THE POWER OF ART – Dear Editor, I was totally shocked by the recent appointment of the new Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture! Having smiled with relief when Minister Pintard was appointed, confident that his Ministry would benefit from his firsthand knowledge and appreciation for art and culture, I must now disappointedly admit that the machination of ‘politricks’ leave me speechless!
By Pamela Burnside. Dear Editor, S.O.S. – SAVE OUR (CITY’S) SOUL. In the late 1900s my late husband, architect and Bahamian advocate Jackson Burnside III, wrote a newspaper article under this same title, bemoaning the burgeoning loss of pride and appreciation for our country’s soul – i.e. our unique, rich Bahamian Art, Culture, and Heritage. Although he is no longer physically with us, I will intersperse this letter with several of his quotations, which are still so very relevant today.
A letter from cultural activist Pamela Burnside: Dear Editor, FIX THE CIVIL SERVICE! I write this letter with consternation after an exchange yesterday with an employee at the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation. Firstly, (and this applies to ALL ministries), why do civil servants believe that using “Miss or Mrs…So and so” is the proper way to introduce themselves instead of using their first name? How can you contact them, especially those who have a common surname like Smith or Bethel, if you cannot distinguish them amongst the huge office of people! Please, Department of Public Service, hold a seminar for civil servants, headed by properly qualified individuals, to teach proper etiquette and basic commonsense (although the commonsense part might be pushing it)!