And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart." -- Deuteronomy 28:23&28

I cannot say why this quote from Los pasos perdidos (1953) by Alejo Carpentier the Cuban writer and musicologist resonates with the work of capturing or documenting cultural heritage in the southern Bahamas. However, these words capture beyond reason so much of what time has done in these islands. We, as a people, also treat Bahamians as if they were second-class citizens in their country. The system of paradise and exploitation, created during piracy and continued during colonialism, is not about white against black, but rather about a system of exploiting those who cannot -- or are not allowed -- to speak for self because they are repeatedly told they do not have souls, they are not human and they should be grateful to be allowed to be near such greatness.
Carpentier is a truly incredible writer and is important to us as Bahamians in the southern Bahamas that once gazed on and spent days learning and shopping in those southern neighbors, who we now turn up our noses at. His work shows not only the fecund nature of the region, but also how quickly erasure can occur, as indicated by the title, the lost steps. It is not only that the steps are lost, but that they are utterly forgotten and leaders can pretend as if they never happened. In this magical realism -- or marvelous realism -- that we inhabit, so much of what is real is more unbelievable than fiction; we are cautioned not to believe the bearers of glad tidings lined with empty promises that only extend a hand that extracts the marrow from the nation and the community.
The marvelous real, where history is forgotten, is upon us in the southern Bahamas. Indeed, the efforts to control, manage, package, celebrate and enliven Bahamian tangible and intangible culture are essential to the survival in the modern economy. Once upon a time, the land was never sold, it was only ever leased. The colonial governors and the Crown 'lent' huge tracts of land to other sovereign states, where they set up bases and developments, other large swaths of land were deeded to cousins and other relations. Today, the state gives away swaths of land that hold the lives of Bahamian folk in its balance for cents on the hectare, where no real money changes hands, and the money that does is often kicked back into deals that continue to enrich a small group at the endless expense of the nation.
However, as cultural heritage is safeguarded, it is less easy to squander a people's patrimony or birthright. The UNESCO project to build and protect our intangible cultural heritage creates legal instruments and an overarching system that sees fit to protect this for future generations. Cultural patrimony is not only about today; it is about all the generations to come. We can see the cultural shifts that occur with time's swift progress, but we can also capture these in art, design and cultural industry that is not limited to arts but is about focusing on all aspect of creativity from fashion and haute couture, fine dining to building and manufacturing; these are creative industries. Food canning and spice and pepper preserves are other excellent areas we can expand in. Instead, we put all the energy into building resorts for people, who may come once and never return, or homes that stand empty for 11 months of the year and may employ one lady to clean part-time.
The darkness as nature reclaims what was once developed and hides it from memory is salient in a culture that is so rich, yet is exclusively depicted as paradise for pleasure seekers. It is the poking in the darkness of the middle of the day that resonates particularly as we pretend to attend to investigating our culture. It is the irony of loss with the promise of the future, roads paved with gold yet devoid of humanity that has struck me as so utterly devastating and tragic.
The Southern Bahamas lives, not in a time forgotten, but in the space of abuse, neglect and 'political pawnage.' The nothingness that was once pregnant with promise and potential stands now like a forgotten nightmare, tossed aside, used and very much erased by the vagaries of political cronyism. Los pasos perdidos is about the splendor of a robust and fecund nature ready to erase the footsteps of those who were once there. It is reminiscent of the cultural loss that is being visited on these islands and cays and so on the national whole as populations die out, migrate out or are replaced by empty promises of development that would pave over the very nature of the nation.
Intangible cultural heritage is part of the rich tapestry of life that we ignore or simply do not understand but practice daily. The loss of tangible and intangible culture can be seen as a natural progress of time, but when we discuss the lure of 'cultural tourism,' we see that we are starting from the back and so we can't be the swiftest nor the nimblest as we have missed the very essence of cultural tourism.
Ministries of tourism do not make culture, they rather spotlight what already exists, but it must be preserved and conserved to remain. t cannot be eradicated and still expect to attract visitors from far and wide to gaze on the empty space of where cultural heritage stood but was bulldozed.
