10302020 WEEKEND

Friday, October 30, 2020

Weekend

photography culture art gardening history food puzzles animals THE ART OF GROWTH Page 16

Bright and Breezy Rapper on the rise in music industry

pgs 04 + 05

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

photography

A Rose-Coloured Lens The diversity of gardens

B

EAUTY is all around us in the Bahamas, on land and in the sea. But many of us are too busy with everyday life to pause and really see and enjoy the astonishing sights that surround us. Veteran photographer ROLAND ROSE captures both the ordinary and extraordinary and puts it in frame for us so we can see our environment in a new light.

Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, And the soil and sky as canvas.

Elizabeth Murray Our tapestry stands on a pedestal overlooking the most beautiful emerald sea.

Let’s not destroy it?

Friday, October 30, 2020

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, October 30, 2020

Weekend Inside

My Perfect Bahamian Weekend in Lockdown Trevonne Thompson

Entrepreneur - The Dapper Man

2 Photography

The diversity of gardens, with Roland Rose

4-5 Interview

Meet rapper on the rise Miz Breezy

6 Puzzles 7 Food

Bringing cultures together in cuisine

8-9 Culture

Make the most of Halloween

Q. What will you be binge watching this weekend?

“Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video.”

10 Music

The reinvention of ViceVersa

Q. What’s on your weekend lockdown menu?

“Baked turkey cuts, baked potato wedges and steamed spinach.”

11 Gardening

So much to do in the garden

12-13 Literary Lives

Q. What activities will you be doing to pass the lockdown time?

“Exercising and book reading.”

The highest-paid black entertainer in the first half of the 20th century

14 Forgotten Facts A fortress home

07

15 Animals

Don’t be part of the problem

16 Art

The art of growth

THIS WEEKEND IN HISTORY Friday, October 30 • In 2005, the body of Rosa Parks arrived at the US Capitol, where the civil rights icon became the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda; President George W Bush and congressional leaders paused to lay wreaths by her casket.

• In 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the “Rumble in the Jungle,” to regain his world heavyweight title.

• In 2002, Jam Master Jay (Jason

Mizell), a rapper with the hip-hop group Run-DMC, was killed in a shooting in New York. He was 37.

Birthdays: Rhythm-andblues singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 79. Actor Henry Winkler is 75. Broadcast journalist Andrea Mitchell is 74. Actor Nia Long is 50. Ivanka Trump is 39.

Saturday, October 31 • In 1941, work was completed on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, begun in 1927.

• In 1926, magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.

• In 1968, President Lyndon B Johnson ordered a halt to all US bombing of North Vietnam, saying he

Q. If you had to be quarantined with a celebrity?

“I’d say that it would either be Benedict Cumberbatch or Denzel Washington.”

Q. If you could spend the weekend anywhere not affected by COVID-19, where would it be?

“Italy or Saint Maarten, preferably Saint Maarten.”

hoped for fruitful peace negotiations.

• In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two Sikh (seek) security guards.

Birthdays: Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather is 89. Movie director Peter Jackson is 59. Rap performer Vanilla Ice (aka Rob Van Winkle) is 53. Actor Piper Perabo is 44. Actor-singer Willow Smith is 20.

Sunday, November 1 • In 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists tried to force their way into Blair House in Washington, DC, in a failed attempt to assassinate President Harry S Truman. (One of the pair was killed, along with a White House police officer.)

• In 1478, the Spanish Inquisition was established.

• In 1512, Michelangelo’s just-

completed paintings on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel were publicly unveiled by the artist’s patron, Pope Julius II. • In 1765, the Stamp Act, passed by the British Parliament, went into effect, prompting stiff resistance from American colonists.

• In 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, code-named “Ivy Mike,” at Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player is 85.

Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is 78. Country singer Lyle Lovett is 63. Rock singer Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) is 58.

Singer Sophie B Hawkins is 56.

Actor Toni Collette is 48.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 30, 2020

interview

Miz Breezy It was getting away from home that led Miz Breezy to find her voice for her career - but coming home to The Bahamas is where she took her first steps and got her feet into the music business. She tells CARA HUNT about her music, her life, rising to the challenge of lockdowns, and her ambitions for what comes next.

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ike many young people, Bahamian rapper Miz Breezy found herself and discovered her true talent when she left home to attend university in the United States.

It was there she discovered her passion for rap music and realised it was something she might want to really pursue on a serious basis.

“I would say that this started when I went to college in Tennessee,” she told Tribune Weekend. “I went in 2008 and I just felt a bit more creative and a bit more free. I really felt like I could express myself and I got into like the freestyling that a lot of the fraternities and sororities were doing and I found that I really enjoyed it and it was something that I was actual good at.”

Miz Breezy says it is the creativity she really enjoyed when rapping.

“I love the freedom you can have expressing yourself through rap in particular,” she says.

Music has always been a part of her life.

“I grew up playing music. I am a percussionist which means I will play anything that I can strike.

“When I was in school, because all the Bahamians would stick together and they would call us all Bahama mama, it would get confusing, because we would all be

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, October 30, 2020

together so I asked for a different name. When I started rapping, my style was called cool breezy.

So it was changed to Bahama Breeze. I added the Miz for attitude when I came back home that summer.”

Once back home, her rap career began to slowly build.

“I did a few things here and there in Grand Bahama which is where I am from,” she said.

“And as I did there were some artists who I admired who started noticing me and what I was doing and so when they started telling me they liked what I was doing that also cemented in my mind that this was something that I could really do and so that helped to jumpstart my career.”

Miz Breezy’s first project was shortly after she returned to The Bahamas and was really designed to test her skills and the market.

