emergence of a political rival, the party had “virtually taken over the Women’s Suffrage Movement in an effort to control them.”

When the suffragettes sought an audience at the Colonial Office in October 1960, they were chaperoned

by PLP chairman Henry Milton Taylor.

However, upon arrival in London, the women proceeded to Whitehall without waiting for Taylor, much to his chagrin.

In 1961, when the House of Assembly voted on women’s suffrage, the original bill made provision for women to vote but not to stand for election themselves. Explaining why, Stafford Sands quipped: “This is evolution, not revolution.” Lynden Pindling moved an amendment which would give women that right, too. He calculated that this would be unacceptable to the UBP. Pindling wanted the Bill to fail: “Several PLP leaders have privately expressed misgivings on the subject of votes for women.

They would really like a ‘men only’ election in 1963 so that they could subsequently reap kudos for extending the franchise after they acceded to power, but circumstances forced them to champion the cause of women contrary to their own inclinations.” However, the UBP accepted the amendment, voting for it, while the PLP voted not only against

women’s suffrage but against their own amendment.

The 1962 election resulted in a comfortable parliamentary majority for the UBP. Ascertaining the effect women’s votes had on this outcome is nigh impossible. Nonetheless, as Janet Bostwick remembers, “a number of persons, including some in the leadership of the PLP … said that the women were responsible for that.”

One such person was Randol Fawkes, who indignantly remarked that women had “unleashed tremendous political power, but in the wrong direction.”

What may sound like a principled assessment is but a cynical and selfrighteous twisting of the facts. Prior to the election, because his relationship with the PLP had gone through a series of vicissitudes, Fawkes himself had endorsed the UBP for the thirty-one out of thirty-three seats that his Labour Party was not contesting.

Bahamian women first exercised the right to vote – and the right to stand as candidates in an election – in 1962.

However, despite Doris Johnson offering herself as a candidate in that election, it took until 1982 for the first woman to be elected to Parliament. To this day, women are dramatically underrepresented in politics. Currently only 17.9 percent of MPs are women.

Historically, there has been a tendency among our parties to assign female candidates to either unwinnable or at least hotly contested seats, but very rarely to perceived safe seats.

This is demonstrated by the fact that the current opposition, despite running seven women in the last general election, does not have a single woman amongst its Members.

Bahamian political parties remain male-dominated, and the parties remain leader-centric.

In this system, women continue to be exploited as a means to men’s ends.

UÊ ÀʵÕiÃÌ ÃÊ> `ÊV i ÌÃ]Ê « i>ÃiÊÃi `Ê> Êi > ÊÌ Ê Ã > `> À > J} > °V

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Friday, October 20, 2023

animals Animal matters Kim Aranha

A second chance at love

T

here was a very sweet piece on Good Morning America not so long ago by Tracy Birch, ABC’s animal advocate. nose to tell the tale. If they had been known so there are no surprises, which She was showcasing how important older those toys and sofa would not can simplify things a whole lot. it is to remember the senior pets that have suffered.

For instance, when you get your are frequently up for adoption, and Older cats and dogs also have the pet as a tiny baby you do not know if how everybody wants a puppy or a attraction of already being who they they will grow up to be calm or hyper, kitten. are. Their personalities are already like big groups or be a loner. Most of When you go to the shelter these established, their characteristics are the time when you visit a shelter and sweet, fluffy, cuties invariably steal the show, but it is a real mistake not to check out the older residents.

A puppy or kitten, they are babies.

They are tons of work. Face it, human babies are lots of work. They have to be house-trained, taught manners, and their energy level is not just disBy The Bahamas tracting, it’s exhausting. Your sofa is in mortal danger and the life expecHumane Society tancy of your shoes can be measured Claudia is a gentle giant of a dog in days not years. who loves to go on the Wednesday and Don’t get me wrong; I love all Saturday dog walks at the BHS. things cute and little, but the older She’s not sure why her son was pet offers up a few advantages that you may not have considered. They adopted before her, but she’s hoping are so much quieter; they have expeshe’ll find a new home very soon. At rience and therefore can be expected seven and a half years of age, the large to know what is going on and respond and stocky Claudia is an older lady. to the situation with more maturity.

She’s good with most other dogs, A young animal, much like his not so great with cats, and she loves human counterpart, will just jump adults and children. into things all four paws at once, Do you need a jolly giant in your leaving little time or no time for pre life (not a green one)? Then come to disaster reflection, frequently leaving the Bahamas Humane Society to meet a trail of destruction behind him.

