11132020 WEEKEND

Friday, November 13, 2020

Weekend

photography entertainment art gardening history music puzzles SINGER TELLS FANS ‘BE OK’ Page 16

Breaking tradition Artist creating her own style

pgs 08 + 09

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

photography

A Rose-Coloured Lens Psychedelic hibiscus

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.

Psychedelic art typically recreates the experience of altered consciousness and surreal visuals; bright colours and full spectrums to evoke and convey or enhance the art. A few raindrops help!

Friday, November 13, 2020

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, November 13, 2020

Weekend Inside

My Perfect Bahamian Weekend Danielle Bethel

Recent high school graduate Q. What’s on your weekend menu?

“Fried fish, because I have not had it in a long time, it’s my favourite and so my grammy promised she would make me some this weekend.”

2 Photography

A psychelic look at Bahamas life

4-5 Interview

Q. If you could be quarantined with a celebrity who would it be and why?

“I would say Chris Pratt, from watching him on awards shows he seems very funny and respectful and he is a Christian and I rock with that.”

Nurse who paid off her debts launches YouTube show

6 Puzzles 7 Entertainment

Puppet takes on social injustice

8-9 Art

Artist forges her own style

Q.What do you miss about having to practice social distancing?

“I miss hugging and hanging out with my friends.”

10 Gardening November rain

11 Entertainment

Actress on way to Hollywood

12-13 Literary Lives

The greatest female star of classic movies

14 Forgotten Facts

An adventure in sponging

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15 Animals

Protecting sharks

16 Music

Star tells fans they’ll ‘Be OK’

STUDENTS TO LEARN PROBLEMSOLVING AT BETA HACK! 2020

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net Solving major problems with technological skills is the driving force of the Bahamas Engineering and Technology Advancement (BETA) Camp virtual hackathon event.

The four-day BETA Hack! Event, under this year’s theme “The Bits and Battles: Shift and Adapt”, takes place November 14-15 and November 2021. The competition is open to the junior and senior high school students

from grades 7-12. Students can register in teams to represent their schools, clubs, or youth organisations.

BETA Hack! is a competition in which students have the opportunity to learn project-based technology skills while competing on behalf of their school or club. Students will be challenged to use critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork skills to develop solutions to relevant problems that are at the heart of growth and development of the Bahamas in the digital age.

“The aim of the BETA Hack! event is to encourage students to not just be a consumer of technology, but to actively contribute to the development of technology, and to challenge them to use their critical thinking to solve problems facing our country today,” according to D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika, vice-president and co-founder.

The hackathon is one of the group’s newer programmes, first offered in 2019.

The organisation hopes to continue hosting the competition every year.

Q. What will you be binge watching this weekend?

“I recently got into Dirty Jobs, but before that I would have probably said Sweet Magnolias.”

“Participants will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of various programming concepts and build solutions using the technology tools that are currently used in industry.

They will also have the opportunity to have Q&A with a panel of Bahamian tech professionals and hear about their experiences and career journeys,” said Mrs Wilson-Ihejirika Students participating in the BETA Hack! have the unique opportunity to represent their school or club in a nationwide competition, while also learning relevant technology skills that can be used to solve everyday problems and prepare them for their future careers.

“We hope that the students will take away a feeling of empowerment to be able to embrace technology and understand that they are capable of solving big problems using their own technological skills,” she told Tribune Weekend.

Since starting to host various events, the BETA group said it has seen an increased interest in engineering

Q. If you could spend a weekend anywhere, where COVID-19 was not a factor, where would it be?

“I think Canada, especially because it’s winter now and I have always wanted to see snow.”

and technology locally - a goal it set out to achieve since its inception.

“We’ve been hosting the BETA Camp since 2014. Each year we survey the students before and after the programme asking if their interest has increased.

Every year we see overwhelmingly positive responses. We’ve had many past BETA Camp students back to the camp for a second year and some participating in the BETA Hack! . We also seen these students go on to join or form STEM clubs at their schools and we’ve recently seen some of the students from our earliest cohorts go on to student STEM majors in university,” said Mrs Wilson-Ihejirika The group will continue to advance engineering and technology across the country to address infrastructure issues and spur economic growth as a both present and future goals.

To register for the competition, visit www.wearebeta.co or contact 242-557-0282.

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 13, 2020

interview

Nakita Cash A woman of many talents, Nakita Cash is a registered nurse, an image consultant, a life coach, store owner... and more. She tells CARA HUNT about her business empire - and her latest project, taking her to a worldwide audience.

I

T’S showtime! Nakita Cash - who already has many strings to her bow in the business world - has just realised her long-term dreams of launching a new YouTube show, the latest project in her Cash Empire.

Nakita is not only a registered nurse, but an image consultant, life coach, financial coach, photographer, clothing store owner and now show host.

“Sometimes I forget just how many businesses I have going on, but I am looking to build a legacy for my family. I went with the name Cash Empire because of course that is my last name and that is

what I am trying to build - my very own empire,” she told Tribune Weekend.