“This was when I came home from school and really was a way to get my feet in the business,” she explained.

She says it was a few years later that she made a second album with the encouragement of artists such as Chase Fernander, Dro Capone, King Jumpa and Bey Chaino. The project was called Feel the Breeze volume 1 and 2 and she wrote all the material for each of them.

“I do write my songs and the process just depends on the song. Sometimes it will be the words and then I find the music or I will have the music in my head and then I find the words, or it may be a combination of the two.”

Over the past several years, she has been steadily building her brand producing material and partnering with other artists.

Miz Breezy says she admires other Bahamian rappers such as Chase Fernander.

“She has a very similar style to me and I really relate to her and admire her. I also really like Lady Millz because she was the sole female leading the way setting an example in the Bahamian hip and international scene.”

Mix Breezy says she would love to collaborate with Jamaican reggae singer songwriter, rapper deejay and guitarist Koffee.

She released her debut single “Burning” in 2017, and in 2019 signed with Columbia Records.

Her 2019 EP Rapture won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, making Koffee the youngest person and only woman to be awarded in the Best Reggae Album category.

“I just think that we could do amazing things on a record,” Miz Breezy said. “And it would just be amazing to see us two black women with dreads performing together.”

And if she was not rapping, she says that she would probably consider acting,

“I know some people have found it difficult maybe and others say that without the other distractions they can create. For me, I have still been able to create. After all you don’t have to be outside to be creative, it’s just all in how you chose to look at things.”

“I do some acting in my music videos, so I guess in a way it would be a smooth transition to go into acting.”

Like many entertainers would agree, Miz Breezy says COVID has had an impact on the industry.

“Obviously, COVID has had a big economic hit on the entertainment industry which a lot of gigs being cancelled and a lot of places like restaurants having to close.”

Still, she says she has used the lockdown to continue to create and drop and stream new material.

“I know some people have found it difficult maybe and others say that without the other distractions they can create. For me, I have still been able to create. After all you don’t have to be outside to be creative, it’s just all in how you chose to look at things,” she said.

Miz Breezy’s newest release is on Tropical Riddim, an international collab mixtape via Queen Genna records in the UK. You can also catch her on “Roadtime” featuring Ace the Kidd on You Tube.

28 Does try desperately to demolish (7)

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

22 In this way, cover becomes 6 Envious; 7 Torn; hard (5) 8 Thoroughbred; 24 Fake coach has to go Friday, October 12 Inherent; 14 Climber; back (5) 16 Florin; 18 Upper; 19 Less.

B l G H i l f u t

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

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

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

TODAY’S TARGET Good 11; very good 17; excellent 22 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 today’s target solution Sudokufor Answer

*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 One way to get a rate reduction (4,4) 2 Poor inn I’d get organised properly (8) 3 Placed a cover outside (4) 5 Odd thing to say (6,6) 6 Anger about a point in the matter (2,2) 7 They have news or distribute it (6) 8 Admits defeat and returns (6) 11 Drops from hard work (12) 15 Agitated man gets put out (3,2) 16 Novelist and explorer (5) 18 Subject of reforming eastern nations (8) 19 See Corfu anyway, even if you have to press for it (3,5) 21 Close to a conclusion (6) 22 Mix us some dessert (6) 26 Foreigner? Nominally a man who raises fruit (4) 27 Block vote? (4)

Across 1 Choke that adjusts itself (6) 4 Bitterness shown by Army CO in trouble (8) 9 Roadworks in order (6) 10 Cut off with wrongly set compass (8) 12 Takes pleasure in excavations (4) 13 About to bet on a race (5) 14 Fruitless sort of raid (4) 17 Marvellously impressed? (12) 20 They need money to pursue their hobby (12) 23 Small number preceding on time (4) 24 A capital atmosphere in a small business house (5) 25 Work not for bread alone (4) 28 One can’t sleep through it (8) 29 No rise for those more advanced in service (6) 30 Aviation spirits (8) 31 Make sharp attack upon Reformed Church (6)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Fetch, 4 Baleful, 8 Rye, 9 Vice versa, 10 Absolve, 11 Budge, 13 Direct, 15 Debris, 18 Scrub, 19 Typical, 21 Overreact, 23 End, 24 Limited, 25 Happy.

Down: 1 Forward, 2 Treasurer, 3 Hovel, 4 Bicker, 5 Lovable, 6 For, 7 Leave, 12 Dirt cheap, 14 Cabaret, 16 Solidly, 17 At hand, 18 Scowl, 20 Pitch, 22 Elm.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Holes, 4 Trigger, 8 Add, 9 Escalator, 10 Decimal, 11 Cedar, 13 Rookie, 15 Stocks, 18 Pesos, 19 Regimen, 21 Priceless, 23 Tub, 24 Riposte, 25 Order.

