Friday, November 16, 2018
art books film fashion music travel food history puzzles gardening
Weekend
TEA AND WHIMSY Page 14 & 15
MER-MAZING Neptune’s BREEF night out pages 20 & 21
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Friday, November 16, 2018
travel
Adventures on the seas By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
T
he world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean International’s ks dec 10 ps dro sea at e slid THE TALLEST Symphony of the Seas, seeks offers its passengers daily opportunities to choose their own adventure. You can watch Broadway style and comedy shows in one of its theatre, you can ice skate on a ice rink, climb rock walls, use a surf simulator, ride a zip-line or slide down ten-feet slide, the tallest at sea. Options for food and drinks include 22 restaurants, 42 bars and lounges, and robots that mix and serve drinks to guests! ROBOTIC bartend The Tribune was among ers at the Bionic Ba r the ship’s invited guests for its maiden voyage, disembarking in Nassau on Wednesday after leaving Miami’s port on Tuesday. The inaugural voyage featured invited guests only, including media and travel agents. The $1.35 billion vessel is 1,184 feet long and 238 feet high. It has 18 decks and can hold a maximum of 6,680 passengers and 2,200 crew members. One day is not nearly enough to experience all the ship’s pleasures, but a personal favourite of this reporter was the ship’s Central Park, a living park with 12,000 plants and trees located on deck eight. It’s perfect for a quiet stroll. Another highlight was the spacious Royal Theatre, which featured a well-done live the Boardwalk action show about Space on ZIP-line nine decks above opening night.
Another favourite of many was the Bionic Bar where robot bartenders put on a show as they mix drinks. People on board the inaugural voyage had all their expenses covered, but according to Royal Caribbean official website, a seven-night vacation could range from $580 to about $1,370. According to Royal Caribbean, “Symphony will spend her inaugural summer season sailing to awe-inspiring destinations in the Mediterranean, visiting places such as Barcelona, Spain; Provence, France; and Florence, Rome and Naples, Italy. She will head to Miami, Florida, in early November to begin seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. There will be more rooms for guests on Symphony than our previous record holder, with 2,775 total staterooms (28 more than Harmony). To ensure our guests have the best vacation possible, there will be 2,175 crew members hailing from around the world. If you were wondering how this mammoth moves, there are four bow thrusters each with 7,500 horsepower to swiftly propel guests to every destination the ship visits. Symphony of the Seas will offer guests seven distinct neighbourhoods, like the tree-lined Central Park and the luxury shop-filled Royal Promenade, creating unique areas for travellers to enjoy and explore. For adrenaline-packed adventure, Symphony also will have the 10-story slide Ultimate Abyss; a trio of waterslides; and Splashaway Bay kids waterpark. In addition, a second pool will be added to the Solarium on deck 15, meaning even more space for adults to kick back and relax.”
PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA/ ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERN ATIONAL
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fFriday, November 16, 2018
Inside Weekend Interview 4-5 Twenty-year-old Abigail Smith becomes one of the youngest commercial airline pilots in the country Food 7 Celebrity chefs to cook up a storm for ‘Taste of sbe’ at SLS Bah Mar Music 8 ‘A Night to Remember’ at Clifton Heritage Park with jazz singer Simmone Bowe Entertainment 9 Get festive at the BNT’s Jollification festival Film 10 - 11 ‘Perfect Feet’ addresses Bahamas’ diabetes problem, plus Viola Davis shines in heist thriller “Widows” Thanksgiving 12 Combine Bahamian harvest celebrations with American turkey feasts and Black Friday deals Beauty 13 Frida Kahlo’s iconic aesthetic comes to life for Nassau fashion show Art 14-16 Ceramicist Jessica Colebrooke holds on to whimsy with new ‘Teapots’ book Books 17 New ‘Jack Reacher’ is another winner, plus ‘Sea of Greed’ is a page-turner Lifestyle 18 The importance of sitting right Gardening 19 Something old and something new for November
Society 20 - 21 BREEF throws a party worthy of Neptune for 25th anniversary Literary Lives 22 - 23 Sir Christopher Ondaatje on the ‘Empress of Blues’
History 24 - 25
Heroes laid to rest at Oakes Field, plus a lost city discovered in Greece Puzzles 26 Animals 27 Kim Aranha’s potcake takes to the clouds, Florida, plus Pet of the Week
My perfect Bahamian weekend Latoya Dean Comedian Q: Saturday breakfast or Sunday lunch?
“I would have to say Saturday breakfast, because any chance I get to eat a good bowl of chicken souse or boil fish with plenty pepper and lime, with a big hot slice of Johnny cake, I take full advantage of it.”
Q: Wine, rum, cocktail or Kalik?
movies is perfect for me; I can’t drown in my sofa.”
Q: What is the one thing you can’t live without?
“So what happen to water, juice, soda, lemonade or milk? I don’t drink alcohol. If a non-alcoholic beverage was on the list I might have chosen that, but hey, us sober people don’t have much options and we’re always left out.”
Q: Beach or sofa?
“Sofa. I can’t swim, so cuddling up on the sofa watching some good
“To be honest, I can’t live without my phone. I love to make people laugh, and being that I use my phone to shoot, edit and post funny skits, my phone is essential.”
Q: Weekend away, where would you go?
“Listen, I would love to go to Bora Bora and stay in one of those beautiful over-thewater bungalows, but since it’s thousands of miles away, that’s out. So I would chose Bimini, because family that I have not seen in a long time reside there and it would
Things 2 Do this weekend Friday
• Coconut Grove Festival Time: 6pm (continues on Saturday at 3pm) Venue: Edmund Moxey Park, Baillou Hill Road The late Edmund Moxey was the creator of the original Coconut Grove Festival. Despite opposition from political rivals and many hardships, he was recognised as a true community leader, and was elected to the position of Member of Parliament for Jumbey Village. This week has been dedicated to his accomplishments and legacy.
Saturday
• Scavenge and Sculpt with Lavar Munroe Time: 10am Venue: The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas Join a fantastically different workshop with artist Lavar Munroe. Using his assemblage sculpture as inspiration, he will lead workshop participants in using upcycled objects in unusual ways. The event is for ages 13 and above. Tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students. • Jollification
Time: 11am - 5pm (continues on Saturday) Venue: The Retreat, Village Road Enjoy the first festival of the holiday season, featuring food, drink, art and unique Christmas shopping opportunities. • Here Comes Santa! Christmas Parade Time: 12noon Venue: Mall at Marathon Groups, bands and organisations will be marching, including from Aquinas College, C R Walker, Urban Renewal Youth Band, and costumed characters like Sponge Bob, Colgate Rabbit, KFC Chicky, DQ Cone, Miss Wendy, University of The Bahamas Mascot Mingo and other celebrities, and of course and Santa Claus himself. The parade will start at the Galleria Cinemas Parking lot, continue to the strip centre by Domino’s, past FirstCaribbean Bank, Wendy’s, then past Kelly’s House & Home, and ending at the mall’s main entrance. • Red Ribbon Ball 2018 Time: 7pm Venue: Grand Ballroom, Atlantis “Shimmer” is the theme of the 25th anniversary edition of the Red Ribbon Ball.
This night of philanthropic luxury is the premier fundraiser for The Bahamas AIDS Foundation. • Junkanoo Festival & Night Market Time: 8pm Venue: Junkanoo World, Horseshoe Drive Celebrate Bahamian culture, music, art, food and Junkanoo. Entry and museum pass are $5; the all-inclusive meal and drink pass are $50. • Xscape on the Waters Time: 8pm Venue: Xscape Lounge, Madeira Street The pre-cruise party (the sea voyage is scheduled for February 2019) will feature DJ Fresh, Fadda Warrior, DJ Dat 7. Free entry before 11pm.
Sunday
• Classy but Sassy Brunch Time: 12noon - 4pm Venue: Halcyon Restaurant, Charlotte Street “Where dining meets pleasure” is the theme for this event • Jazz in the Park Time: 5pm - 10pm Venue: Clifton Heritage National Park SEE PAGE 8
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interview At age 20, she is one of the Bahamas’ youngest commercial pilots. The Andros native had the passion she needed to earn her pilot’s licence, but first she had to overcome one major obstacle. She tells Cara Hunt about the unusual steps she had to take to fulfil her dream of conquering the skies.