It has not been an easy road for Nakita, who several years ago struggled with depression and even had suicidal thoughts, but through the support of her parents, family and friends, she has managed to not only completely change her own life, but is working to bless and change the lives of others as well.

“I suffered from depression and was going through a very hard time a few years ago and really was at the point where I didn’t even want to leave my bed. My mom had a dream about me

and prophesied that I would become famous and travel the world. But at the time I just couldn’t see it happening.”

Her husband, Jamaal Cash, and mom, Karen Robinson, pushed her to start exercising as a way to make herself feel better.

It worked so well it led her to start a fitness programme called Get Fit with Nick Family Fitness Programme - an idea suggested to her by a stranger in the park where she went to exercise, the late Mikecus Bethel.

Friday, November 13, 2020

In addition to exercise, the programme also provided motivational talks, health consultations and was the catalyst for her self-help ventures.

“I also had another friend Annakay Seymour, who is a make-up artist and stylist, and she would give me makeovers to boost my confidence and my spirits. We would record the transformation and post it to social media and Annakay would say that man we need to do YouTube shows about makeovers, so I guess that’s how the idea for a channel came to me and I ran with it.”

It did however take a while for the idea to become reality.

“Last year, I made the decision that I wanted to be debt-free,” she says. “I made up my mind that I was not going to let 2020 see me with debt and so I was finally able to pay off about $57,000 worth of debt, my last payment was my credit card right around the New Year. I posted a photo of myself celebrating that I was debt-free and it got such a huge response that I knew that I wanted to help people also reach that milestone and if I did do a YouTube show it would be about improving not just your health, but your finances and realising your dreams as well.

“My husband in particular asked how I was going to be a financial coach with no experience but I told him that my experience is that I had managed to pay off the debt,” she said.

She recorded her first show way back in January, but COVID-19 meant that many of her plans had to be postponed.

Nakia persisted with her goals and Showtime Dream Empire premiered last month.

“I use the catchphrase Showtime to say that big things are about to happen. I used to say it all the time and so that is what I decided to call the show - Showtime Building Empire.

“All of my shows start with the words Showtime, Dream because I am the showtime queen

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

and these are my dreams. Dream is one of my favorite words. Most of my businesses have the word dream in them,” she explained.

“My very first show featured a fellow nurse who I coached, Martina Pennerman-Wilson, founder of Nails by Penny. She had always wanted to have a nail business and now she has that business and is so happy with her life as the Nail Nurse. I want to teach people how to live your dreams and find your purpose. I have been able to reach persons all over the world. Since I launched my channel, last month it has grown so much. I have now over 1000 subscribers and persons who have watched.”

Nakia says she thinks her show has been successful because she remains her true self.

“I am very real and I may not talk all proper and I use Bahamian dialect and some people think that I need to be more formal on the show, but I want it to be natural and I think people see that I am just a real person and they can relate to that.”

Nakita continues to dream big, she says that she wants to expand her Cash Empire even further and continue to assist people however she can.

Already she has given away thousands of dollars in cash and prizes on her show to help others build their own empires and realise their dreams.

“One of my role models is Oprah Winfrey and she has a quote turn your wounds into wisdom and that’s what I am trying to do.”

Looking forward, she wants to create makeover opportunities for persons struggling with illness.

“For example, we have a lot of persons with illnesses such as diabetes and they may not have the money after treatment or the energy to fix themselves up,” she said, “So I would love to come in help them with a makeover to boost their spirits, take their photos and then also use my experience as a nurse to assist them with their health needs as well - a total makeover.”

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

15 Affect; 18 Lunge; 19 Spot.

E t J unG mD E

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 12; very good 18; excellent 24 (or more). Solution tomorrow

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

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Across 1 Show rank subservience? (6) 4 True account by a cleric (8) 9 On a winding road it is showing skill (6) 10 Unexceptional charge of the simplest kind in heraldry (8) 12 Short cut taken when hunting (4) 13 Duck down (5) 14 Propose to change house (4) 17 They know their actions mean the high jump (12) 20 Eminent composer? (6,2,4) 23 A classical author I’d nothing against at first (4) 24 Absolutely diaphanous? (5) 25 Seafarer not entirely well off (4) 28 Don’t be in a hurry to use a stopwatch (4,4) 29 Clergyman taking a point to heart may be fired (6) 30 Seems Ken is put out by humility (8) 31 A sailor does need to change addresses (6)

1

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 As for, 4 Compact, 8 For, 9 Volunteer, 10 Offence, 11 Agony, 13 Trench, 15 Remark, 18 Widen, 19 Phantom, 21 Status quo, 23 IOU, 24 Extreme, 25 Fight.

Down: 1 Affront, 2 Far afield, 3 Riven, 4 Caller, 5 Mundane, 6 Age, 7 Tardy, 12 On a string, 14 Confuse, 16 Kumquat, 17 Opaque, 18 Waste, 20 Aloof, 22 Ant.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Oasis, 4 Showing, 8 Boa, 9 Wholemeal, 10 Treadle, 11 Wales, 13 Dressy, 15 Proust, 18 Extra, 19 Blessed, 21 Hurricane, 23 Ado, 24 Replete, 25 Snaps.