Down: 1 Hoarder, 2 Ludicrous, 3 Steam, 4 Tackle, 5 Illicit, 6 Gut, 7 Rarer, 12 Decimated, 14 Insteps, 16 Sand bar, 17 Grieve, 18 Paper, 20 Gusto, 22 Imp.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 An ornamental clasp (6) 4 Very offensive (8) 9 Stay in hiding (3,3) 10 One-sided (8) 12 Obtain as due reward (4) 13 Consciously haughty (5) 14 Sad (4) 17 Self-government (12) 20 Be closely associated (2,4,2,4) 23 To utter (4) 24 Region’s animal life (5) 25 Genuine (4) 28 Interested spectator (8) 29 Actually (2,4) 30 Voluntary choice (4,4) 31 Quick (6)

Down 1 Short official statement (8) 2 Supersede arrogantly (8) 3 Lump of earth (4) 5 Very distressing (5-7) 6 Quote (4) 7 Affront (6) 8 Male goose (6) 11 In perfect condition (5,2,1,4) 15 Frighten (5) 16 Barely sufficient (5) 18 Avoid humiliation (4,4) 19 Great adulation (8) 21 Begin a journey (3,3) 22 A fine gauzy fabric (6) 26 Forehead (4) 27 Speak irritably (4)

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

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

N G Y A V O Z O U M N H A E M J E U N X U P W C Y N E D E W S

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, October 30, 2020

food

Bringing cultures and cuisine together

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

S

HE has wanted to venture into becoming a business owner for years now - and for Chara Darceuil the experience of working in the restaurant industry for eight years has finally given her the boost to launch 242 Hungry Belly.

242 Hungry Belly’s Asian-Bahamian cuisine is all about blending traditional Asian flavours and dishes with local ingredients - such as indigenous crops, seafood and herbs - to bring about a Bahamian flair.

The menu includes options such as the popular rice bowls that are served with a choice of firecracker shrimp, crispy chicken, and Mongolian pork. All bowls are accompanied with a side of Asian slaw, kimchi fried rice and a veggie spring roll. Also offered are options like the firecracker shrimp and crispy chicken tacos. One of 242 Hungry Belly’s most popular dishes is the Dan Dan noodles. Dan Dan is a Chinese comfort food made with chili oil Szechuan peppers and a variety of spices.

Chara said: “I’ve had the concept for 242 Hungry Belly in the pipeline for about a year before it was even executed. The whole idea around launching 242 Hungry Belly was to serve restaurant quality dishes without the fussy prices of a dine-in establishment. I saw how food vending and pop-up concepts were becoming such a popular fad in The Bahamas and a lucrative business for many chefs and home cooks.

“So, my main objective was to penetrate the food vending industry. My ultimate goal was to be featured at local food festivals and exhibits that are usually carried out every year in Nassau.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has pumped the breaks on that idea, for now. However, the pandemic became a blessing in disguise for me. With more time on my hands, I began to focus on something I’ve been dreaming about accomplishing for years.”

Over the years, Chara has had the pleasure of working with chefs from around the world and experience different food cultures under their tutelage. She has received culinary training at the College of The Bahamas, now the University of The Bahamas, and furthered her education at the Florida International University in Miami. The entrepreneur has also spent months studying at the University of Commerce in Tianjin, China, and traveled to other countries in Asia such as Thailand and Malaysia. During her time there, she developed an admiration and appreciation for Asian cuisine.

“I have also been motivated by my family and friends. They all helped me to get 242 Hungry Belly this far. My parents have supported me and have been advertising my business with colleagues

and strangers alike. My colleague and friend, Chef Tavanaé Mackey, has been at the helm of my graphic designing and marketing, which I firmly believe helped with potential customers being interested so quickly,” she said.

“Chef Ashton Rolle has been a great help alongside me in the kitchen, utilising his years of experience, keen attention to detail and short order cooking speed. Deanthia Smith has also been an asset during 242 Hungry Belly’s launch by organising everything from customer orders and compartmentalising orders for the kitchen to ensure a smooth service. Truthfully, seeing all my friends tap into their individual business senses inspired me to exercise my business sense and find ways to incorporate their businesses, Great Greens (for fresh homemade drinks) and AFR Pastries (for pastries).”

She is looking forward to 242 Hungry Belly becoming a widely accepted brand that contributes to the Bahamian-Asian dining experience.

Also offered at 242 Hungry Belly is the spicy conch ramen that comes with traditional Chinese wheat noodles, served in a broth that is cooked for 24 hours and garnished with corn, seaweed, cilantro, chili oil, jalapenos and a soft-boiled egg.

For vegetarian and vegan options, available are things like the Mushroom Banh Mi Tacos and Stir Fried Veg Rice Bowl.

Thus far, she also featured a lobster and shrimp pad Thai and the HB firecracker Shrimp sushi roll. In addition to the menu, the business offers desserts that are prepared by AFR Pastries and freshly made fruit juices by Great Greens.

“Bahamians have always enjoyed Chinese and Japanese food. However, I realised that the

market here was repetitive, with restaurants serving popular but similar items. I wanted Bahamians to be open to other Asian food and flavours. So many times, after a first-time customer has tried our dishes, they call or message with so many questions and rave reviews on what they just had.

It’s an experience they got to enjoy without taking a flight. What also makes us even more unique is the fact that 242 Hungry Belly was birthed during a time that has inspired me to think outside the box, tapping more into my skills as an experienced chef but understanding what it means to run and oversee a business of my own. I have also discovered that I have a knack for food photography, so I have been capturing photos that appeal to the eyes first,” she said.

“I launched 242 Hungry Belly on August 19 with the help of my childhood friend and two of my closest work friends who I’ve worked with for years. The public feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. Social media has been paramount with the speed and volume of our feedback. The best feedback is when customers return for repeat experiences. We have many loyal customers who we appreciate dearly.”

Although 242 Hungry Belly is home based, the plan moving forward is to evolve into a restaurant space. Chara said she and her team are doing their best to adjust services to fit the new norm by offering delivery and curbside services. They have also been encouraging more online money transfers to limit the number of cash-to-hand transactions.

“We plan to continue to grow our clientele even more and potentially gain a wider audience and name recognition. We also want to keep analysing the new normal because it’s constantly evolving.