Abigail
Smith
I
n 2015, Elisabeth Shelleah Abigail Smith was a high school graduate with no idea what she wanted to do with her life. “I was 16 and I wanted to be a movie star or a singer,” the 20-year-old Andros native jokingly told Tribune Weekend. “I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was lost, honestly. My mother was praying every day that God would help me find something to do.” The answer to her mother’s prayers literally came from the heavens. “I was working at the North Andros Airport during a summer job and I saw a Western Air Saab 340 coming into land one day and it was like the heavens opened up I felt this wave of aviation current flow through me,” she said. “It was then that I knew that I wanted to fly.” Abigail’s mother Norine Rolle-Smith was so delighted that her daughter had finally decided on a career path that she immediately helped her get the ball rolling to enrol in flight school. “She called my uncle who is a pilot for Bahamasair and we found Ocala Aviation Flight Training school in Ocala, Florida. I contacted the school and that’s where I went.” Abigail said her first flight cemented in her mind that she had made the right choice. “My flight instructor Brad told me that he could always tell people who had a real passion for flying and those that were just in it because they thought that they could make money. The people who are in it for the money, he said, usually threw up on their
“I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was lost, honestly.”
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Friday, November 16, 2018
multi-engine commercial pilot out of Andros and one of the youngest in the country. “It makes me feel very proud that I was able to put my island on the map and it also makes me excited to see what other young ladies can accomplish as well,” she said She was recently employed by Pineapple Air where she is preparing to become the first officer on their flights on board a Embraer 110 20-seater plane. She added that people are surprised and cautious when they see her in the cockpit, both because of her age and because she is a woman. “Their caution lights go on, but I think that will change as I get more experience,” said. Abigail encourages other young aspiring pilots to follow their dreams. “But first they have to have a passion for flying. If the time came when they had to choose, would they choose flying over everything else? There is not a lot of money in the beginning... that doesn’t come until later, but are you willing to let God and your passion
ABIGAIL gets ‘christened’ after receiving her pilot’s licence.
first flight, but my first flight I was fine. I was so excited. I had finally found my purpose and I felt like I was at home in the air.” Although Abigail was able to master the technical aspect of flight instruction, she would had to overcome a major hurdle that had plagued her entire life before fully fulfilling her dream. “Growing up I was very shy and I used to stammer very badly. I couldn’t form sentences and I went through speech therapy, but when I started flying it came back and I became scared to talk on the radio. So as a result I was unable to take my final exams for my first phase of flight school,” she said. “It was really difficult because I saw other students who were moving ahead and I couldn’t. It was so bad that at one point I even went and met the control tower workers to see if that would help.” It was another flight instructor, however, who encouraged her to to try a novel approach to her problem. “He said, ‘I have a solution: why don’t you sing?’ And would you believe, it worked! I started singing in November and by January I took my exams and passed.” Abigail credits God with her success, as well as her mother, her uncle and the rest of her family and flight
“It makes me feel very proud that I was able to put my island on the map and it also makes me excited to see what other young ladies can accomplish as well.” instructors whom she says never gave up and encouraged her every step of the way. “My mom is the best, the sacrifices that she made to help me achieve my dreams are incredible. If I had to give up aviation for her, she knows I would. I also have to mention my instructor at Nassau Aviation Ground School, Mihas, he was my foundation and my rock – he never gave up on me – and Glenn Pratt, who is also my mentor and is an established pilot at general
ABIGAIL says she feels the most at home in the cockpit of a plane. aviation. People never gave up on me. My school administrator cried when I got my licence. He told me that I was one of the rare ones who had it. The hardest part of flying is believing in yourself that you can do it,” she said. Abigail completed flight school after almost a year and a half at Ocala. At 20 years old, she is the first female
sustain you until the money comes. And if you have that passion, just keep pressing on. Don’t be too hard on yourself, if you have a failure, if I can do it, you can do it,” she said. “I feel at home in the air. It’s my happiest place, my comfort zone and it’s my safe haven. Aviation has helped me become this person that I am.”
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section
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food
Celebrity chefs showcase at SLS Baha Mar By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
A
fter being successfully held in Miami and Los Angeles, the culinary extravaganza deemed the “ultimate epicurean showcase” comes to Nassau tonight. “Taste of sbe” is the name of this special three-weekend event which culminates at SLS Bah Mar, hosted by the lifestyle and hospitality company sbe. The weekend-long festivities will see seven of sbe’s award-winning celebrity chefs from around the world join forces to present custom tastings, unique dishes, interactive demonstrations, and the best spirit
and cuisine pairings for a culinary celebration like no other. Jenice Bastidas, account associate at sbe, said the showcase offers an exclusive and engaging opportunity in three top geographic markets: Miami, Los Angeles and the Bahamas. Over the last two weekends, she said, sbe held a Veuve Clicquot and Whispering Angel brunch at Cleo Third Street in Los Angeles, sushimaking classes at Katsuya, and a garden party at the iconic Delano South Beach in Miami. The Baha Mar experience will begin tonight at 8pm at the Bungalow Pool Bar & Grill featuring sbe chefs and live entertainment, followed by entrance to the BOND Nightclub, with a special performance by Bob Sinclar.
A Paradise Picnic at Baha Mar will follow tomorrow from 11am to 3pm featuring all sbe favourites. The dress code is Bohemian chic. Also on Saturday, a grand dinner white party and beach bonfire will take place from 8pm to 10 pm, hosted by The Robb Report. The Baha Mar Pier will be transformed to feature a five-course dinner by sbe’s chefs. The evening also ends with complimentary entry to the BOND Nightclub. “Taste of sbe” will culminate on Sunday with a farewell brunch at the Cleo Mediterraneo. “Patrons can look forward to indulging in customised tastings and innovative culinary focused activities, all the while meeting some of the most noteworthy chefs from around the world. ‘Taste of sbe’ is also giving back to a charitable cause with a percentage of proceeds from all tickets sales benefiting the local Make-AWish chapters. sbe will also grant a
wish of a vacation to a child and his/her family to the Bahamas for a two-night experience at SLS Baha Mar,” said Ms Bastidas. Established in 2002 by Founder and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately-held company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and nightclubs. The company’s established and upcoming hotel brands include SLS Hotel & Residences, Delano, Mondrian, Redbury, Hyde Hotel & Residences, and Originals. In addition, sbe has the following internationally acclaimed restaurants and lounges under the subsidiary Disruptive Restaurant Group: Katsuya, Cleo, The Bazaar by José Andrés, Fi’lia by Michael Schwartz, Umami Burger, Hyde Lounge, Skybar, and Privilege. More information about sbe can be obtained at sbe.com.
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music
A night of jazz and art to remember By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
O
rganisers behind “Jazz in the Park” are excited to present an unforgettable night of smooth and soulful music this Sunday. “A Night To Remember” will be held at the scenic and historic Clifton Heritage Park, starting at 5pm. It will feature jazz singer Simmone Bowe, as well as an exhibition by artist Antonius Roberts. “This is a first for the jazz event and the first of its kind to be held at Clifton. We were looking for different ways to expand our market. The jazz show will allow persons an opportunity to visit the park and have a relaxing evening enjoying great music,” said Trish Pedican, business development officer at the Clifton Heritage National Park. Dedicated to the preservation of Bahamian history, Clifton Heritage Park was once the site the Lucayan tribe called home. It was later inhabited by the Loyalists and their enslaved Africans, who they brought with them as plantation workers. Today, Clifton sits on acres of coppice forest, coastal lines and wetlands. Now, the goal is get more people interested in the park itself, and Ms
Jazz singer Simmone Bowe
Antonius Roberts’ Sacred Space at Clifton
Pedican believes “A Night to Remember” is a great way to do just that. While she believes the market for jazz music in the Bahamas is sophisticated, but small, she also said many aren’t aware of the importance of jazz music as it relates to Bahamian heritage. “This jazz event will not only showcase a Bahamian jazz performer, but will also showcase art by Bahamian artists,” said Ms Pedican. Simmone Bowe told Tribune Weekend that music has been a part of her life since as far back as she can remember. She has had the opportunity to
sing in many churches, at conferences and various events, not to mention at weddings, funerals and at special occasions too numerous to recall. Most recently, she has hosted music showcases under her brand, Soulful Sounds of Simmone; relaxing events that feature jazz standards, soul, R&B and reggae favourites. Simmone has received a Marlin Award nomination for her reggae cover of the song “Our God Is An Awesome God.” She is looking forward to releasing a new songs next
year in the inspirational, jazz, and worship genres. She said she is grateful for the positive feedback she has received thus far, adding that she believes there is real following for “adult” music – easy listening, inspirational, blast-from-thepast music – in the Bahamas. “I call it music for the soul because it reaches a place in people that makes them feel good,” said Simmone. Tickets for this Sunday’s event are $35.