As the 'nine-seater' fumbles into the longest landing strip in the Caribbean, we are then greeted by a reality of rot, abandonment and neglect. So much of what once thrived on these islands of Inagua and Mayaguana has been eclipsed by bush and dereliction of duties that it is hard to imagine what Bahamian prosperity would look like. The 'airport'--another misused term when applied to where one lands in Mayaguana--is now waiting to be remembered as the weeds choke out its potential for future joy. So few Bahamians can access these spaces and know about the wealth these islands and islanders have that we should begin a new course in all schools called learning The Bahamas, our home. By building awareness of Bahamian culture, tangible and intangible, by developing the creative industries and inviting the world in to see who we are, not whom we are told by the outside we are, we can become great.
Mayaguana needs locally-focused, locally-driven development that may be small-scale but creates wealth for the community; it does not need a multi-million dollar, multi-million-person-a-year resort that shuts down in the offseason, leaves its trash on the land, pollutes the incredible waters, and plucks out the remnants of social history, intangible culture, and the plants and aquatic life that support local culture. We do not wish to replicate Nassau on every rock, cay, and island in The Bahamas; too many people wish to avoid this place. Why duplicate a pariah of crime, overcrowding and poor zoning, where local life is left a long way from or choked up under the resorts that build walls to block out the 'stench' of poverty.
Traveling around the country gathering information has shown how magical reality is and how rich actors become by under-developing their people. As Walter Rodney demonstrated How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, the same is true today where we talk about cultural tourism that means people who come to paradise for an exotic adventure but everything indigenous is for sale, sold, or developed out of the national coffers. We must embrace our patrimony and develop it so people who live and work here--be they permanent resident, citizen or temporary resident--will enjoy and benefit from it without destroying its uniqueness.

With less than two months left, the Education Department at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas has accelerated preparations for the Mixed Media Summer Art Camp (MMSAC). Now in its third year, the camp was started in response to the need for an arts-focused camp after the FINCO Summer Art Workshop was discontinued. MMSAC has been popular since its inception and has impacted the lives of 220 students since 2014. The camp is divided into two, three-week sessions that take place between June 19 and July 7 and July 11 and 28, 2017.
Participants experience fun, team-building activities through the annual mural project, work on individual work that spans an array of disciplines, interact with and watch demonstrations by professional artists and go on exciting, educational field trips that allow them to see The Bahamas in new ways. This all culminates in an exciting exhibition at the NAGB that showcases each student's most successful work at the end of the six-week period. Students can proudly show off their work to family and friends and parents will know that their child has partaken in an experience that will be remembered.
"Students come from all over the country to participate in this camp. The social interactions are unique and the experiences unforgettable," says Abby Smith, NAGB's community outreach officer and camp coordinator. The NAGB works hard to ensure that the camp is open and accessible to children from diverse backgrounds and actively engages Family Islands students.
The theme this year "A Journey Through Time" melds history and visual art and approaches the history of The Bahamas, from the Lucayans to modern day Bahamas, through the work of the artists who are a part of the NAGB's permanent exhibition. Under the guidance of professional artists and educators, students explore ideas of perception and reality as seen in through artists' work and follow the threads that connect our present to our past.
MMSAC provides a space where aspiring painters can embrace their inner Brent Malone and experiment with traditional and contemporary painting techniques. Students explore the world of the Expressionists and Impressionists, paint from observation and sample the wonderfully expressive qualities of abstract art through the lens of Bahamian history.
This experience has been designed to increase students' exposure to the arts and give them the opportunity to dabble in new or familiar art forms in different ways. The untapped potential of the undiscovered sculptor will be brought to the forefront as students create three-dimensional artwork using recyclables, clay, found objects and other materials. Your aspiring builder or inventor will be given room to let his/her imagination soar!
Of course, we cannot overlook the emerging printmakers and mixed media artists who use materials in fun and expressive ways to tell their stories. Paint, paper, string, wood, bottle caps, leaves - students will be invited to use them to create work that pushes the boundaries of traditional art. All of this while learning about our rich, unique history!