With innovate strategies, we are looking to expand within the restrictions of our new normal to make as much of an impact as we can. As our clientele grows, we intend to partner with more local cashless transaction apps and delivery service providers in an effort to make patronising Bahamian owned businesses like 242 Hungry Belly easier and more convenient,” said Chara.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 30, 2020

music

ViceVersa reinvention

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

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OR the first time in its ten-year history, the ViceVersa Band have been out of work. Like many other bands and musicians, they too had to watch as contracts that would have kept them busy throughout this year and well into next cancel due to COVID-19’s grip on the globe.

Nevertheless, there has been a silver lining, as the band took the new found time to reinvent their brand and work on new music for their fans to enjoy while they spent most of the year on stay at home orders.

The band, known for their extensive repertoire and their spirited “live by request” shows, has used the current uncertain climate to their benefit.

According to Naomi Taylor, since the outbreak of COVID-19 brought the Bahamian economy to a halt in March, she and her husband, Clinton Crawford, the band leader, decided they would take advantage of the downtime to tap into their creative juices and write original music. Today, they now have eight original songs in various genres.

ViceVersa performs all styles of music. Their collection of original songs therefore embodies the band’s versatile profile - from pop to jazz to calypso.

ViceVersa’s prominence as a house band at Baha Mar’s Jazz Bar has labeled them primarily as a jazz band that also sings R&B, pop and Motown covers. Although they have an extensive repertoire of Caribbean music, they rarely have an opportunity to perform this part of their repertoire.

In addition to the new music, ViceVersa has recently recorded two calypso tunes, with a view to extending the band’s identity while inspiring other members of the musical community to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

Last week, the band released two calypso tunes which they believe will be well received - and an original tune written by Taylor and her husband which recounts a lighter and more humorous reaction to the current pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns.

“It’s important in these very desperate times not to lose our sense of humour which is very much a part of the Bahamian culture,” Naomi said.

“The tunes tell a tale of Ms Mae, who despite the imposed lockdowns and quarantine measures, has managed to get herself pregnant.”

The tune was written by Naomi and produced by her husband under the simple title “Ms Mae”.

ViceVersa collaborated with Sweet Emily to pull off a cover of an old, socially conscious tune originally written and made popular in 1985 by another calypsonian queen, “Singing Sandra”.

“The tune addresses sexual discrimination against women in the workplace and despite the age and origin of the tune, unfortunately it’s still

an unacknowledged or downplayed topic that still remains very relevant today,” she said.

“When the ‘Me Too’ movement emerged globally addressing the issue of sexual harassment and exploitation of women, it was a reminder to us that this tune had been on our to-do list, for several years, but we were so busy, we simply could not get around to it,” she said.

And right before COVID-19 put the world on pause, the band had an opportunity to meet and work along with the Queen of Junkanoo, Sweet Emily.

“Once we heard Emily’s sweet but commanding voice, we immediately knew that she would be the perfect fit for this tune, and she didn’t disappoint.

“Clinton drew on his extensive musical background to incorporate our own Bahamian flavour into the song with the feel of the drums complimented, of course, with a bit of goat skin drums and other elements. Fred Ferguson is among the lineup of musicians on this ‘dignity project’ and he brings yet another flavour of The Bahamas to the tune with his familiar sound and masterful guitar solos. Also making up the musical team is bassist Adrian D’Aguilar; drums Kevin Dean; horns Dion Turnquest; Tino “Sheep” Richardson; Teddy Russell and Lamont “Shorts” Gibson.

Both songs were released last week and will be available for distribution on all the major digital music outlets.

ViceVersa has recently started a six-week live “Jazz at Sunset” series of outdoor concerts at the prestigious Balmoral Club, which have been very well supported by the public. This series will continue once the lockdown restrictions have been lifted.

In addition, ViceVersa produces a live Facebook broadcast, “Chit, Chat & Sing” each Sunday where they connect and catch up with their musical friends all over the globe. This interactive show was started to motivate other musicians.

In addition, Naomi has partnered with the Inspire Foundation to create a mentoring program for young aspiring musicians, which will be introduced to the public within the next few days.

ViceVersa is also set to release a full album before the end of the year which will include some original as well as cover tunes.

Asked what main message ViceVersa would like to leave with their fellow colleagues in the industry, Naomi said: “When life throws you lemons, squeeze them hard enough to unleash your creative juices. Also, stay safe and pay close attention to the COVID-19 precautions. Protect others by protecting yourselves.”

For more information, contact viceversa242@ gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, October 30, 2020

gardening

Floss silk tree is quite a show

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must admit, there are so many things to discuss in the garden, and to do with gardening, that sometimes I am stumped as to what to write about. Where does it begin, and where does it end?

I would like to lighten it up and jot a few notes that have to do with the simpler part of gardening, and for me, I think of flowers and colour.

Forget the birds and the bees, forget the pesticides and fertilisers, and let us have a look at the beauty that can be created by adding a few flowering plants. Maybe, step it back and remember the old term, “stop and smell the roses�! I do not grow roses by the way, some folks grow a good rose, but for me they are more trouble than they are worth. That is not to say that I would not love to have a garden full of large flowering, seductively scented, heavenly hybrid tea roses, but the weather is not conducive to them doing well on any scale other than a specialist one. I want to grow it all, but there are limitations, mostly due to the weather climate.

We can adjust soil pH, nutrient contents, supplemental watering, and organic material in the soils. We cannot adjust the weather. Temperature, rainfall, and day length are some of the factors that trigger plants to flower. I have seen pansies for sale locally, I’ve been asked for tulips, or even hydrangeas and the likes, those robust flowering plants that inhabit the northern or southern spheres on either side of the equator, but that are not found in the tropics. There are reasons they are not used in our local landscapes (or sold widely other than for the purpose of seasonal novelties), and it comes back to the weather. Kudos to the first people that started growing in a controlled environment, now we can eat tender lettuce grown locally year round!