Down: 1 Orbited, 2 Statement, 3 Sewed, 4 Sloped, 5 Open war, 6 Ice, 7 Gulps, 12 Louisiana, 14 Seaside, 16 Tedious, 17 Ablaze, 18 Ether, 20 Evens, 22 Rap.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 A set of eight (6) 4 A visionary (8) 9 Fall headlong (6) 10 Fragrant-flowered plant (5,3) 12 Having sharp taste (4) 13 Smelling stale (5) 14 Malarial fever (4) 17 Meddlesomeness (12) 20 A trusted older mentor (6,6) 23 Threatening (4) 24 In weak health (5) 25 Without energy (4) 28 Official etiquette (8) 29 Attractively unfamiliar (6) 30 Entirety (8) 31 Concoct (4,2)

Down 1 Surpass in competition (8) 2 Impudence (8) 3 Mouse-like rodent (4) 5 Irretrievably lost (4,3,5) 6 Summit (4) 7 Call in question (6) 8 Merchant (6) 11 Be in control (4,3,5) 15 A pause in work (5) 16 A durable openweave fabric (5) 18 On the run (8) 19 Maintain one’s effort (4,2,2) 21 Amount produced (6) 22 At full speed (3,3) 26 Calmly audacious (4) 27 Distinctive atmosphere (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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W P L E D A L

A C K P L R R

THE ALPHABEATE

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.

J V M M Q L T V I M E R E P P I R T Y E D U J Y E H C H I A M T H E W

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Friday, November 13, 2020

The Tribune | Weekend | 07

entertainment

Joey’s on hand to highlight hot topics

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

J

OEY Jermaine is 13 years old, socially conscious and opinionated. He hates injustice, speaks his mind when it comes to social ills, loves life, and admits to being a tad bit materialistic, self-conscious and sarcastic.

Joey Jermaine is also a puppet.

Though he has been around since 2017, Joey Jermaine is now being formally introduced to Bahamians by his creator, local entertainer Raja Bain.

Raja was born in Freeport, Grand Bahama. He moved to Miami, Florida with his family when he was 10 years old.

From a young age the entertainer loved to draw.

During his high school years he expressed himself creatively through an advanced art class. He also wrote for the school’s newspaper and drew editorial cartoons. In 2004, he relocated to New Providence.

“Things creatively changed. My interest shifted four years ago watching America’s Got Talent, watching live improv moments on talk shows...

YouTube ventriloquist acts made me want to experience, create those puppet moments for myself, my audience. Also being a fan all my life of Jim Henson’s The Muppets, Willie Tyler and Lester also had a part to play in my interest in puppetry,” he told Tribune Weekend.

Raja debuted his creation Joey Jermaine on YouTube and other social media channels and people started sharing videos, photos and posters of the outspoken puppet.

“What inspired Joey was I wanted a character folks would relate to; I could create realistic scenarios for. Also being a black man, it is obvious, an easy character for me to give voice to. The name came about because of the Fat Albert cartoon.

I wanted two first names that had an urban vibe that could be put together or initialled and sound cool,” he said.

Joey Tremaine’s target audience is anyone from pre-teens to senior citizens. Raja said he does not want anyone to miss out on what the character has to offer.

What makes Joey Jermaine relevant and relatable to such a wide age group, Raja explained, is the subject matters he tackles in his videos and posters. These topics, he said, are are universal and timely. Joey shares his unique perspectives on life, social media, the economy, and even the government.

“My goal for Joey Jermaine is to create content that inspires, entertains, and most importantly touches on social ills folks are sometimes afraid to venture (into),” he said.

“I also want my content to go a step further and spark change for the better in our communities.

To do so, Joey would make himself available to

RAJA Bain’s puppet creation Joey Jermaine isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

outreach programmes, ministries, clubs, et cetera, and partner with even businesses, raise funds for causes I feel a need the spotlight. Platforms can be videos, live remotes in the community and commercial spaces. The JJ brand, through promotion, would purposely target the international market, with hopes of spreading (Joey’s) platforms, create networking, merchandising opportunities for other creatives locally through the JJ brand,” said Raja.

• For more information, contact rashamba@ yahoo.com or follow Raja on Instagram @ jjpuppetbahamas.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 13, 2020

gardening

ADENIUM flower FRANGIPANI

November rain

T

he rain that most of us had in the first week in November was an important one. It was a cool rain, and it coincides with small changes in the weather. The days are getting noticeably shorter, and it only takes a few degrees difference, a cool rain, and shorter days to trigger the time to wake up for some plants, and time to go to sleep for others.

Veggies and tender annuals have perked up (and

probably getting hungrier for nutrients), but grape vines are getting ready for a dormant stage and their demands are drastically reduced. Grape vines will go into a dormancy stage for several weeks (maybe a couple of months). They have stopped growing and are beginning to drop leaf.