The annual mural project will immerse participants in an unforgettable, creative team experience at the NAGB's Mixed Media Summer Camp, where they will engage in an exciting mural project that will occupy a public space for months to come. Under the guidance of professional mural artists, the finished project will engender a sense of accomplishment among students that is invaluable. This wonderful team-building project will encourage children to solve problems creatively and share their ideas freely.
Come with us as we take a walk through Bahamian history using the stories that artists tell through their work. Watch the story of the Lucayans unfold, experience the excitement of Independence Day and delve into the events that shaped The Bahamas that we live in. See The Bahamas through the lens of artists who have experienced significant historic events, were inspired by them or used the arts to effect change in their communities. Give your child a memorable artistic experience that tells our story.

Antonius Roberts is known as one of The Bahamas' leading artists, exploring themes of nature, humanity and spirituality through a diverse range of genres. Roberts focuses on sculpture, furniture making, and painting, as well as teaching and mentoring. Through his involvement with the arts community, Roberts inspires and supports emerging artists and scholars, providing a platform for defining the meaning of being an artist in this country.
No matter where you go in New Providence, you are likely to be surrounded by one of Roberts' works, whether it be on a bench by the beach, in an institution, or in someone's home --Roberts has contributed enormously in outlining the language of Bahamian art. Although most of his works are Bahamian based, Roberts is recognized widely for his vibrant color palette, brilliantly applied to the canvas, thin and thick, allowing a unique complexity to the surface of his works. His woodwork imitates his appreciation for the land, conserving Mother Nature's organic forms and deep, rich, wooden colors. Roberts has exhibited his work in many countries with both solo and group exhibitions.
Roberts was born in 1958 in Nassau, Bahamas, and received his BFA in Painting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Roberts played a crucial role in the conservation of the former Villa Doyle and its transformation into what is now the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas. Amongst many things, he is currently the Curator of the Central Bank Art Gallery.
Roberts created 'Sacred Space', a site comprised of twelve women sculpted out of dead casuarina trees overlooking a cliff on the western end of Nassau. The site was once the landing point of slaves traveling from Africa. The repetition of women seen in Roberts' 'Sacred Space' directly correlates to 'Procession of Females in White Uniforms', an oil painting depicting a group of women walking in an orderly fashion, as if part of a ceremony or procession. Roberts frequently revisits the female form, drawing light to the overlooked importance of women in our society and around the world.
The painting highlights a moment that seems mundane, eight women marching to their daily task in a way that feels structured and controlled. The identities of the women depicted are not unique -- they each carry equivalent quiet expressions, similar body structures, and an identical wardrobe. This aesthetic choice highlights the idea of the workforce, a body of people who participate in labour as if just another part of the machine, working hard without any consideration of the individual's hopes, dreams or aspirations.
The women are dressed in traditional colonial nursing uniforms, comprised of all white garments from head to toe. The traditional nurse uniform from Great Britain consisted of a white dress, apron and cap. This style was derived from the nun's habit, as the nuns took care of sick and injured people before the 19th century. The uniforms also consisted of a nursing pin, a type of badge worn by nurses to indicate the nursing school in which they graduated. Most pins had a symbolic meaning, representing the history of the nursing program for that particular school. In the painting, Roberts only provides the blue and yellow colors of the badge. These two colors are indicative of the Bahamian flag - representing a workforce of individuals who have emerged from the Bahamas and are patriotically continuing to benefit the country with their labour.
The background color palette seen in this work is suggestive of the 1801 building located on Duke Street, now known as the Government House. It is comprised of a conch-pink and white trim, a perfect example of the merging of British-Bahamian and American Colonial architecture. Roberts has masterfully imitated this specific pink to directly reference the Bahamas, its Government, and the many years of British colonial influence.
This painting exceptionally captures a mundane march toward labour, erasing any individuality that inevitably comprises these women. It highlights society's expectations of women in the workforce to be strong and loyal to their trade, to dress properly, to be clean and tidy, and above all, to continue without individuality. The job at task is the government's priority, and its execution rises above any woman's desire for independence. It is my hope that the viewer of this work can understand the danger of this mentality, and strive to inspire young people to question and exercise their uniqueness.