Hopefully, your vegetable and herb gardens are coming together at this point, maybe you are even ready for your second round or third even of plantings. Now, it is just about time for many of the flowering annuals to be getting ready for transplanting into the garden. Impatiens, geraniums, petunias, marigolds, and so many other annual flowering plants prefer the cooler evenings

THE CEIBA speciosa, or floss silk tree. that we are starting to feel. Many of the annuals prefer some shade, or part shade and part sun. For far too long, I have seen folks planting impatiens in the full sun and then wondering why they were a disappointment. Even though we have the cooler evenings, the days are and will remain too hot for a tender annual like impatiens to do well for any decent length of time in the full sun. Impatiens love the shade. I grow impatiens (an annual plant) as perennials, but it is only possible in the shade. In the sun, they will only perform as an annual. If you given

up on annuals such as impatiens or do not want to have to replace annuals every year, try growing them in the shade and I guarantee results will differ. Many annuals can be grown as perennials in our climate if the location is suitable for the plant in question. If a plant does not work as expected in one location, move it. If it does not work there, move it again!

There is a flowering tree of aesthetic importance in bloom at the moment and that is the Ceiba speciosa (formerly known as Prince, oh wrong topic sorry, formerly

classified as Chorisia speciosa) or the floss silk tree. The floss silk tree is a piece of landscape artwork that is in its full glory in late October and early November (used to be only in November, weather, it changes).

With its cotton candy colored pink blooms that cover the tree at this time of year, any property of substantial size (they do require quite a bit of space) that is without a Ceiba speciosa, is missing out. They are a gem of a tree and they stand out at this time of year.

Things to do in the garden this weekend: Keep planting seeds, now is a great time to transplant tender leafy greens and vegetables into the garden. Make any last nutrient amendments (fertilization) to woody landscape plants or fruit trees before their growth slows down during the month of November. Continue composting and adding that compost to garden beds. Keep scouting for whitefly, mealybug, and leaf miner. Note: the recent rains have created fungus issues on frangipani (Plumeria) and desert rose (Adenium), treat them with a fungicide.

Feel free to send me any gardening questions that you have that you might like to see answered in this column. As always, I wish you happy gardening!

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 30, 2020

literary lives

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson (1878-1949) Sir Christopher Ondaatje remembers the American tap dancer, actor and singer, the best known and highest paid black entertainer in America during the first half of the 20th century.

The US War Department set up a series of Liberty Theatres in training camps when America entered World War I. Vaudeville acts were performed by the Keith and Orpheum Circuits for thousands of troops – in both black and white units of the Expeditionary Forces. Robinson performed free whenever he appeared and received a commendation from the War Department in 1918.

Throughout the 1920s, Robinson continued his successful career as a solo vaudeville act across America – but mostly in Chicago where Marty Forkins, his manager, lived. From 1918-1923, he was fully booked on the Orpheum Circuit and full-time by the Keith Circuit in 1924 and 1925 – except for the World Series when he took a week off. He was an avid baseball fan. He did multiple shows a night – often on two different stages.

Robinson introduced “up on the toes” to tap dance. He moved primarily from the waist down, and maintained impressive control of his body. He infrequently dropped his heels and thus marked a significant change in tap-dance technique.

“What success I achieved in the theatre is due to the fact that I have always worked just as hard when there were ten people in the house as when there were thousands. Just as hard in Springfield, Illinois as on Broadway.”

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was born Luther Robinson on May 25, 1878, in Richmond, Virginia, to Maxwell Robinson, a machinist, and Maria Robinson, a church choir director. He and a younger brother, William, were raised in Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighbourhood. His paternal grandmother, Bedilia Robinson, a former slave, raised him after both of his parents died suddenly in 1884 – his father from heart disease and his mother from unknown causes.

When he was five, Robinson began dancing for small change in local beer gardens and in front of theatres. A promoter saw him outside the Globe Theatre in Richmond and gave him a job as a “pick” in a local minstrel show. In those days, minstrel shows were staged by white performers in blackface. “Picks”, or Pickaninnies, were cute black children at the edge of the stage singing, dancing, or telling jokes.

When he was 12, Robinson ran away to Washington, DC, where he did odd jobs at Benning Race Track, and worked briefly as a jockey. At one time, he teamed up with a young Al Jolson who sang while the young Robinson danced to sell newspapers. Within a year, he was noticed and hired (again as a pickaninny) by Whallen and Martel, and toured with Mayme Remington’s troupe in The South Before the War. He toured with the show for over a year until he grew too old to play the part.

In 1898, Robinson returned to Richmond and joined the United States Army when the SpanishAmerican war broke out.

On March 30, 1900, Robinson entered a dance contest at The Bijou Theatre in Brooklyn, New York and, surprisingly, won the contest, defeating Harry Swinton, the star of the show In Old Kentucky. The resulting publicity from his victory helped get the 22-year-old Robinson a series of jobs in a variety of travelling shows – sometimes dancing and sometimes in two-man comedy routines. He did this for 12 years, becoming a full partner in a tap dancing duo until a fellow performer convinced Robinson to meet her manager Marty Forkins. It was under Forkins’ tutelage and grooming that Robinson matured and produced his solo act, increasing his earnings to over $3,500 a week. Robinson was one of the first performers to break vaudeville’s two-coloured rule, which forbade solo black acts.