Pruning can be done anytime between now and February or March, to control size and to increase fruiting for next season. While they are dropping

leaf, there is nothing to do, the only problem that we can help to avoid during the dormant stage is over-watering. When they are dormant (some may be semi-dormant) they are using much less water than when growing, so, if there is irrigation, it is suggested to adjust irrigation heads so that the grape vines are not being watered while they are bare. We do not have a long “autumn” or “winter” and typically by late February or the beginning of March the grape vines are getting right back into their growth cycle.

The rain will often lead to issues with fungus, especially on roses and Adeniums, or what is more commonly referred to as the desert rose.

Desert rose will develop lesions on the leaf when the fungus spreads and it will typically lead to leaf drop. One bonus of this is that they tend to burst into color within a few weeks of the leaf drop (hint, hint… late November is a prime time for Adeniums to be flowering).

Adeniums are a wonderful plant for small spaces or for beginners (they are easy to care for), just as well as they are a popular plant for collectors. There are many wonderful hybrids available these days with colors ranging from white to yellow, pink, to red and purple, single, double, and triple flowers! Unique specimens can be found, and they are a plant that each individual plant can take on striking character, shape, and form.

I have just this week had to spray fungicide to control an outbreak of fungus on Adenium due to the rain, and I will be sure to re-apply in 14 days’ time. Another plant that gets fungus issues on the leaves in October and November is Plumeria, also known as Frangipani. While Frangipani can be wonderfully fragrant when in flower, they too are a plant that drop leaf in the cooler months. This can lead to a bit of clean up as they do get messy for a few weeks when the leaves are dropping, but oh my, when they flower, it is all worth it. Strawberry plants are also prone to fungal growth on the foliage.

A garden can provide a space for meditation, a space for time to yourself, and at the same time it can also provide a space for group activity, learning, and teaching the kids. Whether you live on a large property, or in a one-bedroom apartment, gardening is not only possible for everyone, it’s something we can all benefit from, and even if it is one pot with a few herbs on a windowsill, gardening is good for the well-being. Do not be concerned that some plants are dropping their leaves over the next few weeks, as the season changes, plants react and respond to minute differences in temperature, moisture, humidity, and day-length. Cut out the water on plants that go through a dormant stage. Tender leafy veggies respond well at this time of year, so I hope that you can get planting. Stay safe Bahamas, and as always, I wish you happy gardening!

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery. You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, November 13, 2020

entertainment

Aspiring actress hosts one-woman show on her way to Hollywood

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

M

alikah Pinder has always known she was destined for stardom.

And her recent acceptance into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California is just one more step that brings her closer to her dream of becoming an actress.

Unfortunately, the global COVID-19 pandemic delayed her classes and also the donations she had hoped to receive to help her with her tuition and living expenses.

But Malikah’s talent and passion won’t be deferred this Sunday, when she will be hosting a special event called “An Evening with Malikah”.

During the event, which will be shown live on Facebook, Malikah will perform a one-woman show called “A Play Called Woman”.

She came up with the play several years ago, but now – given everything that has happened in 2020 – she said it was the perfect time to present it to the public.

“God gave me the idea for a one-woman show a few years ago. He gave me the storylines and I started jotting everything down and writing out the script, but I never finished,” she explained.

“Fast forward to 2020 and me facing difficulty getting off to school. I felt led to start a GoFundMe to raise some of the funds I need because my previously arranged sponsors have had to repurpose funding due to the pandemic.”

Malikah said it was one of her friends who suggested she perform a live show.

“She suggested doing a show to go along with (the fundraising) so that I would more so be giving a service for the donations. It would also highlight what I am capable of and allow people to see what they’re giving to. I was going to write something new, but ‘Woman’ came back to me, so I knew that I needed to finish that and release it.”

“A Play Called Woman” is comprised of three short acts telling the stories of three different women.

“The women are not related and their stories are very different, but the thing that is mutual for all three is that they are all in need of some sort of healing,” the young actress said.

Malikah said the audience can expect a roller coaster of emotions.

“They may laugh, get angry, feel shocked, or even cry along with the characters. There is also singing involved,” she added.

Despite the challenges that have affected her plans to make it to Hollywood, Malikah remains optimistic and determined that she will be able to make her dreams come true.

“I had originally planned to begin my studies in August, however, there were several factors that delayed that plan, including the significant rise in COVID cases in that part of America. As it stands, schools in California have still not been

MALIKAH Pinder hopes to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts next year given clearance to resume face-to-face instruction, however, I am hoping for the best to begin my studies in January.”

In addition to Sunday’s performance, Malikah has been busy raising funds through her Bread for Broadway initiative - selling home-made bread to make the extra money she needs.

“It is something I started back in May and has been going very well. I will still be baking every week up until I go off to school. You should really try it. I believe that it is truly blessed by God. I was never a baker before, so I always say that God gave me the recipes for this delicious bread,” she said.