Michael Bublé returns after two-year break WEST HOLLYWOOD, California (AP) — Michael Bublé says though his cancer-stricken son aspires to have superhuman powers, he’s already a superhero in his eyes. “He loves Spiderman, he loves Superman, but they are not real,” Bublé said of five-year-old Noah. “I tell him all the time that he’s my superhero. He is literally the greatest, strongest (and) most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of.” Bublé said Noah, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2016, taught him how to overcome adversity. The stress of his son’s condition coupled with him losing his desire to make music contributed to the two-year break he took to focus
SINGER Michael Bublé (Photo by Rebecca Cabage]/Invision/AP)
on his son’s treatment and spend more time with family. But Bublé said in time things got back to normal with Noah beginning kindergarten. He said his son is “holding up well.” Now, the Grammy-winning singer returns to music with his 10th album, “love,” out on Friday. He ultimately found his groove after inviting some of his band members to his home. Bublé said his new album will provide a snapshot into his mindset during the past couple years. He also will offer his perspective on love, which he calls a “complicated word.” “I think it reflects my sense of romance or how sentimental I am,”
he said. “It obviously reflects a lot of pain that I felt, feel and go through. It was kind of therapeutic for me. To be able to invest and get right into the song and tell the story of both sides of this word and this feeling that means something to all of us.” “My favourite thing about music is that it’s open for interpretation,” he said. “I hope some people fall in love. I hope someone who is going through a horrible time is carried through to the next day. I sure hope some babies can be made to it. We need more babymaking music.” JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr AP Entertainment Writer
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entertainment
!
Time to get festive BNT hosts popular Jollification weekend By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net
‘T
is the season to be jolly...well, almost. The Bahamas National Trust rings in the holiday season this weekend with a much anticipated highlight on Nassau’s social calendar: Jollification. While other countries mark the beginning of the Yuletide period with chilly weather and even snow fall, Bahamians know the festive season is upon us when the gates to The Retreat Garden on Village Road open for a weekend of drink, food, shopping and laughter. For the past 27 years, each edition of the festival has attracted thousands over the span of two days. And this
weekend’s event is expected to be just as popular. Jollification 2018 takes place Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 5pm. Like always, adults can have have their share of fun with the Bahamian Brewery in the Mistletoe Lounge. For the kids, their space will include this year new games which focus on fun but also on the importance of conservation. The area is sponsored by Asa H Pritchard who has been a long-time sponsor of the festival. For those who enjoy supporting local Bahamian artists, a shopping experience like no other awaits, featuring handmade crafts, unique jewellery and creative gift ideas. Jollification also serves as a BNT fundraiser that supports the Retreat Garden National Park, one of 32 national parks in the country. The 11-acre property protects a variety of
rare and exotic palms, which grow in a native coppice forest. The Retreat is a haven for migratory birds and is visited by thousands of school children every year. The Retreat is one of 10 priority parks which have been marked for infrastructure upgrades to facilitate greater visitation by both residents and tourists. “The event began as a small event with just 20 exhibitors and has grown to well over 200 exhibitors and vendors. The Retreat is a very special national park and as the event has grown, so has the support for the park,” said Lynn Gape, BNT deputy executive director. “BNT events also provide Bahamians with opportunities to become members and show their support for these parks that protect habitats for our endemic and endangered species, provide outdoor classrooms for students, and with access and infrastructure can provide economic opportunities for Bahamian entrepreneurs. It’s important to support these parks which actually protect our national identity.” When asked why she believes Jollification continues to be so popular year after year, Ms Gape said it is a question she has often pondered. “I was at an event recently and my lunch companion found out that I worked at the BNT and he immediately said, ‘I love the Jollification. It’s my favourite event of the year.’ Intrigued, I asked him why and he said it has a great atmosphere and that he
Each year, Jollification kicks off the holiday festival season with food, drink and art.
saw friends at Jollification that he was able to reconnect with after not seeing them for several years. He also said that to him Jollification was the start of the Christmas season. He then stopped and said it is in that beautiful garden – no other event has such a great location,” she said. Ms Gape said events like Jollification and the Wine and Art Festival, which is also hosted by the BNT, are important for fundraising, but they are also important for “friend-raising.” “I am of course happy that people love the event. Many people have contributed to the success of the Christmas Jollification over the years, most of them motivated by a love of The Retreat Garden which is a special place. It would make me very happy if everyone who came to Jollification that is not a member would consider becoming a member in support of their amazing national parks that are located across the archipelago,” she said. She said very important are the loyal sponsors of Jollification, many of whom have been supporting the festival for several years. This year’s sponsors are: Commonwealth Bank, Bristol Wines and Spirits, Asa H Pritchard, Summit Insurance, Bahamian Brewery, Caribbean Bottling, Bahamas Waste, Freedom Sound, Bahamian Rental, and BTC. Entry to Jollification for non-members is $10 (members are $5). Children ages five to 17 years old are $3; those under five are allowed free entry.
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film Documentary ‘Perfect Feet’ to address Bahamas’ diabetes problem By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net
A
FTER six years of travelling around the world and engaging in research, the Harris Entertainment Group are readying to launch their most recent film, “Perfect Feet” – a movie that spotlights foot care and its relationship to diabetes. The inaugural screening of the film will be held during the Bahamas International Film Festival on November 29 at 11am at Galleria Cinemas, and at the Grand Hyatt, Baha Mar,
on November 30, beginning at 7pm. Bahamian Calvin Dwight Harris is the filmmaker behind “Perfect Feet”. He started this project back in October 2013 in hopes of encouraging people to take better care of their feet. One of the things Calvin noted when he first started this project was that not everyone possesses a perfect pair of feet, himself included. The movie takes a look into such industries like fashion (shoes and socks), cosmetics, media, athletics, healthcare and art. He hopes at the end of the film viewers realise that there is much more to healthy feet than nicely shaped toes, groomed
Behind the scenes during the filmmaking process for “Perfect Feet” nails and the absence of corns or calluses. The journey to this end product was a long process for the filmmaker, who travelled to Denver, Los Angeles, Salina, Miami, Boston and Atlanta, as well as to Haiti and the Dominican Republic for his work. “There were times we experienced some logistical challenges with getting all of our equipment into two of the foreign countries we visited. Both my cinematographer and I got sick on two separate occasions. And the biggest problem any independent filmmaker runs into when creating a high-concept feature documentary film – money. We certainly had our
fair share of having to dig deep into our pockets to make this film a reality,” he told Tribune Weekend. The film also highlights diabetes, an issue that is close to Calvin’s heart, as he is a type 2 diabetic and lost his brother to the disease in 2001. “It is important to note that my company is collaborating with several medical professionals and the Bahamas Diabetic Association to launch a national campaign, to sound the alarm and raise awareness to the horrible impact diabetes is having in the Bahamas,” he said. “As it stands right now, the Bahamas has the highest rate per capita for type 2 diabetes in
the region. There is an average of 1,000 amputations per year in the country that are directly linked to diabetes. The statistics are truly alarming. Our overall objective is to not just raise awareness, but to also offer solutions with regards to preventative measures that can be taken. With the level of impact that diabetes is having in our country, we can only hope to get full support of our Bahamian viewers, to take advantage of the viewing opportunities, and to participate in our awareness objectives. Tickets for the special screening can be purchased by logging onto www.bintlfilmfest.com
‘Dr Seuss’ The Grinch’ makes off with $66M at box office LOS ANGELES (AP) — You’re a mean one — and you’re number one — Mr Grinch. “Dr Seuss’ The Grinch” sledded past mixed reviews and made off with $66 million for Universal Pictures to top the weekend North American box office, according to studio estimates. Last week’s top film, the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” dropped to second for 20th Century Fox with a $30.8 million weekend that brings its overall take to $100 million. Paramount Pictures’ war-horror hybrid “Overlord” was third in its first weekend with $10.1 million. Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” brought in $9.5 million and finished fourth in its second week. The weekend’s other major debut, “The
Girl in the Spider’s Web,” made just $8 million and finished fifth. Illumination’s “Grinch,” narrated by Pharrell Williams, gives the title character, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, a backstory in an orphanage and fills out the story of his foil Cindy Lou Who. “‘The Grinch’ is just the latest in a string of over-performers,” said Paul
Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was bigger than expected, ‘A Star Is Born’ was bigger than expected. It’s fuelling a box-office surge.” The industry has reached a cumulative box office total of $10 billion faster than in any other year, Dergarabedian said.
