Bahamas News
BAHAMAS: ‘Culture and Youth in The Park’ – Part of Community Outreach
#Bahamas, February 15, 2018 – Nassau – Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture the Hon. Michael Pintard said that the “Culture and Youth in the Park” event his Ministry held, on February 10, 2018, was a part of community outreach and a way to encourage and recognize the youth and culturally-minded persons 
throughout The Bahamas.
“Essentially, we believe that it is important to interact with our young people in positive ways,” Minister Pintard said at the event, which was held on the George “Busta” Brown Park, in the Bain and Grants Town community.
“In other words, persons who are in the historic communities, like Bain Town or the Over-The-Hill community, their interaction with government should not be through the police and through Social Services and some of the agencies that suggest something else. We believe it ought to be positive engagement.
“What we are seeking to do, as part of the revitalisation programme forged by the Prime Minister (the Hon. Hubert Minnis), is to do similar types of programmes that have been done by (Ministry of) Labour, through Labour on the Blocks; through Urban Renewal — through the initiatives they have launched; and now we are bringing culture to the park as well as youth outreach — where we are interacting with young people, talking about positive choices that they can make, opportunities that exist, and organizations that they can join.”
Among those present for the opening ceremony were: Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Travis L. Robinson, the Ministry’s Director of Culture Rowena Sutherland, Director of Youth and Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary K. Darron Turnquest, Project Co-ordinator Henry Higgins, Founder and Chair of the Eneas Street Festival Bridgette Seymour, community activist Rev. Dr. C. B. Moss, Woman Police Corporal and founder of The Bahamas International Drill Team Keva J. N. Major, Junkanoo icon and cultural businessman Quentin “Barabbas” Woodside, and government and civic stakeholders.
“Many of the groups that are here are from Bain Town: we have the International Drill Team ‘in the house’; we have the marching bands here, Barabbas and the Tribe, and Geno D will be coming through,” Minister Pintard said.
He noted that Jr. Miss Galaxy Bahamas Maleah Gabrielle Miller, marching bands, church groups, dance troupes, and a multitude of others came out to interact with the young people in the community at the park. Bahamian ‘Limbo and Fire King,’ Leroy “Sweet Boy Leroy” Butler also interacted with the children present and performed for scores of cheering “new fans.”
“You can look at the enthusiasm of the young people who are here,” he pointed out. He added that the vendors at the event were also from the community.
“We believe that when you are generating income it should be for those who are from the community, as opposed to people who are coming in, earning revenue and leaving,” Minister Pintard said.
“We are excited to be here in this community,” Minister Pintard said.
Director of Culture Rowena Sutherland said, “Culture and Youth in the Park is a part of a wider initiative that the Ministry is embarking on to support creative and cultural artists in The Bahamas; and the Ministry seeks to uplift the various neighbourhoods throughout The Bahamas.”
She added that it was a national plan the Ministry is executing, the goal being to go into every constituency and empower them by finding out what their needs are, who are their cultural and religious leaders, and to give them the structural support they need; and then, in turn, have events and to create safe spaces for the residents to enjoy.
“Saturday’s event in Bain and Grants Town was most successful,” Director Sutherland said. “Nearly all of the children in the neighbourhood came out and were very engaged – they had a positive activity to engage in.”
“We also had a lot of support from the leaders of the community in organizing the event; so that they felt that it was ‘theirs’; and it was a beautiful outpouring of community, of art, and of love,” she added.
Director Sutherland echoed Minister Pintard’s sentiments, saying that the Ministry seeks to promote the creative and cultural community and the Culture and Youth in the Park initiative will be a contributing catalyst in the development of the creative and cultural arts community. She also noted that vendors were able to sell their wares from 3 pm to 9 pm, providing for a large window of opportunity for sales that evening.
“We are going to move to Centreville,” Minister Pintard noted. “We are going to be in Englerston, Pinewood Gardens, Nassau Village — we are going to be in every community in New Providence and, of course, by extension in the Family Islands.”
By: Eric Rose (BIS)
Photo captions:
Header: Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, Travis L. Robinson speaks, on February 10, 2018, at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s “Culture and Youth in the Park”, held on the George “Busta” Brown Park, in the Bain and Grants Town community.
First insert: Junkanoo icon and cultural businessman Quentin “Barabbas” Woodside leads young boys in the community in various traditional beats, on February 10, 2018, at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s “Culture and Youth in the Park.”
Second insert: Local children scream for Bahamian ‘Limbo and Fire King,’ Leroy “Sweet Boy Leroy” Butler to go lower, on February 10, 2018, at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture’s “Culture and Youth in the Park.”
Third insert: Adults show the children how to properly jump rope and “look good doing it.”
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
