Black Immigrant Daily News

The Lionfish Derby Project, under the umbrella of Elkhorn Marine Conservancy (EMC) https://www.emcantigua.org will present the first Antigua Open Lionfish Tournament and Festival from Nov 18-20, 2022 with events taking place on the water and at Nelson’s Dockyard.

The program includes a lionfish hunting competition, with prizes totaling $12,650 USD (34,155 EC) to be awarded, a lionfish cooking competition, a marine conservation youth poster contest, and much more.  The three-day program will culminate on Sunday Nov. 20 with a festival featuring exhibitions, demonstrations, and entertainment at historic Nelson’s Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Dockyard exhibition will be open from 1:00pm to 5:00pm with free admission.  It will offer activities of interest to all ages, including lionfish tasting, educational lectures, video games, and lionfish art.

An exciting component of the Lionfish Open program will be a series of events related to the production of lionfish jewelry, a new and innovative art form that is helping to control lionfish while raising awareness about this invasive species.

The fins, tails and spines of lionfish can be dried in a variety of shapes to form an attractive material for use in production of jewelry and other handicrafts. The fins come in multiple colors ranging from deep orange to black.  They can also be dyed in other colors.

“Production of lionfish jewelry provides a number of benefits”, said Phil Karp, who is coordinating the jewelry program. “First, the sale of fins and spines to artists allows fishers to monetize parts of the fish that would otherwise be discarded, raising the landed value per fish by up to 40 percent.  Second, production and sale of lionfish jewelry opens up new income opportunities, particularly for women.  Third, lionfish jewelry making is a way for anyone interested in protecting the marine environment to do something to make a difference.  And fourth, lionfish jewelry helps to raise awareness about the threat posed by this invasive species”, he added.

The Antigua Open Lionfish program will offer three lionfish jewelry events. The first will be a Master Class on lionfish jewelry design and production.  This by-invitation event will bring together experienced jewelry artists and experts from across the Caribbean to share design ideas, tips and tricks of lionfish jewelry production, and to co-create new ways of incorporating lionfish into design and fashion.

Representing Antigua at this first-ever event will be Miranda Askie, owner of Miranda Designs and one of Antigua’s best known jewelry artists and fashion designers.  “I’m very much looking forward to joining this exciting event” said Askie.  Also expected to participate are lionfish jewelry artists and experts from Aruba, Belize, Mayreau, and the United States.

The program will also include two introductory classes on how to make lionfish jewelry.  These will be offered on Saturday Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. No prior jewelry making experience is required.  There will be a fee of EC$40 per participant, which covers both instruction and a starter kit of jewelry making tools and materials.

All participants are guaranteed to leave the class with at least one finished jewelry item!  Advance registration is required.  Interested parties can register online or by email to [email protected] .

Facilitators for the introductory classes include the following experts:

Phil Karp is an expert on lionfish jewelry, having helped to develop the market for this product around the Caribbean and elsewhere. He has conducted lionfish jewelry workshops in Belize, Grenada, and Honduras and has written and lectured about this innovative approach to lionfish management at marine conservation conferences around the world.

Khadija Assales  is founder and CEO of Kaj Expressions.  She is one of Belize’s best known jewelry artists, having grown her business to encompass retail outlets across the country as well as an online shop and pop-up sales at numerous events. She also has a wide social media following encompassing more than ten percent of Belize’s population.  Khadija started making lionfish jewelry in 2013 and it is now one of her best-selling products, particularly in overseas markets.  She has represented Belize at several Caribbean-wide trade fairs and expositions and was recently selected as the U.S. State Department Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative’s 2022 Youth Ambassador.

Miranda Askie is one of Antigua’s best known jewelry artists and fashion designers. She is the owner and founder of Miranda Designs.  Originally from the nature isle of Dominica, her art draws inspiration from a childhood spent in deep forests and beside fresh rivers, combined with influences drawn from the bright turquoise light and crisp salty air of Antigua.

The jewelry program is possible thanks to the sponsorship and support of Antigua and Barbuda National Parks, Nelson’s Dockyard, Lionfish University, Miranda Designs, Kaj Expressions, and PK Lionfish Productions.

The Lionfish Derby Project would also like to thank the many community members for making the Tournament and Festival possible, including the Ministry of Tourism and the Honorable Minister Max Fernandez, the Mill Reef Club as a platinum sponsor and Elite Island Resorts as a silver sponsor as well as the many other island stakeholders who are pitching in including: Fisheries, Coast Guard, media, dive shops, fishermen, and others.