The Christmas theme of “The Grinch” could sustain it through the holidays and Universal hopes it has a longer life than that. But big rivals loom soon, including “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” next week and “Ralph Breaks The Internet” on November 21. ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
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film
review
A commanding turn from Viola Davis in ‘Widows’ WIDOWS RUNNING TIME: 129 MINS
VIOLA Davis (left) and Cynthia Erivo star in “Widows” (Photos/Merrick Morton)
W
hen you think of the wives and girlfriends of criminals and mobsters in cinema and television, what or who comes to mind? Kay Adams? Elvira Hancock? Skyler White? They are either victims of a man’s misdeeds or end up becoming part of the problem. They might get fancy jewellery or a big house, but they are the ones who get shut out of the room. They get greedy. They get addicted. They get killed. And, as an unwritten rule, they are secondary. It’s part of the reason why Steve McQueen’s “Widows “ is such a welcome cocktail: The wives are the ones in the spotlight. Their husbands, the criminals fetishised by so, so many movies, are the ones who die at the beginning. In his first film since the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave,” McQueen has gone in a very different direction with this Lynda La Plante adaptation. “Widows” is a B-movie thriller with an all-star ensemble and a dusting of art house cred. McQueen co-wrote it with “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn and it is dark, relentlessly intense and crafted for mass audience appeal. And who better to stare down the camera, and every seedy character the city of Chicago has to offer, from corrupt legacy politicians (Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall) to truly terrifying gang muscle (”Get Out’s” Daniel Kaluuya), than the incomparable Viola Davis? Davis plays Veronica Rawlins, a wellheeled teacher’s union representative who
is married to a very powerful and very bad man, Harry Rawlins (Liam Neeson). Harry has done well in a corrupt Chicago — the passionate couple share a sleek high-rise Lake Shore Drive apartment, a driver and all the niceties that sort of real estate implies. But when he and his crew (including Jon Bernthal and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) get gunned down during a robbery gone wrong, Veronica is the one the aggrieved come after to collect. Unfortunately for her, the crew her late husband was stealing $2 million from are also a powerful, murderous and, now, angry, rival set of criminals. They’re led by Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry) and his brother Jatemme (Kaluuya), and have until this point managed to keep the peace with Rawlins’ crew. Jamal is running for alderman of his South Side neighbourhood that is a stronghold of a Chicago political dynasty, the Mulligans (Duvall and Farrell) that maintains property there only as a front — and the Mannings need the money to take them down. One on-the-nose, but startlingly effective, sequence, shows Jack Mulligan’s drive home from the projects to his own gilded, heavily armed part of the neighbourhood. This is just context for what’s going on with Veronica and it will all come together eventually, with some good twists and turns in the mix.
GET Out’s Daniel Kaluuya and Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry Jamal threatens Veronica to collect what was stolen and she decides to step into Harry’s shoes and enlist the widows of his crew to help. There’s Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), a mother of two whose Quinceanera shop has been repossessed because of her late husband’s gambling habits, and Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), a woman who has been mistreated by everyone in her life, from her husband to her mother, who suggests she become a high-end sex worker. All are basically riffs on the typical film “victim wife,” only here they get to take charge and plan and execute the elaborate heist. Veronica is a tough boss and pushes Alice and Linda, and eventually Belle (Cynthia Erivo), to realise their own power as they amusingly use their skills, whether plain street savvy or just taking advantage of the fact that they
are underestimated and overlooked simply by being women (a point that is much better made here than in “Ocean’s 8”). The ensemble is a blast. Everyone gets their moment and you come away feeling like you really got to know most of them, but it is Davis and her unforgettably searing intensity (and killer wardrobe) who owns “Widows” from start to finish. McQueen builds tension masterfully throughout, although is so sprawling that at times you’re left wondering whether this might have been better told as a limited television series. Then again, is it worth complaining about relative brevity when done this well? By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer
12 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
thanksgiving
Time for turkey and shopping By CARA HUNT Tribune Features Writer cbrennen@tribunemedia.net
I
t may be not be an official holiday on the Bahamian calendar, but next Thursday many Bahamians will be enjoying the traditional American Thanksgiving meal of roasted turkey with all the trimmings while frantically refreshing Amazon and other online shopping sites for Black Friday sales. Thanksgiving is perhaps the biggest holiday in the United States, and it has certainly caught on with local retailers as well. Many restaurants will offer special Thanksgiving menus and stores will also open at the crack dawn with Black Friday their specials. And of course the dedicated shopaholics among us will be hopping on a plane, headed most likely to Florida, to join the throngs of shoppers in the US. Tribune Weekend spoke with several Bahamians who are huge fans of Thanksgiving to find out this foreign holiday’s appeal. “I like the sentiment of Thanksgiving, because it’s all about family without the stress of having to deal with all the drama and expense of Christmas; the only cost is the cost of the dinner. At Christmas, my family all have in-laws and so it’s hard to get everyone together because people are juggling their time. But my mom started cooking Thanksgiving dinner about 10 years ago once we were all grown and out the house. We do ours on the Sunday though because of course Thursday is a work day. We do the whole turkey dinner and go around and say what we are thankful for. It’s very nice,” said Lindsey, a mother-of-three. Attorney Tiffany noted that Fall is traditionally a time to celebrate the harvest at local churches, so she said she doesn’t see it as that much of a stretch to celebrate Thanksgiving the American style. “I don’t get those people who are on the ‘it’s not a Bahamian holiday, so don’t celebrate it’ run. It’s a day where you can eat some good food, and you have to eat that day anyway, so why not eat turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie? It’s a day where we can
say thanks for our blessings and there is never a wrong time to do that,” American Thanksgiving is celebrated around the same time as Harvest Sunday in many Bahamian churches. A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a region. Harvest festivals typically feature feasting, both with family and with others, with foods that are drawn from crops that come to maturity around the time of the festival. In British and English-Caribbean churches, chapels and schools, and in some Canadian churches as well, people bring in produce from their gardens, an allotment or farm. The food is often distributed among the poor and senior citizens of the local community, or used to raise funds for the church or a chosen charity. “I think that celebrating Thanksgiving or harvest is a great way to teach your kids gratitude. At my son’s school they are encouraged to bring in cans
and that leads to discussions about how some people don’t have food, and it’s not as simple as just driving to the grocery food, so that’s why I love Thanksgiving,” said mother-of-two Michelle. If you are planning to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner, why not consider
these additions to the menu to make it a truly Bahamian one: peas n’ rice, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw, crawfish (lobster) stuffing, an avocado garden salad, and you may want to try adding a guava duff to your desert options. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Friday, November 16, 2018
beauty
Frida Kahlo’s
aesthetic comes to life in Nassau
I
The iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the inspiration behind the upcoming runway show.
PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA
ndustry insiders got their first glimpse of the make-up and hairstyles that are expected to be sported by models in the upcoming “The Feast: FRIDA KAHLO” fashion showcase. The Thanksgiving show, scheduled for November 22 at the Courtyard Marriott under the theme “A Toast to Hope”, will feature the 2019 collections for the Cardellicious, a Bahamian full-figured fashion brand, and the Cardell McClam lines. During a private beauty and style specific industry only event held last Sunday industry professionals were able to view a presentation prior to the official runway event. The beauty preview was a behind-thescenes look and live demonstration of the make-up and hair selection. Those in attendance were shown the products that will be used to accomplish the unique runway looks and the inspiration behind them. Demonstrations were done by Italia Wilson, a make-up artist at Eye Candy, and Nomanque Petit-Homme, hair artist from Skyline Designs. As for the upcoming showcase, the collections are inspired by the themes Thanksgiving and the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, who is known for her many portraits, self-portraits and works inspired by the nature and artefacts of her country. Inspired by the country’s popular culture, she employed a naive folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. The story for the fashion showcase will set along the North American coast, but will boast a highly energetic “sassy” Spanish undertone, said organisers. Also, in recognition of World AIDS Day on December, the show will raise awareness of HIV/AIDS through a segment called “A Celebration of Hope”. Tickets for the upcoming showcase are $45 (high school students with ID are $25).