“A Play Called Woman” will be streamed live on Sunday, November 15, at 6pm on Facebook at @Malikahpinder.

12 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, November 13, 2020

literary lives | Katherine Hepburn 1907-2003 Part II

Golden Age heroine forges her own path Sir Christopher Ondaatje continues his biography of the fiercely independent life of the American actress who was named by the American Film Institute as the greatest female star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

“Most people, I figure, have a reservoir that you walk into town with ... this is me and this is what I have to offer. Then, after a while, you’ve sold all those goodies, and if you don’t go away and fill up another box ... you’re just repeating. Then you’re just growing old ... we’re all creatures of habit, and we get into a rut ... And you haven’t got the brains to stop.

- Katharine Hepburn

After her stunning success in The Philadelphia Story (1939) at the Shubert Theatre in New York, Katharine Hepburn had taken the right steps to create her own comeback. Her lover, Howard Hughes, had bought her the film rights sensing that it could be her ticket back to Hollywood stardom. He was right and she didn’t miss her opportunity.

Several of the major film studios approached Hepburn to produce the movie version of Philip Barry’s play. She decided to sell the rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Hollywood’s number one studio, on the condition that she be the star of the movie. She also picked the director, George Cukor, and co-stars James Stewart and Cary Grant- to whom she ceded top-billing.

“I don’t want to make a grand entrance in this picture. Moviegoers ... think I’m too la-di-da or something. A lot of people want to see me fall flat on my face.”

- Katharine Hepburn Thus the film began with Cary Grant knocking the actress flat on her backside. The Philadelphia Story was one of the biggest hits of 1940, breaking all records at Radio City Music Hall.

“It’s Katharine Hepburn’s picture ... the perfect conception of all flighty, but characterful, main line socialite gals rolled into one. The story without her is almost inconceivable.”

- Herb Golden, Variety Hepburn was nominated for her third Academy Award for Best Actress, and although she didn’t win she did win the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. James Stewart won his only Academy Award for Best Actor.

Katharine Hepburn was top of the heap again.

She was also responsible for the development of her next project, the romantic comedy Woman of the Year about a political columnist and a sports reporter whose relationship is threatened by her self-centred independence. It was a project that also reflected her life. She was an amazing woman – playing golf when she could (she was good) and tennis nearly every morning. In everything she did, she never took her eye off the ball.

The idea for Woman of the Year was brought to her by Garson Kanin in 1941, and she helped with the script. When it was finished she presented the final product to MGM and demanded $250,000 – half for her, and half for the authors. MGM agreed to her terms, as well as her choice of director, George Stevens, and co-star Spencer Tracy. The film was released in 1942 and was another success.

Critics could not help but notice the chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn and indeed her increasing maturity and polish. She received a

further Academy Award nomination, and signed a star contract with MGM. “You can’t just be talented. You have to be terribly smart and energetic and ruthless. You also have to become necessary to people, by working hard and well and bringing more than your bones and your skin to the project. Don’t just show up. Transform the work, yourself, and everybody around you. Be needed. Be interesting. Be something no one else can be – and consistently.

- Katharine Hepburn In 1942, Hepburn went back to Broadway to appear in another Philip Barry play Without Love.

Critics were less than enthusiastic about the play, but Hepburn’s great popularity helped the production which ran for 16 sold-out weeks.

MGM was eager to reunite Tracy and Hepburn and chose Keeper of the Flame (1942) – a dark mystery warning about the dangers of fascism. The film received poor reviews but the Tracy-Hepburn team retained its popularity. After Woman of the Year Hepburn had committed to a relationship with Spencer Tracy who suffered from alcoholism and insomnia. He was also married but living apart from his wife. The chemistry between them lasted for eight more films, spanning the course of 25 years, and a romance that lasted that long offscreen. She worked less over the next ten years, and did not appear on stage again until 1950. She appeared in a small cameo role in the 1943 wartime film Stage Door Canteen playing herself, and accepting the unlikely role of a Chinese peasant in Dragon Seed (1944). She was miscast.

The Tribune | Weekend | 13

Friday, November 13, 2020

KATHARINE Hepburn and Spencer Tracey were a legendary cinematic couple, both on- and off-screen, starring in nine films together.

Tracy and Hepburn next appeared in the film version of Without Love (1945) which was popular because of their pairing – but received poor reviews. Hepburn made Undercurrent (1946) with Robert Taylor and Robert Mitchum which did not get good reviews. What the public wanted was another Tracy-Hepburn film and Sea of Glass, about the American Old West, was made in 1947 – another lukewarm response from film critics – but another financial success. The couple were bankable.

In 1947 Hepburn portrayed Clara Wieck Schumann in Song of Love, and then made a fifth film with Tracy in State of the Union (1948) – a political drama that did well at the box-office and also with critics. The next year they appeared together again in Adam’s Rib (1949) – another “battle of the sexes” written for them by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon. The story of married lawyers who oppose each other in court, the film was an immediate hit, favourably reviewed, and the most profitable Tracy-Hepburn film to date.