Claudia or call 323-5138 for more The “chewies” are the most difinformation. Claudia looks forward to ficult stage in my opinion; everything meeting you. has to be sampled. My darling Chief ate the entire side off a sofa when we UÊ/ iÊ -ÊÓäÓÎÊÀ>vyiÊÌ V iÌÃÊ>ÀiÊ were out once; the armrest, uphol ÜÊ>Û> >L i°Ê/ V iÌÃÊ>ÀiÊfxÊi>V Ê ÀÊ stery, padding, fabric, just stopping }iÌÊ>ÊL Ê vÊÓ£Êv ÀÊf£ää°ÊÊ9 ÕÊV> Ê short at the wooden frame and nails. }iÌÊÞ ÕÀÃÊvÀ Ê> ÞÊL >À`Ê i LiÀ]ÊÌ iÊ On the other hand, my goofy Spats -]Ê ÀÊ ÝÊ Ê ÕÀÃiÀÞ°Ê/ iÊ}À> `Ê (who came to us when the boys were «À âiÊ ÃÊf£ä]äääÊ Ê}À ViÀ iÃÊvÀ Ê three and six respectivley) was a -Õ«iÀÊ6> Õi]ÊLÕÌÊÌ iÀiÊ>ÀiÊ > ÞÊ Ì iÀÊ terror with toys and there was not }Ài>ÌÊ«À âiÃÊÌ ÊLiÊÜ Ê>ÃÊÜi °Ê/ > Ê one cuddly toy who had not been (PHOTO/JUDY YOUNG) Þ ÕÊÌ Ê> Ê ÕÀÊ«À âiÊ` ÀÃt terrorised and sported a half-chewed

PET A grand OF THE older dame WEEK

adopt an older dog that is already established and you can make your decisions armed with that knowledge; you can adopt with more certainty that you are a good fit for each other.

I have left the last point for last because it is the most poignant, compelling and emotional: simply put, these older guys need us. Whatever the reason they are in the shelter, it is going to be traumatic.

Were they dumped by their previous family, just imagine what that must feel like?

I have said it before, I have seen the look in the eyes of a pet when an owner has come prancing in and dropped them off because they are having a baby, moving houses, leaving the country, are too busy or have any other totally unacceptable version of the same reason.

They drop their pet and walk away, obsessed with the next project in mind. The pet it devastated. Their entire existence just walked out the door. Pause to think how wonderful it must be for them to be given a second chance at having a loving family.

The other scenario is that their beloved owner passed away; super sad, and they end up in the shelter.

Again, what a blessing to be given a new home.

The third scenario is that you get a poor soul who has been on the road, homeless, doing their best to survive for as long as they remember. Sometimes the only kind word they ever have heard might be after reaching the shelter. There may be a few unknown qualities that you gradually discover, but these are the most grateful, the most loyal and dedicated pets you could ever hope to share your life with. There is absolutely nothing like a rescue. The fact they have made it that far shows they are intelligent too.

If you are getting older, it is also important to not have your pet outlive you, so a senior would be the perfect fit. You often hear people say, “I am too old to get another pet.”

Senior adoption is the solution to that problem!

So, when you are next ready to let a new cat or dog in your life, think about getting an adult or better yet a senior (seven or over) they still have lots of years left in them and they will be so grateful to have a second chance at happiness with a good and loving family.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 20, 2023

society

A jazzin’ good time

L

ong-time jazz lovers and those interested in learning more about this smooth and sensual genre of music came together at 1er Cru last Sunday for the inaugural Jazz in the Garden.

Featured artists included Adrian D’Aguilar and The Jazz Cats, trumpeter Giveton Gelin, saxophonist Kellie Mackey, The Central Drive Collective, The Encore Band, Akia Knowles, Mark “The Performer” Knowles, Lamont Gibson, and pianist John Gray.

Roscoe Dames, who has produced major jazz festivals in the Bahamas,

hosted the event.

Georgette Dahl, producer of the event, said they wanted to offer a big band atmosphere, similar to what you could find in the popular clubs of yesteryear like The Cat and Fiddle and The Drumbeat Club.

The event featured everything from classical to contemporary jazz, and jazz fused with pop.

Georgette hopes the event can grow and expand to fill a niche for jazz lovers in the country.

“We want everyone to know, locally and internationally, that the Bahamas has great talent,” she said.

(Photos/Dante Carrer)