Cardell McClam (far right) and the team behind the upcoming “The Feast: FRIDA KAHLO” showcase.
16 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
celebrity With Karin Herig and Cara Hunt
SPLIT
HIT
HIT
SPLIT
FAIL
Andie MacDowell ”Cuckoo”
Janelle Monae singer
Ashley Graham plus size model
Zosia Mamet ”Girls”
Karin says: “Just no. This lingerie inspired butterfly dress just looks sad. And judging by Andie’s expression, she’s not feeling too comfortable in it either. The leather corset almost makes her look like a reluctant dominatrix.” Cara says: “OK, it’s an interesting concept, but I’m not sure it was a perfect execution. I like it, but there is something about it that seems a little weird – not sure if it’s the sheerness at the bottom or the sheerness at the top, but it’s a little off.”
Karin says: “Dramatic as usual, and as usual I like it. On anyone else this would have looked like an overgrown ruffled bib, but Janelle knows how to style it to make it look interesting and chic. And of course it’s in her signature colour combo of black and white.” Cara says: “I think this is so fun and cute. I love Janelle. She has such a quirky sense of style that really matches her personality and this outfit wouldn’t necessarily work on someone else, but I think she is rocking it.”
Karin says: “I love it! It’s so simple, but suits (and fits) her perfectly! I’ve never been the biggest fan of the colour chartreuse, but it looks amazing on her. And of course the lining of the bandeau top matching her pants is awesome.” Cara says: “This colour combination is too pretty. I really like this outfit; the flowy pants and I love how the top has the lining that matches the top. She looks amazing.”
Kat Graham ”The Vampire Diaries” Karin says: “Very gothic. It might be a bit much for an event of this nature, but I think I like it, though it is very red. Of course it can be viewed as old-fashioned, but her cute hair cut and of course the colour counter that.” Cara says: “She is ringing in the holiday season early in this red ruffled number, but I am not feeling it. It looks a bit claustrophobic to be honest. That ruffled neckline looks like it’s chocking her. It’s too much for me.”
Karin says: “This is just not the right colour for her. All I see is beige everywhere; it washes her out completely. And while I get that she was trying to shake up the menswear look with the overlong pants, I still don’t like it.” Cara says: “Everyone wants to try to wear this men’s suit look, but if you don’t add some of your personality to it then you just end up looking a little ‘blah’ – or a lot ‘blah’ – like she looks here.”
PHOTOS BY EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP
The Weekend Fashion Report Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2018
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Friday, November 16, 2018
books
Review: Lee Child has delivered another winner
W
hile Jack Reacher is exploring the United States, he stumbles on a rural area in New Hampshire and spots a sign with a name that’s familiar to him — the town where his father was born. Reacher decides to take a detour from his plan to investigate his dad’s life. His plan goes awry when he visits the city clerk’s office and the local library. He also talks to folks who have lived in the tiny town their entire lives. According to the evidence, no one with the last name of Reacher ever lived there. While Reacher searches for answers in “Past Tense,” two young people from Canada run into a bit of bad luck when their
car breaks down. Since the area is isolated and they are lacking in funds, they are in a bind. Patty and her boyfriend, Shorty, are happy when a local offers to help them with their car and puts them in a newly renovated motel. It soon becomes terrifying when they realize their knight in shining armor is lying and has taken them prisoner. The two stories eventually collide in a surprising way, and the last third of the novel is tense and exciting. Patty and Shorty’s story invokes elements of “Psycho” mixed with some Stephen King. The novel starts more slowly than typical Lee Child narratives, but once “Past Tense” gets past the opening, Child kicks the story into high gear. JEFF AYERS Associated Press
The top 10 books on Apple’s iBooks By The Associated Press
iBook charts for week ending November 11, 2018 . Past Tense by Lee Child
‘Sea of Greed’ will have readers turning the pages “Sea of Greed,” the latest entry in the NUMA Files series, pits Kurt Austin and his colleagues against a seemingly unstoppable enemy. Austin runs the Special Assignments team for the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA). He’s working near the Gulf of Mexico with Joe Zavala, his partner and best friend, when they hear a loud explosion from over 12 miles away. They hurry to the site to discover burning oil rigs. The two men rescue several workers, but when they leave the area, they both notice the fire doesn’t burn like a standard oil fire. They want answers but are called back to Washington for another assignment. The president wants NUMA to uncover the mysterious depletion of the world’s oil. Sites
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
that weeks ago appeared to have the liquid gold in abundance for decades suddenly run dry, and it’s been happening all over the world. When the news leaks about the sudden lack of oil, prices will skyrocket and potentially bankrupt major nations that rely on the substance to fuel their economies. Can NUMA uncover the truth and once again save the world? The villain is diabolical, our heroes seem to have no way to win, and the action is relentless. In other words, the story is classic Cussler. The thought of the world running out of oil is terrifying, and that along with the wonderful cast of characters makes this one of the better entries in the NUMA Files series. JEFF AYERS Associated Press
. The Reckoning by John Grisham
. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty . Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
. Becoming Obama
by
Michelle
. The Woods by Harlan Coben . Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
.Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
. Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis . Elevation by Stephen King
18 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
lifestyle
How to stop work-related back pain You must fit your chair! By A MONIQUE GRAHAM
W
ould you purchase a car if you weren’t allowed to sit in it first? Probably not. Any store worth their reputation will provide you with an opportunity to try the chair, either in store or at your office space. Most people I know roll their eyes when they hear the price of an office chair, as to say, ‘how good can it be’? Consider this, you have now spent over $500 and upwards to $1,000 on a chair, and you have realised that it may not work with your desk or flooring at the office. It may not glide well, or perhaps the armrests prevent you from being as close to your desk as you’d like. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind the next time you are shopping around for a chair: Firstly, you want it to fit like a glove and to feel like you just sat on cotton. There should be no discomfort, which ultimately provides the feeling of not wanting to get back up. Secondly, you should ensure that the backrest is adjustable and follows the natural shape of your spine and support your lower back. It should come to at least the height of the middle of the shoulder blades but ideally should extend above the shoulders. Thirdly, the seat should be measured Avoid back pain with an ergonomic chair suited by fitting two or three finger lengths to your body type and your needs. between it and the back of your knee. Lastly, the armrests should gently If your current work office chair or than a 110lbs person. Ultimately, you cradle the body so the shoulder can home office chair does not allow for should ensure you get the right size for relax without you having to extend this, consider purchasing a new chair. your body. your elbows, and your feet should sit I love to help people find exactly what flat on the floor with your arms at the Most of our jobs and lifestyles works for their needs. It may seem like same height as the top of your desk require sitting for multiple hours a quite an investment, but in the long because this position prevents strain. day the majority of the work week. run it will save you from experiencing Chairs are very specific and need to Knowing that you spent far more than uncomfortable pain while sitting and be bought based on your body type you planned could really make your keep you sitting better. and that alone. Just because you find head hurt, but with these simple fitting them pretty, that doesn’t mean it’s the principles you will find yourself sitting • If you’re in need of further assistance, right chair for you. Sometimes chairs more comfortably and being more Style Office Solutions is located on East also come in sizes, because a heavy Bay Street opposite BAMSI. 440lbs person needs a different chair productive. A MONIQUE Graham
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Friday, November 16, 2018
gardening
THE TASTY Aunt Ruby’s German Green tomato
November
planting Jack Hardy maintains old favourites and tries his hand at something new
W
e can now forget about summer’s oppressive heat. We are into NOvember, and that means NO more hurricanes, NO more air-con-do, and NO more lying in bed while the extra morning hour of daylight gives us the chance to make good progress in the yard before showering and getting to work. It was on October 15 I had my first tomato plant set fruit, nice and early. I should be picking ripe fruit by the end of this month. Many gardeners start their vegetables at this time of year and