With her career in Hollywood secure and a lucrative MGM contract, Hepburn stretched herself and started to take on tougher professional challenges. She was now 43 years old. In 1950 she played Rosalind in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. “It’s better to try something difficult and flop than play it safe all the time.”

- Katharine Hepburn As You Like It opened at the Cort Theatre in New York and was sold out for 148 shows. The production then successfully went on tour. She was the only Hollywood leading lady at the time who was performing high-calibre material on stage.

In 1951 Hepburn made her first movie in technicolor, The African Queen, about a spinster missionary living in German East Africa at the outbreak of World War I. It was the first of her “spinster” roles co-starring Humphrey Bogart and directed by John Huston. The film was shot mostly on location in the Belgian Congo and proved to be a difficult experience for Hepburn as she became ill with dysentery during filming. She later wrote a book about the experience: “The making of The African Queen: How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind.”

The film was released at the end of 1951, and was popular with the box-office and with the critics. Hepburn got her fifth Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards, and got Bogart his only Academy Award for Best Actor. The African Queen was also the first successful film she made without Spencer Tracy, after The Philadelphia Story.

Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon wrote another film – specifically for Tracy and Hepburn – a sports comedy called Pat and Mike (1952). Again popular, it turned out to be Hepburn’s favourite

film of all the nine films she made with Tracy. It got her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress.

That summer Hepburn appeared in London’s West End in George Bernard Shaw’s The Millionairess. It was acclaimed by everyone, and moved to Broadway in October 1952 where it opened at the Schubert Theatre and ran for a sold-out ten week stretch. Sadly, Hepburn’s efforts to get the play into a film failed. A script was written by Preston Sturges but no studio was interested in doing the project. It was one of Hepburn’s greatest disappointments.

Pat and Mike (1952) was the last film Tracy and Hepburn made on her MGM contract. She then took two years off before playing another lonely spinster who has a love affair in David Lean’s Summertime (1955). Filmed in Venice it is often hailed as one of her finest performances. She earned yet another Academy Award nomination.

The next year she played another love-starved spinster opposite Burt Lancaster in The Rainmaker (1956).

“With Lizzie Curry (The Rainmaker) and Jane Hudson (Summertime) and Rosie Sayer (The African Queen) – I was playing me. It wasn’t difficult for me to play those women, because I’m ‘the maiden aunt’.”

- Katharine Hepburn There followed other failures: The Iron Petticoat (1956) with Bob Hope, and even Desk Set (1957), the first film she had made with Tracy for five years. So she went back to Shakespeare: Portia in The Merchant of Venice and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. She worked hard.

In 1959 she made Suddenly Last Summer with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift – which she hated. However, her portrayal of Violet Venable gave her an eighth Oscar nomination. She was offered a part in Williams’ The Night of the Iguana (1961), but she turned it down.

She loved Shakespeare and always turned to Shakespeare when she wanted to hone her

acting skills and to perform at a higher level. She returned to Stratford in the summer of 1960 to play Viola in Twelfth Night, and Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra. She was praised again, and the New York Post wrote of her Cleopatra: “Hepburn offers a highly versatile performance ... once or twice going in for her famous mannerisms and always being fascinating to watch.”

The following year she appeared in Sidney Lumet’s film version of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962). Hepburn stated that it was the greatest play America had ever produced and that the part of the morphine-addicted Mary Tyrone the most challenging female role in American drama. It was probably the best screen work of her career and she deservedly won an Oscar nomination, and the Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival.

When she had finished Long Day’s Journey Into Night Hepburn stopped acting to look after the ailing Spencer Tracy who was suffering from heart disease. She did not work again until 1967 when she made her ninth and last film with Tracy, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – the controversial subject of interracial marriage. Hepburn’s niece, Katharine Houghton, played her daughter, and Sidney Poitier her intended husband. Tracy died only 17 days after filming his last scene. It was an emotional and tense workload for Hepburn – but a triumphant return to the screen for her. It was her most commercially successful picture to date and she won her second Best Actress Award at the Oscars – 34 years after winning her first Oscar for Morning Glory in 1933.

NEXT WEEK: The conclusion of the Katharine Hepburn story.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; Katherine Hepburn (1995) by Barbara Leaming; Me: Stories of My Life (1996) by Katherine Hepburn; Kate Remembered (2003) by A. Scott Berg; and Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn (2006) by William J. Mann.

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

Friday, November 13, 2020

history

PUBLISHED from 1869 to 1932, The Graphic was a British weekly illustrated newspaper.

On March 21, 1896, these sketches were included in an article called “The Sponge Industry of the Bahamas”.

An adventure in sponging Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha

T

his is an interesting 19thcentury description of an important aspect of Bahamian life. The author wrote: “The sponge industry forms the most important part of Bahamian exports … Bahama sponges… are not to be compared to those from the Mediterranean… they are much coarser in texture… but they are readily bought for London, Rotterdam and San Francisco.