A great deal of contrast is exemplified through the imagery of this group of Bahamian women dressed in traditional British nursing garments. It seems uncomfortable, as if Bahamian cultural aesthetic was not regarded and that the British way was the only way - a colonial ideology that still somewhat exists today. But what is the Bahamian aesthetic? Years of continuous British and American influence has us still wondering - it is through art and community and discussion and education that we can indeed continue to appreciate our neighbors, but strive for individuality that comes from an authentic, deeply Bahamian place.

The University of The Bahamas and the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas have created an open space for group discussion that allows students to benefit from the offering of both spaces. This relationship allows culture to truly be highlighted. As much as we talk about culture, we often disconnect our experiences from talk. These lectures are designed to promote thought and unshackle minds blinkered by a dysfunctional system designed to create workers without a sense of self, or an identity that can transcend the 9 to 5 and the 21 by seven of the mundane.
The talks blend history, art, culture, sociology, architecture and create a dialogue to facilitate learning beyond the classroom. The gallery and the university work together to expose students to many different thought processes and realities, provoking thinking and thoughtful creativity. It is significant that the talks take place in the space of art, where so much of the discussion is concurrently witnessed by the works on the walls and by the building itself.
Last week, students walked through Edrin Symonette's installation "Residues of a Colonial Past" now housed in the Project Space Room and others left at the end of the talk to wander around the recent re-hanging of the permanent exhibition framed by Dr. Krista Thompson's "An Eye for the Tropics", which focuses on the ways the islands and their islanders are represented by renderings of visitors, tourists, and residents, that typecast and stereotype. The displays of old, hand-painted/drawn postcards are a salient part of art, history and art history that serve to inform so many discussions of our past, present and future.
The inclusion of distinct experiences and approaches to art and design is important when being asked to design to meet the needs of the next half century. With that, however, students need to understand the history of architecture and design in the islands; why, for example, houses had swing-out, louvered shutters on windows and doors that provided shade and protection. In the case of a storm, any inhabitant could simply close the shutters against the storm and they were reusable, non-damaging to walls and lasted decades. This is an example of cultural sustainability and learning from the past. Awareness of the past commixes with the importance of moving beyond the now, mentally, imaginatively and physically, though innovation is obvious when we understand that we are a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) threatened by rising sea levels, extreme weather and changing patterns.
A great deal of focus has been given to Expo 2020 in Dubai and The Bahamas' role in the event. Students have been working through and creating designs to be selected as finalists by the committee in Dubai ahead of the Expo. Students, faculty and other partners such as Ambassador Tony Joudi, Michael Diggis Associates, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have come together to ensure the success of the project. Students build a chair out of one piece of cardboard and are challenged to work with light and dark, black and white, to think beyond the limitations of color into the potential for the future based on understanding the past. They create art that is not constricted by ideas of what Bahamian art should look like, as Dionne Benjamin-Smith's work in the permanent exhibition articulates.
The talks address the built environment and work to elucidate the overlaps and synergies that have often been eclipsed by scarce focus being paid to all of these areas of Bahamian culture. Speakers have been as diverse as Dionne Benjamin-Smith and Patrick Rahming. The discussions serve as a way to reignite cultural awareness through dialogue with artists, writers and other creative practitioners. This term's events have led to an interesting combination of art classes and classes on Bahamian culture, that have allowed the interstitial nature of art, culture and everyday life to reveal itself.
Pat Rahming raised significant awareness of this through his talk on the built environment and Bahamian culture. A man of many talents, Rahming read his poetry, discussed his work as a designer and the disconnection between what we espouse as a body politic and what we do, our institutions and our lack of support for them, as well as his experiences in life that have created him and served in his cultural development.
Rahming's insight on the part of the artist/creative practitioner to speak to the future, to create the vision, encourage a visioning unfettered by international and non-culturally appropriate influences that serve only to change us into a bad copy rather than a stunning original. For example, building on the ground without elevation, rather than building the foundation up to allow for flooding. In the past, houses were kept cooler by allowing air to circulate under them. Today, materials are different, but houses should still be elevated so that they do not flood, as we see whenever the rains conflate to work against the built environment.