they can sow and set out a complete garden at one time, a very rewarding activity. Those of us with tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, kale, chard, cucumbers, beans, carrots, greens and lettuce under way are now establishing our cool weather crops such as heading lettuce and peas. Our plants will not last forever and we should be sowing seeds in order to replenish our stock as the long growing season develops. Most tomatoes have a long bearing period of two to three months but the productivity tends to tail off after a month. For my first set of tomatoes I used Super Beefsteak hybrids and sowed six seeds, four of which survived and are now holding small fruits. The second wave of tomatoes, sown a month later, consists of Large-Fruited Cherry tomatoes. These produce lots of trusses of golf ball-sized fruits that have good old-fashioned tomato taste. They are great for salads and when they get out of hand and you have too many they make a very tasty tomato sauce for spaghetti. A week or two behind the LFC cherries are my main crops for the
duration, mostly heirloom varieties that have exquisite taste and an assortment of colours. My mainstay tomatoes are Celebrity and BushSteak, both hybrids. Celebrity is a heavy and long producer with great nematode resistance while BushSteak is a compact plant only three feet tall and easy to maintain. I love black tomatoes from Crimea and have sown Black Krim, Black Sea Man, and Black from Tula. Very similar to the black tomatoes is Cherokee Purple, a very reliable performer. Variety in colour is provided by German Yellow, Estonian Green, Cherokee Green, German Johnson, Jubilee and Amish Orange. Every year I like to try new (to me) varieties and this year I have added Aunt Ruby’s German Green. Green tomatoes are probably the tastiest of all. If you think of green tomatoes as unripe you are missing the point. When a true green tomato develops a pink blush be prepared for the tomato tasting experience of your life in solid meaty form. It is always handy to have regular cherry tomatoes at hand. I have started Tommy Toe (lovely long trusses of fruit), Black Cherry, and a yellow variety I have grown for years but do not know the name. In addition I will later grow some grape cherries as these are prolific and popular for snacking. Although technically any sweet peppers we grow can last the whole season the fact is they are best replaced around Easter time. California Wonder
is the standard bell pepper variety but Chinese Giant and Big Red are also good producers. For some reason red, orange and yellow bell peppers are way more expensive than green peppers so it is good to grow them. Away from bell peppers are the Italian elongated type exemplified by Cubanelle, a gorgeous and very useful large pepper plant with hefty fruits. They are always sold in markets at the yellow stage but I like them to turn red before using. Sweet Banana has smaller smoother fruits but is a very heavy producer. The related Hot Banana pepper is not really hot but pleasantly warm. I have stopped growing broccoli as it appears everyone in my family is going through an aversion stage. Heading cabbage is popular, however, and will mostly be used in coleslaws and soups. We must remember that cabbages are gross feeders and should be fed and watered well. I have a few Chinese cabbages under way and these usually have their outer leaves trimmed for use in soups before the main cutting. At some stage during winter I will have one of my most decadent dishes of the year: Chinese cabbage seethed in butter. Healthy it ain’t but it sure is delicious. Young kale leaves can be used as greens in salads while the slightly mature leaves can be cooked. If you like cooked greens as a side dish then you need to plant some chard. Chard comes in colourful varieties with red and yellow stalks but I prefer to grow the traditional white stalks. Chard is closely related to beets and the leaves are similar in taste. Chard takes a while to become established but thereafter produces well and can be cut every week. Patio cucumbers produce fruits the same size as slicers but take up far less room. They can even be grown in five-gallon containers with a tomato tower inserted for the vine to climb on. Regular cucumber vines often trail out of the garden area but compact patio cucumber vines are more manageable. Some pickling cucumber vines are also short but are heavy producers of 5-inch long fruits. If you grow cucumbers mostly for short term pickling (such as overnight) then you will find these easier to grow than slicers. Snap beans – in bush or pole form – usually produce more than a family can deal with. Get in the habit of picking pods at the slightly immature stage, parboiling then freezing them. • For queries and comments e-mail jacktribune242@gmail.com
20 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
society
A gala fit for a
sea god BREEF celebrates 25th anniversary with masquerade ball
G
uests followed the siren’s song last Saturday as they helped the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) celebrate 25 years of promoting the conservation of our marine environment in grand style. The special gala, the Neptune Masquerade Ball, was held at Albany to mark this milestone occasion. The aim of the event was to raise $250,000 to continue BREEF’s valuable work in protecting the environment that sustains Bahamians’ way of life. BREEF was founded in 1993 by the late Sir Nicholas Nuttall to address growing concerns on the state of the Bahamian marine environment. Almost single-handedly, Sir Nicholas turned the organisation into a leader in educating Bahamians about the value and need for conservation our marine environment. The non-government organisation has come far over the last two decades, including taking on a more active role as public educators and advocates for improved sustainable development policies. To celebrate the strides taken so far and endeavours yet to come, supporters and friends of BREEF turned out last Saturday night in feathers, masks and their finest attire. Delicious food was served and wine flowed as if at the court of Neptune himself. One of the highlights for BREEF during the 25th anniversary celebrations was the new commitment which Jackson Family Wines and Young’s Fine Wine has made towards helping to finance marine conservation and education activities. The organisation receives a contribution for every bottle of Murphy-Goode Winery, which was also featured at the gala ball, sold within the Bahamas.
Friday, November 16, 2018
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PHOTOS/SHAWN HANNA
22 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
literary lives – bessie smith (1894-1937)
The Empress of
Blues Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the great American blues singer who is regarded as one of the most influential jazz singers of the 1920s and ‘30s.
E
lizabeth “Bessie” Smith was probably born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in July 1892. However, the 1910 census gave her age of 16 and a birth date of April 15, 1894. She had three older half siblings and was the daughter of Laura Owens and William Smith, a labourer and part-time Baptist preacher. He died while his daughter was too young to remember him. Her mother and brother also died when she was nine years old. Her older sister Viola looked after her and the other children. To make ends meet for the destitute family, Smith and her brother
Bessie Smith (1894 - 1937) Andrew began busking on the streets of Chattanooga. She sang and danced while her brother played the guitar. They performed in front of the White Elephant Saloon at Thirteenth and Elm Streets, in the heart of the City’s African-American community. In 1904, her eldest brother Clarence left home to join a small travelling troupe. He did not tell his sister that he was going. She may have made her first public performance at the Ivory Theatre in Chattanooga. Clarence returned to Chattanooga in 1912 and arranged for an interview with his troupe’s managers Lonnie and Cora Fisher. She was hired as a dancer because the well-known jazz singer Ma Rainey was already singing with the group. It was Ma Rainey who really discovered her and taught her stage presence. She noticed her potential and trained the young singer. Bessie performed in various chorus lines, making the “81” theatre in Atlanta her home base. She also performed in shows on the black-owned Theatre Owned Booking Association circuit, travelling through the South singing in tent shows, bars and theatres in small towns, as well as some in Birmingham, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia. In Philadelphia she was
first heard by Clarence Williams – a representative of Columbia Records. In February of 1923 she signed a contract and made her first recordings with Columbia, including the classic “Down Hearted Blues” and it quickly made her one of the most popular female blues singers of the 1920s and ‘30s. She was nicknamed the “Empress of the Blues” and became the highest paid black performer of her time. “No time to marry, no time to settle down; I’m a young woman, and I ain’t done runnin’ around.” Despite her success, neither she nor her music was accepted by everyone. She was dismissed because she was considered too rough, working class, or even low class. One story is that at one point in a performance she stopped singing to spit. Nevertheless, she made 160 recordings, of which “Down Hearted Blues” is estimated to have sold over two million copies. She was accompanied by some of the great musicians of the time, including Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong. The subject matter of Bessie Smith’s singing was the classic material of the blues: poverty and oppression, love – betrayed and unrequited – and stoic
acceptance of defeat at the hands of a cruel and indifferent world. “When my bed is empty, makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, living single like I do.” When Smith was living in Philadelphia she met Jack Gee, a security guard, who she married on June 7 1923, almost at the time her first record was being released. It was during this marriage that she became the huge money earner. She headed her own shows, sometimes featuring as many as 40 other entertainers. She toured in her own custom-built railroad car. The marriage was stormy with infidelity on both sides, including numerous female lovers for her. Her husband Gee liked the free-wheeling wealthy lifestyle that Bessie Smith engaged in, but never adjusted to her bisexuality. In 1929, when she learned of Gee’s infidelity with a rival singer, Gertrude Saunders, Smith ended the relationship, although neither of them sought a divorce. “There’s nineteen men livin’ in my neighbourhood. Eighteen of them are fools, and the one ain’t no doggone good.”