“An Englishman, in quest of change, may do worse than make a voyage, in one of the vessels… of the schooner fleet, engaged in the sponge-industry.

We start from Nassau and carry with us a number of dinghies, as seen in the engraving Harvesters of the Sea-Floor … to search the shallow waters of the Great Bahama Bank.”

In their dinghy, the fishermen - both the one with the sea-glass and the other with the gaff – are described as sweltering under the sun, which blazes fiercely down from right overhead, out of a sky of the most brilliant blue.

With his waterglass, Pompey can see distinctly the sponge, which Sam is about to hook up, with his 30-foot gaff, to add to the store in the boat.

“After the small boats have loaded the schooner, a task occupying four or five weeks, that craft crowds on all her canvas and hastens homeward to Nassau… the sponges are taken off and placed along the shore… then piled up in ‘crawls’ – that is to say pans or in closures of stakes and hurdles, placed between high and low water, fully exposed to the rushing, cleansing movement of the tides.

When this process has had its full

effect… the sponge is carried to the Sponge Exchange, where the sorting is done and the sponges are sold… then carried away, in peculiar-shaped sponge-carts, to the sponge-yard. The engraving Gossips of the Sponge-yard … shows the; leisurely, loquacious labour of trimming and clipping the sponges… probably there would be more animation, and less work, but for the Boss, or Overseer, who sees to it that the workers don’t give too free a play, for their genius of taking things easy. This somewhat haughty official is mirrored, to the life, in The Boss: A Perfect Gentleman. He has a sense of his importance and dignity, as well as of his duties.”

As a rule, youth capers and old age is grave, but in the picture “SpongePressing - Old Obadiah and his son” we see youth taking life much too

seriously, while his father is cheerily joyous, over the lachrymose demeanour of his juvenile colleague.

“Obadiah has lost the fear, which is oppressing the young one, that what is called ‘work’ is hard. It is the idea of the tremendous burden of three sponges, which is weighing down that body and the imagination of the young, to such an extent that his senior does not quite know whether to chaff, or to cheer, him.

“Thus do men busy themselves today, in the archipelago which, first, of all the lands in the New World, gladdened the adventurous eyes of Christopher Columbus.”

• For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com

The Tribune | Weekend | 15

Friday, November 13, 2020

animals

Leave the sharks alone

sharks. There is talk that squalene is being used in some of the COVID 19 experimental vaccines - not all the vaccines mind you, only some.

Squalene comes from the shark’s liver and, alas, is also used in many beauty products, even though there are plants that produce squalane.

This gives me cause for concern, why this vitriolic attack on one of our biggest, if not the biggest, tourist attraction yet!

We talk about getting back to business, bringing our essential tourist industry and in the next sentence consider depleting our star attractions.

I dedicated the best part of three years of my life to protecting the sea turtles who swim in our waters - we passed the sea turtle protection bill - much to the delight of conservationists all over the world. People were truly impressed that The Bahamas, a few little dots in the Atlantic Ocean, would have the responsibility and foresight to pass such a bill.

There really was an international outcry of praise and respect for The Bahamas!

I am joined by so many appalled citizens that The Bahamas would even suggest moving backwards and opening up, albeit temporarily, shark and turtle harvesting and I urge tour government to please do their homework and realize what a blow this would be to our wildlife.

We need to remember that the turtles and sharks do not “belong” to The Bahamas, they are not ours,

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

S

ince last week, there has been much more conversation about sharks.

The outcry that sharks are “dangerous” verges on the ridiculous, almost as if they had suddenly been placed in our midst recently! Sharks have ever been here and previously we knew how to deal with it, and coexist - we respected their existence.

We appear to live in a world today where any natural obstacle must be instantly eradicated and not lived in connection with.

I absolutely do not understand how educated people can come out with some of the irresponsible comments made lately about sharks (and alas the turtles). Sharks are dangerous, they say. Well, let’s look at the big picture.

Sharks can be dangerous if you were to put yourself in a situation that could lead to danger. OK, I hear the screaming about how there have been some simply dreadful unexpected accidents.

Lightning strikes now and then and sometimes the worst possible scenario happens, but oh so very rarely. Would you set up a picnic in the middle of the savanna where you know lions live?

What concerns me is that there could be a very large and scary ulterior motive here and that people are not worried about the shark that attacks the diver (who was spearfishing), no, I fear that there is money to be made in the harvest of the shark and his revered fin - how is that even possible in 2020?

I worry there is a secret agenda here and there are people who ultimately will benefit hugely economically from the harvesting of

pet of the week

dogs or cats, some extra socialisation might be required. Any way that you are able to help gives another pet that extra boost towards a successful adoption.

If you aren’t ready to adopt, perhaps consider fostering for a few weeks. It’s a great way to test the waters. Please call 323-5138 or 3256742 to speak with the adoption team to find out more about fostering!