Rahming challenged students to think about things differently; to not be bound by artificial lines of demarcation created to empower parties but disempower national development. His insights were surgically concise and well delivered. His presentation fits in well with the thrust to rethink the way we develop ourselves and our country. His insights work with the opportunity to promote change and transformation on the table now with Expo 2020; the World's Fair offers the nation a year on the world stage and the chance to rethink all the poor design and implementation we have simply not used, such as The National Development Plan of New Providence Island and the city of Nassau, developed by Columbia University Institute of Urban Environment and Division of Planning in 1968, EDAW's Nassau Harbour and Bay Street Renaissance Programme, (EDAW is now AECOM) to Jackson Burnside's study and plan for Historic Nassau. Many plans have fallen victim, or better stated been devoured by political 'pastfulness'.
In the 1990s, Pat Rahming worked along with Jackson Burnside to design waterfront possibilities for Nassau, yet these have never been implemented. As art and design need to be coupled, we now need to uncouple ourselves from the lack of political will to truly develop a vibrant city centre.
The Nassau Urban Lab Report does a great job of bringing things together and offering excellent recommendations for revitalizing Nassau and rebuilding Over-the-Hill. However, does it go far enough in its cultural consideration? Will anything come of this plan and can it or will it work with the National Development Plan to truly move us forward? What we in fact need is planning that jettisons us into the next half of the 21st-Century. The 20th Century is over and gone, yet our thinking seems to be steadfastly stuck somewhere back there. The opportunities afforded us at this time are tremendous, let us try not to squander them as we have with so many others.
Opportunity to think, opportunity to build, opportunity to grow.
By creating opportunities through education and cultural awareness, as the talks at NAGB do, we are not washing away money. The UB/NAGB talks build our capacity for the future. They allow the students to engage with history, creative thinking and problem solving, national requirements for success, especially in a small island developing state seemingly unable to recover from one hurricane before another hits. Hurricanes are not a fluke.
We often hear of our bounty compared to Cuba, yet a great success has occurred there. Cuban culture thrives, not because of limitations but despite them. We have been spoilt into thinking that we can produce like Cuba, but we have also been taught that to create we must tow the government line. In Cuba, art and culture often develop despite government controls. The only way Cuban artists can thrive as they do is because of their incredible creativity, their massive ingenuity and their amazing dexterity and resourcefulness. Bahamians have been taught that tourism will provide all that we need.
We do not expect tourists to come and see what we have to offer. Instead, we create artificial places and destinations for tourists to come and stay outside of the nature and culture of The Bahamas, using the country as a backdrop. We do not build rooms to support our geographical wealth and natural gifts. We are unique in the Caribbean, and frankly, in the world, yet we choose to criticize our youth for imitating too much American ethos, yet we tell them that this is what tourists want. We insist that young people not critique or challenge authority; they must learn how to fall in line, and then we criticize them for not being capable of critical thought or for under producing in less than ideal conditions.
Expo 2020, the work of Creative Nassau, the thinking and implementation of creative practitioners like Pat Rahming, art students from underfunded arts programmes, and the designers and artists who work tirelessly behind the scenes and study to inform their practice understand the importance of decoupling from the government to succeed. Expo 2020 provides a formidable opportunity to prosper through design, connectivity, mobility, opportunity, and sustainability.
Sustainable Nassau is another feeder opportunity that can create a vibrant Nassau. However, we must remember that the Bahamas is larger than Nassau city, we have a unique culture and environment that must be protected not because it is to be fossilized, but because the country is fragile and as long as we live here we are constantly threatened by natural and unnatural disasters.
Works of art attest to this, they also attest to the amazing creativity resident in the country. However, we must delink learning from the government. The government does not design for the future; if it has its way, it would rather reside in the past because politics lives in the past.
The University of The Bahamas can take the current opportunity to become a place where design happens, not a program that is loosely managed, a place where government is informed of what the future holds by the thinkers and creative actors, the students. NAGB/UB talks, Expo 2020, the potential to partner with BAMSI and the confluence of other events and programmes serve to move the country forward into the next millennium.