"Don't let anyone persuade you against something you believe in your writing." - Telcine Turner Rolle

This past week saw the loss of a great Bahamian cultural icon as poet, playwright and teacher Telcine Turner Rolle succumbed to illness. She was 67.
Of Cat Island heritage, Telcine Turner was born December 3, 1944 on Milton Street and grew up in the "Babylon" vicinity of the Market Street area.
Telcine's contribution to The Bahamas is immeasurable.
Following a life-changing period of studies in English and education at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus, in the 1970s, she taught in several Bahamian high schools before taking up a post in English language and literature at the Bahamas Teachers Training College.
She married James O. Rolle in 1974 and in 1975 birthed her only child, Arien Rolle. Being an artist and cultural pioneer in his own right, James Rolle was Telcine's soul mate and best friend. They could often be seen taking in the latest cultural offerings, always in good spirits.
In 1976, she joined the staff of The College of The Bahamas in its infancy in the division of humanities, which she would eventually chair. Admired as much as she was feared, Telcine was instrumental in molding the sensibilities of many talented Bahamian writers today as an educator. Many would be surprised to hear which now-established and great Bahamian writers she had once given mediocre or even failing grades to. Yet this only served to push their talent to the limits - for Telcine, there was always room for improvement, an opportunity to set the bar one notch higher.
Telcine defined an era in Bahamian literature, publishing a book of poems for children, "Song of the Surreys" (illustrated by her husband); and editing two collections of work from students in her creative writing classes, "Once Below a Time" and "Climbing Clouds". Since 2009, she had been working on a third collection of student work, "Jah Knows! and Other One-Act plays by College of The Bahamas Students", which is still forthcoming.
Her most well known-work, "Woman Take Two" is a vital component of the foundation of Bahamian literature. The play marked a discernable focus in early post-colonial years on all things Bahamian with its three-dimensional Bahamian characters negotiating their identities. It is still used in the English Literature BGCSE today.
Telcine was also vey active in theater in The Bahamas, becoming part of the Bahama Drama Circle in the 1970s and helping to stage several summer productions at the theater auditorium of the Bahamas Teachers Training College, as well as receiving dramatic awards from The Bahamas Arts Festival.
After winning the Playwriting Prize in the University of West Indies 25th Anniversary Literary Competition in 1975 for "Woman Take Two", it took years until the play would hit the stage under the directorial eye of David Burrows in 1995 - partly because Telcine brought the same uncompromising standards to her creative work as she did in the classroom.
In fact, Telcine took these standards to every person she came across in her life - she was known to offer her constructive criticisms where she felt they were necessary, and those who knew her knew they'd be better off if they took it with thanks.
Though this quality often evoked backlash in those who were unfamiliar with her perfectionist ways, Telcine's standards were born out of love and a desire to see her beloved country improve and grow.
In everything she did, Telcine exuded the same excellence she demanded from others as she molded every person she touched into better Bahamian citizens. We owe it to her to set our standards higher and to meet them.

This Land I Celebrate
Telcine Turner Rolle

This land I celebrate not for its zeal
Of democratic rights, its affluent
New halls of residence, its confident
And forced-ripe millionaires, but for the feel
That people power can make paradise real.
We are not free when we turn reticent
because of fear, think man omnipotent
Instead of God and for the dollar kneel.
I see our people common as the sand
And just as precious - holding back the flood
When tide is high; encircling the land;
Together valorous, together good.
Although the fingers differ on a hand
Each helps the hand to function as it should.

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