“He was one of the first to refuse to wear black-face on stage and ... he broke the two-colour rule, which kept black people on stage as duos.

They couldn’t go on stage in a solo performance.”

Gregory Hines (1946-2003) American Dancer, Actor, Choreographer

In 1918, Robinson performed his famous Stair Dance at the Palace Theatre in New York.

Robinson is widely credited with inventing the Stair Dance – although its origins are disputed.

Robinson, nevertheless, made the dance, which involved a different rhythm for each step – each one reverberating with a different pitch. He had a special set of portable steps which he travelled with. After 1921, it became a standard part of his act. Robinson’s humour and amusing personality were essential to his performances. He would talk to his audience, while his feet shifted from a skating step to stop-time; or a scoot step to a cross-over tap. He changed rhythmic meters, tap steps, and syncopated breaks seamlessly. His anecdotes sometmes were surprised by the actions of his feet. He performed in split-soled wooden shoes, handcrafted by a Chicago craftsman.

“It’s something we need to pass on. I have to thank God for giving me the talent and ambition to pursue it ... and everyone that been involved over the years.”

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson In 1928, a white impresario, Lew Leslie, produced Blackbirds of 1928 on Broadway – a black revue for white audiences, starring Adelaide Hall, Aida Ward, Tim Moore, and other black stars. The line-up didn’t include “Bojangles” Robinson, but after a cool reception the producers introduced him as a “special attraction”. The show then became an enormous success where it ran for a year to sell-out performances. Adelaide Hall and Robinson sang and danced together, and eventually they appeared again at the prestigious Palace

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, October 30, 2020

Theatre on Broadway. Forever after that, Robinson’s public role was that of a well-suited, talented, smiling ambassador to the white world. Hall and Robinson were a formidable, popular act and Marty Forkins booked them on the 1930 Broadway musical Brown Buddies which appeared at the Liberty Theatre for four months before touring the States.

final dance sequence. Fred Astaire said that it was by far the best movie musical number ever made.

Memphis Bound, which opened in May 1945, used an all-black cast which gave Robinson topbilling, and included Avon Long, Billy Daniels, Ada Brown and Sheila Guyse. Robinson played the boat pilot, and them Sir Joseph Porter in the play-within-a-play of HMS Pinafore. Robinson’s Stair Dance was again the highlight of the show.

Even though Robinson returned to Broadway in the late 1930s, black stage revues waned in popularity but Robinson remained in vogue, appearing in 14 motion pictures with RKO, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures. Most of them were musicals. His first film was Dixiana (1930) for RKO in a standalone scene. Southern States were allowed to remove scenes containing black performers when they showed the films. This was followed by Harlem is Heaven (1932) in which he starred with an all-black cast and a white actor with a speaking part. Produced in New York the film did not do well financially. After this Robinson concentrated on Hollywood produced movies.

Shirley Temple had already appeared in five films released in 1934 and had performed a tap dance routine with James Dunn in Stand Up and Cheer. Twentieth Century Fox head Winfield Sheehan then, following a discussion with DW Griffith, had the idea of bringing Bill Robinson to star with Shirley Temple, but were unsure about his acting abilities. He passed the test and they became the first interracial dance partners in Hollywood. They made four films together: The Little Colonel (1935); The Littlest Rebel (1935); Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938); and Just Around the Corner (1938). Robinson was hired to perform his famous “Stair Dance” with Temple, and to teach the seven-year-old child the complex steps. He realised quickly that this couldn’t be done in the short shooting schedule. So instead he taught Temple to kick the face of each stair step with her toe. After watching her practice his choreography, Robinson modified his routine to mimic her dance, so that it appeared she was imitating his steps. It was a highlight of the first film.

The scene was controversial as they were making physical contact, so this and other scenes were cut out during showings in the South.

“Robinson walked a step ahead of us, but when he noticed me hurrying to catch up, he shortened his stride to accommodate mine. I kept reaching for his hand, but he hadn’t looked down and seemed unaware. Fannie called his attention to what I was doing, so he stopped short, bent low over me, his eyes wide and rows of brilliant teeth showing in a wide smile. When he took my hand in his, it felt large and cool. For a few moments we walked in silence. ‘Can I call you Uncle Billy?’ I asked. ‘Why sure you can’, he replied ... ‘But then I get to call you darlin’’. It was a deal. From then on, whenever we walked together it was hand in hand, and I was always his ‘darlin’.”

Shirley Temple Robinson and Temple became close friends as a result of his dance coaching and acting with her.

Bill Robinson could transcend colour roles and performances. He was the first and probably the only one who could do this. His last theatrical project was to have been Two Gentlemen from the South, with James Barton as the white master and Robinson as his servant, in which the black and white roles reverse and eventually the two come together as equals. Sadly, the show did not open.

BILL “Bojangles” Robinson with Shirley Temple “We held hands and I learned to dance from Bill by listening, not looking at the feet. It was a kind of magic between us.”

Robinson’s final public appearance was in 1949, a few weeks before his death, when he was a surprise guest on a TV show Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour. Robinson did not perform – but emotionally embraced a competitor who had tapdanced for the audience. The ageing Robinson was bidding farewell to his many fans and handing over his crown to the new dancer.

“Now darling, don’t you fret. I’ve got a secret.

I may be staying at the chauffer’s quarters, but my chauffer is staying there too.”