FIND JOY IN FOSTERING

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY

Last week you met Lucia, who is now with a foster, taking good care of her babies. With the end of another week at the Bahamas Humane Society, there have been a great many more puppy, kitten, dog and cat surrenders. While all these pets will eventually be looking for awesome homes, sometimes it helps if they can be fostered in the meantime.

For puppies or kittens this may mean transitioning them from bottle feeding to mushy food. For adult

they swim long distances, in international waters, to go from one place to another - they do not have passports and we do not own them. If we were to deplete their numbers in this archipelago, we would be depleting them around the entire world - many turtles swim hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles, to go back to lay their eggs on the same beach where they were born. The turtle you kill in The Bahamas may well come from a South American country, a Caribbean nation or even further.

Have we lost every sense of moral responsibility to the world?

As I said last week, the nonsense that has been disseminated that the turtle is responsible for the depletion of the conch would be laughable if it weren’t so sad and damning, the irresponsible actions of man are responsible for the depletion of conch in The Bahamas, we only have ourselves to blame for wanton and careless overfishing.

Sharks have graced this planet for longer than trees - 450 million years!

We need to respect that all the flora and fauna and creatures beneath the sea are there for a very definite reason.

The circle of life is not just a song in the Lion King movie, it is a fact that we all depend on each other’s existence to continue to flourish.

We call ourselves a Christian nation under God, then why not leave alone what God has created?

Leave the sharks and turtles alone.

(Photos/Linda Gill-Aranha)

•The BHS Thrift Shop is happy to welcome customers inside again and continues to accept donations of gently used items. All sales benefit the BHS. Shop hours are 11am to 3pm, Wednesday/Thursday/Friday, and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Wear your mask and bring your bag!

The Tribune | Weekend | 16

Friday, November 13, 2020

music

Patrice Murrell wants her fans to know they’ll ‘Be OK’

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

W

HEN she started to write the lyrics to her newest song, “Be OK”, Patrice Murrell said she could only think of one thing that despite every challenge and battle in her life, God is there to help her through every time.

“We all go through battles that most people know nothing about. Top that with the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian to islands in the Bahamas, then COVID-19 and the effect it has had on everyone’s lives, along with the rising chaos and senseless violence going on in the world, it is a lot to deal with mentally, physically and emotionally. I just want to remind everyone that despite whatever you are going through right now, we will get through it and we will be OK,” the singer told Tribune Weekend.

Over the course of her career, Patrice has had the opportunity to share the stage with legends such as Maya Angelou, Donnie McClurkin, Brian McKnight, and even the late “King of Pop” Michael Jackson – an experience for which she is truly grateful. She started her music career with local bands like Ambasah, and four years later she joined the big band Visage, of which she is still currently a member as a lead vocalist.

In 2017, she officially launched her solo career when she entered the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Music Masters Competition where she made it to the finals. This led to the release of her first two singles, “Your Ting” and “Come 2 Wave”.

Patrice’s most recent appearances include taking the stage for the 2020 Trinidad Carnival, performing to raise money for Hurricane Dorian relief in Nassau, at events like the Power of One Concert, as well as the Unite and Rebuild Concert in Trinidad. This year she also performed in various virtual concerts for the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism, Kalik Platinum and Hands for Hunger.

Patrice said her new single, “Be OK”, is the project that is closest to her heart thus far.

“The song has already taken the country and world by storm, spreading a message of hope, encouragement and strength that is needed now more than ever during these tumultuous times. The empowering lyrics and heartfelt vocals have touched

PATRICE Murrell

the hearts of so many people. I receive messages daily from people who are struggling, who said they needed this song right now and I am so grateful that this song provides some level of comfort and motivation,” said Patrice.

For the accompanying music video, Patrice knew that she wanted it to have a feeling of intimacy; reflecting all of the emotion she felt when she wrote and recorded the song.

So she enlisted Craig Walkine to help make this vision reality. The scenes in the video are intended to be minimalistic, yet still impactful and evoke raw emotion.

“We didn’t want to do what was done in my past videos, so we stuck with a simplistic concept where I was the only person in each shot and the focus was on emoting the message of the song. We were faced with challenges due to COVID-19 and the on-and-off lockdowns, however, we were up for the challenge and I am proud of the final product. I am extremely grateful to the team that worked on this project with me,” said Patrice.

Asked whether the “new normal” of the pandemic hindered the release of her latest song, Patrice said she normally releases her work on YouTube and through social media, and she has never been the type of artist who needed huge crowds of people or a big party to release a new project. She connects with supporters through her music and interacts with them online frequently.

“The fans who truly support me and love my music follow what I’m doing and support me through social media, YouTube, radio or buying my songs. Since the release of the video the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I wasn’t sure how it would be received because the track is different from the usual songs I’ve released in the past. But I am pleasantly surprised at the huge amount of people who have commented and reached out to me saying that they needed to hear a song like this right now,” she said.

“Some of the more heartfelt messages come from people who have been having a really rough time, some who said they were about to give up, but heard my song and it encouraged them to keep going and keep the faith.”