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Friday, November 16, 2018
Smith later entered into a commonlaw marriage with an old friend, Richard Morgan, who was Lionel Hampton’s uncle. She continued to live with Morgan until the day she died. The great tragedy of Bessie Smith’s career is that she outlived the popularity of her idiom. In the late 1920s her record sales and her fame diminished as social forces changed the face of popular music and bowdlerised the earthy realism of the sentiments she expressed in her music. Her gradually increasing alcoholism also caused theatre managers to become wary of engaging her. However, her singing ability never declined. “I don’t want no drummer. I set the tempo.” Bessie Smith was a bold supremely confident artist who often disdained the use of a microphone as she expressed the frustrations and hopes of a whole generation of black Americans. She had a strong contralto voice – evident on her first electrical recording – “Cake Walking Babies”, recorded on May 5, 1925. The new technology of radio broadcasting also helped her popularity and acceptance – even in the segregated South. She emphasised and channelled a subculture within the African-American working class by incorporating commentary on social issues and inter-racial conflict as well as female sexuality in her lyrics. Nevertheless, despite her popularity, her work was often written off as distasteful and not an accurate representation of the African-American experience. Her work challenged elitist norms by encouraging working class women to embrace their right to drink, party, and satisfy their sexual needs as a means of coping with stress and dissatisfaction in their daily lives. “I ain’t good lookin’, but I’m somebody’s angel child.” Smith’s tall and upright stance, and above all, her handsome features, are preserved in a short motion picture St Louis Blues (1929), banned for its realism, and now in the Museum of Modern Art, New York City. The film, based on W C Handy’s song of the same name, was directed by Dudley Murphy and shot in Astoria, Queens. Smith sings the title song accompanied by Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra, the Hall Johnson choir, the pianist James P Johnson and a string section radically
Bessie and her common-law husband Richard Morgan, who drove the car in which she had her fatal accident
Bessie Smith’s Packard, left, and the second car to hit it while she lay injured in the road.
Bessie with her husband Jack Gee different and unlike anything used on any of her other recordings. In 1933, John Hammond, who claimed to have found Bessie Smith working as a hostess at Art’s Cafe on Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia, asked Smith to make four recordings for Okeh Records. They were the last recordings she would make and hinted at the effort she would make to shift her blues artistry to a style that fit for the swing era. The band used in these recordings included swing era musicians like the trombonist Jack Teagarden, the tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, the trumpeter Frankie Newton, and the pianist Buck Washington. Benny Goodman is barely audible on one selection. “It’s a long old road, but I know I’m gonna find the end.” On September 26, 1937, Bessie Smith was critically injured in a car crash while travelling along US Route 61 between Memphis, Tennessee, and
Clarksdale, Mississippi. Her lover, Frank Morgan, was driving, and tried to overtake a slow-moving truck ahead of him. He hit the rear side of the truck at high speed, sheering off the wooden roof of Smith’s old Packard. Smith, who was in the front passenger seat, probably with her right arm and elbow out of the window, took the full brunt of the impact. Morgan escaped without injuries, but Smith’s right arm was almost completely severed at the elbow. She was lying in the road, having lost an enormous amount of blood when a Memphis surgeon arrived on the scene of the accident. They moved the injured singer to the side of the road and called for an ambulance from a nearby house. About half an hour later two ambulances arrived, one from a black hospital, and the other from a white hospital – acting on a report from the truck driver. Smith was in shock and was taken to the G T Thomas AfroAmerican Hospital in Clarksdale, where her right arm was amputated.
She died that morning without regaining consciousness. The rumour that Bessie Smith died as a result of having been refused admission to a white hospital is inaccurate. Hugh Smith, the Memphis surgeon who was first on the scene of the accident, stated in an interview: “The Bessie Smith ambulance would not have gone to a white hospital. You can forget that. Down in the Deep South cotton country, no ambulance driver, or white driver, would ever have thought of putting a coloured person off in a hospital for white folks.” The circumstances of Smith’s death formed the basis for Edward Albee’s 1959 oneact play “The Death of Bessie Smith”. As the word of Smith’s death spread through Philadelphia’s black community her body had to be moved to the O V Catto Elks Lodge to accommodate the estimated 10,000 mourners who filed past her coffin on October 3, 1937. About 7,000 people attended her funeral. She was buried in an unmarked grave at Mount Lawn Cemetery, near Sharon Hill. It remained unmarked until a tombstone was erected on August 7, 1970 and paid for by the singer Janis Joplin and Juanita Green, who as a child had done housework for Bessie Smith. NEXT WEEK: A brilliant author who became cautionary tale of celebrity. • Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Down Beat magazine, Wikipedia, and “Queen of the Blues: The Life and Times of Bessie Smith” by Jennifer Warner (2014).
24 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018
history
Exhibit offers portraits of mummified ancient Egyptians Detail of the facial depiction process for the Goucher mummy (Photos/ Amy Davis/ The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Upper portion of the Cohen mummy
Sanchita Balachandran, Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, left, and Meg Swaney, graduate student in Near Eastern Studies, discuss the new exhibit, “Who Am I? Remembering the Dead Through Facial Reconstruction.” BALTIMORE (AP) — A team of researchers is giving the world a chance to see the faces of two Egyptian women who walked the earth about 2,300 years ago. The Baltimore Sun reports that detailed portraits based on mummified remains form the core of “Who Am I? Remembering the Dead Through Facial Reconstruction,” the newest exhibition on display at the Johns Hopkins University Museum of Archaeology at least until the end of next year. Experts in fields ranging from fine art, osteology, computer tomology, and craniofacial reconstruction worked together to create the likenesses from two mummies acquired abroad and brought to Baltimore more than a century ago. Sanchita Balachandran, the museum’s associate director, sees the exhibit as an opportunity to say, “These people have been with us since the 1880s, and
we’re only now able to see them as real people.” The veteran of archaeological digs, was familiar with Western collectors’ treatment of ancient artefacts, particularly Egyptian mummies. In the early to mid-1800s, Americans of means collected what they saw as exotica in Egypt, where the ceremonially preserved bodies were plentiful. Mendes I Cohen, A War of 1812 veteran, acquired a mummy in Egypt in 1834, brought it back to Baltimore, and left it to the university when he died in 1879. John F Goucher, a local minister, missionary and educator, acquired a mummy in 1895 and brought it to Baltimore, where he donated it to the school he’d founded, the Baltimore Woman’s College, later renamed Goucher College. It ended up at the Baltimore Museum of Art. “They were often seen as curiosities that belonged in sideshows, freak
shows and dime museums,” said Meg Swaney, a doctoral student in Near Eastern Studies at Hopkins and cocurator of the exhibit. “People weren’t sure whether to display them in natural history museums, or in art museums for the artefacts they came with. But there was so much curiosity, every museum wanted one.” Balachandran’s team, a group that included Swaney and six undergraduates, worked with Caroline Wilkinson, the director of Face Lab, a research group at Liverpool John Moores University in England that carries out forensic and archaeological research. Dr. Elliot K. Fishman, a professor of radiology and the director of diagnostic imaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital, performed a CT scan on the bodies, and those images provided information for three-dimensional representations. Researchers contributed other details including pelvic marks that showed both were female and tooth
conditions that suggested ages of about 45 or 50. Face Lab built its illustrations out over two years. The team faced a range of ethical questions along the way, voting for two-dimensional portraits over threedimensional busts. “Everyone felt it would risk being too macabre or creating too much of a spectacle,” said Swaney, who specialises in the ethics involved in displaying Egyptian remains. They also agreed to render the portraits in greys since no reliable evidence exists regarding skin tone. For Balachandran, the exhibit is a new way of looking into the ancient past. “These women look at you the moment you walk in the door; you’re looking at them, and they’re looking at you,” she said. “It feels as though they’re right here with us.