Shirley Temple

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson

Robinson made other films too. In Hooray for Love (1935) he played a mayor of Harlem; and in One Mile from Heaven (1937) he played a romantic lead opposite African-American actress Fredi Washington. Robinson also appeared opposite Will Rogers in In Old Kentucky (1935). They were good friends, and In Old Kentucky was the last film Rogers made before his airplane crash.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s first marriage was to Lena Chase in 1907. They separated in 1916 and the marriage ended in 1922. His second wife was Fannie S Clay whom he married shortly after his divorce from Chase. They divorced in 1943. His third and final marriage was to Elaine Plaines in Columbus, Ohio, and they remained together until Robinson’s death on 25 November 1949.

In 1939, Robinson made his return to Broadway to appear in The Hot Mikado – a jazz version of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. He was cast as the Emperor and his rendition of My Object All Sublime stopped the show and produced eight encores. After Broadway, the show was moved to the 1939 World’s Fair where it was another enormous success. August 25, 1939, was named Bill Robinson Day at the Fair.

Robinson gambled heavily and spent lavishly.

Despite being the highest-paid black performer in the first half of the 20th century, earning more than $42m during his lifetime, Robinson died penniless in 1949, at the age of 71 from heart failure.

His funeral was arranged and paid for by his friend, the television host Ed Sullivan. An estimated 32,000 people filed past his open coffin at the 369th Infantry Regiment Armory in Harlem.

All schools in Harlem were closed for a half-day so that children could listen to the radio where Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Sr conducted the service at the Abyssinian Baptist Church. New York Mayor William O’Dwyer gave the eulogy.

Robinson is buried in the Cemetery of the Evergreens, in Brooklyn, New York.

All in Fun (1940) was Robinson’s next Broadway show with an all-white cast. It got poor reviews, and when the white stars and co-producers Phil Baker and Leonard Sillman withdrew from the show, Robinson became the first AfricanAmerican to headline an otherwise all-white production. Nevertheless, despite enthusiastic reviews, the show had to close after a further four performances.

Robinson’s final film was the starring role in Stormy Weather (1943) opposite Lena Horne, Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, and the Nicholas Brothers. It is a cultural and historically important film, which included the number “Jumpin’ Jive” as a

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. The author acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Mr Bojangles; the biography of Bill Robinson (1988) by James Haskins and N.R. Mitgang; and Underneath Harlem Moon (2003) by Iain Cameron Williams.

14 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 30, 2020

history

A fortress home

Old fort, the residence of Mrs James Cox brady at Nassau Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

I

n my article about Southwest Bay, I mentioned Old Fort - a 35-acre estate featured under the above title in a 1928 edition of Country Life magazine.

The name, Old Fort, dates back to 1730 and two hundred years later, it was the residence of, Helen Brady (1894-1961), the widow of James Cox Brady, a financier and horse breeder.

His grandson, Nicholas Brady, was Treasury Secretary in the Regan administration and lives in Lyford Cay. After Brady’s death, Helen married Charles Suydam Cutting (1889-1972) who, upon her death, inherited the 35-acre estate and filled it with treasures, from around the world.

It is important to understand that the road from Old Fort to Windsor Field was built during World War II. Up to that time, there were only two ways to reach Old Fort – via West Bay Street or via Clifton.

“The original building had two towers, one on either corner. The walls of this earliest part were made of stone rubble, more than three feet thick, with a layer of sand on the inside, to act as insulation against heat and moisture. In front are the battlements and the old cannons are still in place.”

Brady acquired Old Fort in 1926, for a winter residence, and work was started on its rehabilitation, which, being so far from the source

THE FORTRESS-like little south tower balances the arched tower at the far end.

Open stairs, under buttresses, lead up to a balcony, thence through delicately woven wrought-iron gates, to the loggia, upon which the guest rooms open. The house has no hall, just a stairwell, leading to the master’s apartment.

A PART of the large veranda, which runs around three sides of the house and, on one side, separates dining room and kitchen, from the main house. of supplies, was no easy accomplishment. The best eight men were hired as foremen, to teach the unskilled labour force how to do something well. They had learned carpentry from a long line of shipbuilders, but masonry had been learned in building docks and walls. They had to be taught accuracy and a feeling for beauty. One hundred man and about 100 women were hired. “The

women carried sand from the beach, in baskets on their heads, and broke rock with hammers.”

In less than ten months, the Old Fort of ancient times was transformed into a modern residence, with seven bedrooms and as many baths, a modern electric kitchen, instantaneous hot water, laundry, refrigeration room, and accommodation for ten servants (with own

kitchen), before being acquired by James Cox Brady, Jr, the father of Nicholas F Brady in 1920. Following Brady’s death, his wife’s new husband, C Suydam Cutting took over the property and filled it with treasures from around the world.

Old Fort was abandoned in the 1970s and fell into disrepair, until it was beautifully transformed into today’s Old Fort Club.

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

Friday, October 30, 2020

animals

Don’t be part of the problem

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

W

hen you see messages from animal rescue groups saying “Slowly suffered and died alone at the end of a chain”, do you skip by them saying, “oh I can’t handle those messages, they upset me too much, I can’t think about it”. You can’t think about it, I see where you are coming from, but the poor animal who is dying a lingering death because of neglect or abuse is unable to just dismiss it as out of sight out of mind... he will die, alone, because of inaction on the behalf on millions of citizens of the world.

Animal rescuers fight daily to help these poor animals, but there are just too many people who simply do not want to hear about it.

It is very difficult to get people to support animal rescue organisations.

We hear: “What about the humans?”, well, help them too. Nobody is asking anybody to exclusively help any one group in need. You don’t only love one child, you don’t eat one vegetable, you go to the opera and ballet, and enjoy sculpture and painting… so why can’t you support, and feel empathy for both humans and animals.

Helping and caring for one precludes the other? How so?