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Jolly Beach workers and Union verify outstanding severance

– Former employees of the Jolly Beach Resort converged at the ABWU’s headquarters on Wednesday and Thursday to verify their outstanding severance amounts following a recent announcement by the Government that monies would be disbursed within a matter of days.

By Friday morning, more than 200 individuals were able to verify their outstanding severance amounts. According to Deputy General Secretary, Chester Hughes, the on-going verification exercise will ensure that all employees are paid what is rightfully theirs.

Several former staff members have expressed relief that the severance dispute was now drawing to a close. One young man, who was employed at the hotel for 10 years, said he was grateful to the Union for its relentless pursuit of the workers’ severance. “They did a very good job! They stuck with us right through…I must commend them [for] pounding the government, [and going] through the courts…,” the young man said.

A 62-year-old woman, who gave 12 years of service to the hotel, expressed disappointment at the protracted course of the severance dispute. “I’ve been home for two years and months without nothing…so I find that we’ve been treated badly,” the former worker explained.

The woman who takes care of her 92-year-old mother added that she and her co-workers had given their best to the Resort but were left to languish.

More than 500 employees lost their jobs when the Jolly Beach Resort ceased operations in March 2020.

Last week, the Government announced that it had secured a deal with the Elite Group for the renovation and re-opening of the hotel in January 2023.

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Attorney Vincent Nelson, KC. –

ANOTHER group of attorneys has expressed concern over the indemnity agreement between the Government and convicted King’s Counsel Vincent Nelson.

On Friday, the Assembly of Southern Lawyers (ASL) said it wanted to put on the public record its disquiet with the role of the former attorney general.

The ASL’s executive also said it took note of the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to discontinue the criminal charges against former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, and ex-UNC senator Gerald Ramdeen and the explanation of DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, on Monday.

In its statement, the ASL executive said it was particularly concerned about the indemnity agreement as “it now appears that this was done without the knowledge or consent of the learned DPP.

“Fundamental to the proper administration of justice in any democratic society is public confidence in public officials, whether they be elected or appointed officials.

“The matters in the public domain regarding the immunity agreement with Mr Vincent Nelson have raised serious questions about public officials acting outside of their remit.

“These are matters of significant public concern and interest. Our citizens deserve answers and there must be full disclosure from the relevant parties of the particulars and effect of the said indemnity agreement; as well as detailed reasons from the learned DPP for his decision to discontinue the said charges.”

On Thursday, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) also condemned the agreement and the role of former AG Faris Al-Rawi and called on the DPP for “a detailed and transparent statement” of his reasons for discontinuing the charges against Ramlogan and Ramdeen.

Also speaking out was a former president of the Law Association, Martin Daly, SC, who said Al-Rawi “overstepped his boundaries” and inserted himself way too far into the dealings with Nelson.

“Those dealings with Nelson and his crew were not any business of the Ministry of the Attorney General, which Mr Al-Rawi held at the time. Dealing with Nelson becoming a witness for the State was and is the exclusive business of the DPP.”

Contacted on Friday, current Law Association president Sophia Chote, SC, said she has asked the association’s council to consider the issue, as she cannot speak without their input and agreement.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

This Breast Cancer Awareness month, Sagicor is asking “Are You Seeing the Signs?”

The leading regional insurer is once again aiming to bring awareness to the importance of screening for early detection with its annual ‘Pinktober’ campaign. This year, the campaign urges persons across the Caribbean not to wait until the signs present themselves, as they may not always be obvious, but to use screening as the first line of defence.

In addition to a robust media campaign, specially designed shirts will also be sold in Sagicor’s operating territories across the Southern Caribbean, the proceeds of which will be donated to local cancer societies. Persons can also look out for various in-country activities to assist in spreading the message.

Ingrid Card, Vice President, Group Marketing, Communications and Brand Experience, Sagicor said she hopes the campaign would help spur people into action.

“In the ongoing fight against breast cancer, early detection goes a long way towards saving lives. We at Sagicor are pleased to be able to play our part in the fight against this deadly disease by saying to both men and women alike, be vigilant, look for the signs and more than anything, get your screenings done. We hope that by alerting people to this important message, that we can play a part in driving the statistics downward.”

She added, “Self-examination is also a convenient, no-cost option. If done on a regular basis and combined with regular physical exams by a medical professional, this approach can also increase the probability of early detection, which has been proven to increase the rate of survival.”

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