The Tribune | Weekend | 25
Friday, November 16, 2018
history
Heroes at rest at Oakes Field Airport Forgotten facts | Paul C Aranha
I
was amazed when a Member of the House of Assembly was surprised to learn that Oakes Field had been an airport. How forgotten is the fact that Oakes Field started as a civilian airport, became an RAF aerodrome during World War II and returned to civilian status after that war ended. One part of the RAF installation still exists and is still active. I went there over the Remembrance Day weekend: The Nassau War Cemetery. Originally it was called the RAF Cemetery. It’s entrance gate (a lych gate) is on Maxwell Lane, off Farrington Road. I was pleased to see that the entire cemetery was spick and span and each grave was decorated with a small wooden cross, to which a poppy was attached. Among the graves are those of six Czechoslovakian airmen who served in the RAF and were killed in a training accident. As usual, each of these graves
had a special poppy, placed there by the Free Czechoslovak Air Force Associates Ltd. Because this year is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I and the celebration of the centenary of the Royal Air Force, the Czechoslovak poppies were oversized and exceptionally pretty. Royal Air Force’s squadrons included many foreign fighter pilots and of the more than 2,900 RAF pilots who served in the Battle of Britain; only around 2,350 were British. The rest were natives of Commonwealth territories such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as expatriates from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium and other countries. During the Battle of Britain, the international contingent proved especially deadly in the cockpit. The Polish No 303 fighter squadron downed 126 German planes during the battle— more than any Allied unit—and the RAF’s top scoring ace was Hurricane
Ace, Josef Frantisek, a Czechoslovakian aviator, also with the 303rd Polish Squadron, who singlehandedly claimed 17 aerial victories. Sidney C Farrington is the only Bahamian in this cemetery, but I was fascinated by the gravestone of: GROUP CAPTAIN L W BRABAZON-REES VC, OBE, MC, AFC 28TH SEPTEMBER 1955. AGE 71 BORN CAERNARVON, N WALES JULY 31, 1884 AT REST Brabazon-Rees flew in World War I and was very well decorated, including receiving the Victoria Cross. Later he sailed, single-handedly, from England
to Mangrove Cay, Andros, married an Androsian lady and had two sons, who were still living in England a few years ago. A letter written by him to the Countess of Ranfurly about the Ranfurly Home for Children appears in her 2012 book “Hermione”. • For questions and comments, e-mail islandairman@gmail.com
Greek archaeologists locate ancient lost city ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s culture ministry said Tuesday that archaeologists have located the first tangible remains of a lost city that the ancient Greeks believed was first settled by Trojan captives of war after the sack of Troy. A ministry statement said excavations from September to early October in the southern Greek region of the Peleponnese turned up “proof of the existence of the ancient city” of Tenea, until now known mostly from ancient texts. Finds included walls and clay, marble or stone floors of buildings, as well as household pottery, a bone gaming die and more than 200 coins dating from the 4th century BC to late Roman times. A pottery jar containing the remains of two human foetuses was also found amid the foundations of one building.
The statue of Apollo of Tenea, one of the most famous Greek sculptures of the Archaic period.
That was unusual, as the ancient Greeks typically buried their dead in organised cemeteries outside the city walls. Lead archaeologist Elena Korka, who has been excavating in the area since 2013, told The Associated Press that her team had only been digging in the rich cemeteries surrounding Tenea until this year. In one, antiquities smugglers dug up two remarkable 6th century BC marble statues of young men in 2010 and tried to sell them for 10 million euros. Excavation work continues on the cemeteries, located near the modern village of Hiliomodi about 60 miles southwest of Athens. Archaeologists discovered nine burials there this year, finding gold, copper and bone jewellery, pottery and coins dating from the 4th century BC to Roman times.
“The citizens seem to have been remarkably affluent,” Korka said, adding that the city probably did well out of trade, standing on a key route between the major cities of Corinth and Argos in the northeastern Peloponnese. So far, not much was known about Tenea, apart from ancient references to the reputed link with Troy and to its citizens having formed the bulk of the Greek colonists who founded the city of Syracuse in Sicily. Tenea survived the Roman destruction of neighbouring Corinth in 146 BC, and flourished under Roman rule. It appears to have suffered damage during a Gothic invasion in the late 4th century AD and may have been abandoned around the time of Slavic incursions two centuries later. NICHOLAS PAPHITIS Associated Press
26 | The Tribune | Weekend
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The Tribune | Weekend | 27
Friday, November 16, 2018
animals
A potcake takes to the clouds
Animal matters | KIM ARANHA
P
retty much nine weeks after finding out Chief had cancer, the saga is over, and he is back home and recovering from what was, overall, a relatively non-dramatic series of events. Our trip over to the States was made unbelievably easy by the existence of Trans Island Airways and their dog-friendly policy. We were told when takeoff was going to be and instructed to be at the airport 15 minutes before departure. When we arrived at Odyssey Aviation we were greeted warmly by the counter staff and shortly after we were accompanied out to our plane. I had expected Chief to make getting into the Potcake Chief behaved like a plane look difficult, but the stairs seasoned travelled on the plane were totally adequate and he was up and settled in seconds. I had one-hour flight. As we neared Florida taken his bed with me and I placed it there were a few clouds, but our expeon the floor next to me. Chief behaved rienced pilot made sure to avoid as like a seasoned traveller. He watched many as possible and the bumps were with interest as the bags were loaded next to nothing. Our landing in Fort on board and watched out the window Lauderdale was smooth and comfortas the plane door was closed. able. Chief was in the United States of Once again I anticipated some level America and we were taking the first of anxiety as the pilot revved up the step of many to render Chief cancerengine pre-takeoff, but nothing, just free and give him a few more quality a happy dog who behaved as if he did years. At 12.5 years old and healthy, this kind of thing every day. strong and happy, it seamed like the As we took off he looked out of the obvious thing to do for our boy. window and watched New Providence US Customs and Immigration took disappear behind us. The climb in altilonger than we expected upon arrival tude was turbulence-free and Chiefie in Fort Lauderdale as, much to my and I settled down for a smooth
amusement, they had a power failure and were not equipped with a generator. “Wait a minute,” my brain was saying to me, “are we still in Nassau?” “No brain,” I said to myself, “don’t be fooled, it happens on the other side of the Gulf Stream too!” The wait in Customs was pleasant thanks to the officers on duty and our pilot. The problem was that with no electricity they could not check our fingerprints. Anyway, eventually all was resolved and we were free to enter the country. Potcake Chief was on US soil. Trans Island Airways flies into the fixed base operation – Banyan Air Services at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport – and all the staff there are so accommodating and helpful. Customer service is clearly high on their list of priorities. The waiting lounge is beautifully appointed and cool, just to Chief’s liking as people stopped by and stroked him. You have all read about our stay in the Delray Beach 1950’s cottage, with our quiet little garden and the daily drives to the Animal Cancer Care Centre, the radiation therapy that Chief received and how well it all has gone. After the therapy was PHOTOS/PATRICIA VAZQUEZ
PET OF THE WEEK Brotherly love By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY
P
otcake brothers MG and Pablo
are about a year old. They’re both energetic youngsters, eager for a walk or to play in the yard. They would be super yard or family dogs, barking to let you know anyone untoward is around. Potcakes make terrific crime deterrents, and both Pablo and MG would love to
completed, the oncologist requested that we remain in the States for one more week so Chief could have a final checkup and blood test. It was interesting living in the States for five weeks with no actual agenda... so much cheaper than residing in the Bahamas. I had access to everything and anything I wanted. The most exotic of foods cost a fraction of what they would have cost back home. But this is an article about animals, and we will keep it that way. Our flight home on Trans Island Airways was as easy and trouble-free as the trip over. Banyan Air Services was accommodating, the pilots were concerned about Chief’s comfort, and the flight was smooth though bright blue skies before a happy arrival to Nassau. Chief knew that he as coming home; his laid-back demeanour changed a little, he was more alert and on guard. He greeted his four canine “siblings” one at a time politely, but they were more excited than he was. After, all he had to give up his temporary “only child” status. We are home now and the only thing left is for the radiation site to heal. It is slow, but constant. We are happy to be back and Chief loves going upstairs to bed in the familiar surroundings. I go to bed every night and count my blessings and thank God that I was able to help my best friend overcome the worst illness of all. And tomorrow
MG show you their skills. Come in to the Bahamas Humane Society to meet them and maybe take a test walk (or two!). Adoption hours are 11am to
Pablo 4pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, or you can call 323-5138 for more information. This brotherly duo awaits you with great
anticipation.
• 2018 BHS Raffle tickets are now on sale. The grand prize is $10,000 in groceries from Super Value, and a mere $5 will get you a chance to win (or buy a book of 21 for $100 to get one extra free). Tickets can be purchased at the BHS, or from any board member. Call 323-5138 or come in to get yours today. Draw date is December 28 at the Mall at Marathon. Thank you to all the donors of our amazing prizes – Super Value, Bahamasair, Anonymous, Geoffrey Jones, Kelly’s, Keshon’s Fashion, Multi Discount, CBS, and the D’Albenas Agency.
28 | The Tribune | Weekend
Friday, November 16, 2018