Whenever I do a radio show on behalf of the Bahamas Humane Society there will be at least one caller who lambasts me for not liking humans and preferring animals over humans. I never said that, the caller did. In their narrow mindedness they are incapable of understanding that you can like, support, care for and feel empathy for more than one group in need at a time. Sorry folks, but to be blunt that is utter nonsense.

I have never intimated on the radio, or print, that you should only care for the suffering of animals. Humans (who incidentally are in the animal group) are needy and need assistance too. Humans are blessed with thumbs, they can do things for themselves, they can verbalise their thoughts, they can ask for help. A human can phone 911, or call out to passersby and say, “help me I am starving”. A dog

chained at the end of a rope with no food or water barks for help and most passersby will shout “shut up dog”, and dog dies… pretty picture isn’t it?

But oh,. so very real.

So what do we do? How do we raise awareness with those who will not look at the article, or change the channel when the advertisement comes on? So many people over the years have commented to me that when those wonderful ads on television asking for help for abused animals come on they “just can’t watch, they make me too sad”.

Yes, they make you sad, sitting in comfort in your home, with perhaps a dog or cat or two in residence, they are designed to do just that, because we are pleading for your help, not pleading for you to yet again ignore the problem. Here’s the deal: if you have to skip the email, turn off the TV or look the other way take that time to write a cheque for a few dollars to help those who do not turn away, for those who do not walk away and leave them to die alone and suffer.

Don’t forget that at the end of every rescue there is probably a team of dedicated animal rescuers who have to look the harsh reality of suffering in the face.

THERE are many dedicated volunteers helping animals - such as the helpers at Operation Potcake here - but they need your support, and turning away from examples of animal cruelty helps no one.

How do you think they feel at the end of the day? Do you think, for a minute, that they are any different from the rest of the world, it hurts and upsets them, they have nightmares and they cry, oh boy do they cry especially when it’s too late and the animal can’t be helped or has to be put to sleep all because of a human’s neglect or intentional cruelty.

The suicide rate is very high in the animal world, why? Because these dedicated and compassionate people finally crack, they can no longer handle seeing what fellow human beings have wrought upon an innocent animal because of neglect or because it is fun to hurt and cause suffering. There is plenty of intentional

maiming and torture by sick minds that gets overlooked, especially here in The Bahamas where we still don’t get it.

The correlation between cruelly to animals and humans is a fine line…

We do not give it the significance it deserves. Our inability to see the connection causes numerous children and women to suffer at the hands of sadists who could have been stopped had they been picked up and counseled when they started on small animals.

The next time you delete the email, turn off the TV or close the newspaper, remember these words: Your inaction is part of our problem.

pet of the week

Puppies, puppies, puppies...

of your awesome home! Please encourage your friends, neighbours, co-workers to spay and neuter their dogs and cats! The BHS is a nokill shelter but the more dogs/cats spayed/neutered, the fewer pups and kittens surrendered, a win-win for all! BAARK (427-4433) can assist with free spay/neuter. You can assist the BHS by adopting, fostering, donating, educating, or volunteering! These gorgeous pups are waiting for you!

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY “Puppies, puppies, puppies all around...” The Bahamas Humane Society has been inundated with puppies recently. This lovely pair are but two of the many that have been surrendered. Once they are vetted and vaccinated and spayed/ neutered, they will be available for adoption. If you’ve been considering a pup, please consider adoption from the BHS. These two and the many others are all deserving

PHOTO of puppies by Stephanie Hickman.

• BHS raffle tickets are now available! Grand prize is $10,000 worth of groceries from Super Value, and the other prizes are amazingly useful coupons, too!

Tickets are $5 each or a book of 21 for $100. Pick yours up today at the BHS or at Fox Hill Nursery.ce looks forward to meeting you.

16 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, October 30, 2020

art

The art of growth

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

H

IS CRAFT in the field of art has grown over the years more in an aesthetic aspect than any other - however Alton The Artist believes there is still a lot more room to grow.

“Art gives me a voice. I can express my personal views on canvas better than any other means. Art to me is a form of meditation, of escape. Being an artist does not require for me to follow any rules or guidelines, I have freedom to think outside the box,” said Alton Joseph.

Alton said African Dichotomy is the theme in a series of pieces he completed that denotes a negative one-sided picture of Africa.

“I decided to create dual-sided pieces, whereas I could showcase the negatives on one side and the positives on the other. For these pieces, I cut the shape of the continent out of plywood and added patches of canvas cloth, as opposed to painting the entire piece on canvas.

Acrylic paint was used to apply a collage of images depicting topics such as civil unrest and virus outbreaks on one side and on the flip side of the Africa shaped pieces, I included the continent’s beautiful wildlife, political feats and spirituality,” said Alton.

With time to focus on his craft this year during the lockdowns, Alton said he spent it studying the use of various media such as digital art.

“I believe it is of utmost importance for all Bahamian artists to remain focused and make necessary adjustments to navigate within our current circumstances. Art can potentially be one of the driving forces of the replenishment of the Bahamian economy. I don’t think our current circumstances should affect artists’ productivity, in fact quite the contrary,” said Alton.

“Feedback to my recent artwork has been mostly positive especially from those who may have been following my very young artistic career. A lot of people express an eagerness in seeing me improve and produce more. I have been receiving some constructive criticism from members of the art community for which I am very grateful. I appreciate any knowledge of what I can improve as I seek to grow as an artist.”

As the year continues, Alton is looking forward to producing more locally inspired work focusing on Bahamian scenery, icons and landmarks as opposed to political topics.

ALTON The Artist