when is a palm tree not a palm tree?weekly97.o2switch.net/pdf/weekly302.pdf · march 9, splendor...

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014 Local News

in English

Published by Le Journal de Saint-Barth05 90 27 65 19 - [email protected]

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From March 9

When Is A Palm Tree Not A Palm Tree?Splendor Solis, an

exhibit of work by Douglas White organized by Art St Barth at Eden Rock Gallery.

Weekly 302_Mise en page 1 03/03/14 19:24 Page1

2 St Barth Weekly n°302

The bay of Saint Jean looks decid-edly different, with a series of redballs popping up to delineate theprolongation of the runway at theairport. These two lines of brightred buoys, that extend almost 500feet past the end of the runway,were installed by Collectivity onSaturday, February 22, to helpmeet Civil Aviation’s demands forsecurity. In the same way that met-al fencing was placed to preventclimbing on the hillside behind LaTourmente following an accidentthere on January 24, when a pho-tographer standing below the crosson the hillside fell to the groundwhen he was grazed by the wheelof a plane coming in for a landing. As required, that incident wasreported to the Bureau of Inquiries

and Analyses (BEA), and recalledanother incident in August 2008, inwhich an American tourist takingpictures on the beach at the end ofthe runway was hit by the wheel ofa plane taking off. Seriouslyinjured, he was evacuated for med-ical treatment. The BEA hadalready formulated recommenda-tions concerning securing theextension of the runway in SaintBarth. Recently, the Civil Aviation securi-ty office wrote a letter requestingthat Gustave III Airport in St Jeanimmediately put security measuresinto place for the protection sur-veillance of the zone, to prohibitintrusions. And in the meantime,temporary, but urgent and effectivemeasures have put into place.

Among the measures instituted bythe Collectivity include the lines ofbuoys that run 500’ in the bay, tomeet a prefectural decree concern-ing dating from 1982. Concerning security on the beach,the Collectivity envisions theinstallation of two fences, one-meter high, running right into thewater on either side of the runwayto ensure that people do not pene-trate that zone. “Will these fencesserve as sustainable measures ofsecurity? Is it possible to protectthe site with surveillance camerasand motion detectors,” asks Fab-rice Danet, the director of the air-port. Good questions as someonehad already taken the red buoys outof the water and put them on thebeach.

FENCES ON THE BEACH IN ST JEAN? Civil aviation has requested that the prolongation of the runway in St Jean be protected toavoid future accidents.



T he Saint Barth Bucket willonce again take place thelast weekend of March,

with races on Friday, March 28through Sunday, March 31. Todate, 38 boats have registered forthis exceptional event reserved forsailboats over 100’ in length.Among these, Adela, a 182’ Dyk-stra-designed schooner, built byPendennis, winner of last year’sBucket. At 216’, the largest yachtin the fleet so far is Hetairos, fol-lowed by the 190’ Perini NaviSeahawk. The Bucket boats aredivided into four classes: LesGazelles des Mers, Les Elégantesdes Mers, Les Mademoiselles desMers, and Les Grandes Damesdes Mers, but none of the fabulous

J-Class boats are returning. Eachyear, the Bucket organizers makea major donation to a worthy proj-ect or association in Saint Barth.

In 2014 the beneficiary will be theEcole Saint-Joseph in Lorient, fortheir building project of improv-ing facilities for students.

38 BOATS IN BUCKET SO FAR



Ema, Charlotte, andLinus are 18 year-old high school

students from Trelleborg,Sweden, the hometownof Bertil Larsson, presi-dent of the MariusStakelborough Founda-tion. Invited by the Foun-dation, these three stu-dents came to Saint Barthfor the first time duringthe last week of Februarywith an eye toward dis-covering the former over-seas possession of the

Swedish crown. As partof their studies, they willmake a report on theirtrip when they return toTrelleborg. While on theisland, Charlotte, Ema,and Linus met with vari-ous Nils Dufau, vicepresident of the Collec-tivity and president of theSaint Barth Friends ofSweden Association,Dantes Magras, honoraryconsul of Sweden for theNorthern Islands, theteachers at Mireille

Choisy Junior High, andof course they paid a visitto Marius at Le Select.By the end of the week,our three explorers hadcheeks tinted by the sunand heads full of lessonsabout the history of theisland, from the days ofKing Gustave III to themodern era, by way ofthe economic boom thanwas spurred by luxurytourism. But the otheredge of the sword is thatthe attractiveness of SaintBarth provoked anincrease in prices acrossthe board, on an islandwhere prices werealready high due to thedifficulties of transporta-tion. Not to mentionrents, which increasefaster than salaries, as ourstudents learned. Otherdifficulties for familiesinclude sending theirchildren off island forhigh school and universi-ty, even if that departureallows them to “discoverthe outside world,” aswas noted. These visitors

from Sweden also weremade aware of the envi-ronmental issues on theisland, and the threats tonature caused by eco-nomic development andthe proliferation of vehi-cles on the island, as wellas the choice of burningdiesel fuel to create elec-tricity for the island, andthat solar energy is noteconomically viable dueto the cost per squaremeter, and the future ofwind turbines on isletCoco is not confirmed. Ina certain way, “Trelle-borg is similar to SaintBarth,” remarks, TomMagnusson, who accom-panied them to the island.“It’s a small town that theyoung people have toleave to continue theirstudies in the North ofSweden,” he explains.The three students finallyunderstood that “if SaintBarth is at risk, it’sbecause it is a victim ofits own success. A con-siderable risk,” observesMagnusson.

3 SWEDISH HIGHSCHOOL STUDENTSDISCOVERSAINT BARTH

The Marius Stakelborough Foundation invited Ema,Charlotte, and Linus, high school students from Trelleborg, Sweden, to Saint Barth. Seen here at Le Select, with Marius Stakelborough, Bertil Larsson, and Tom Magnusson



SAINT-BARTH ESSENTIEL PHOTO COMPETITION

F or the 4th consecutive year,the non-profit organizationSaint-Barth Essentiel is

holding a photo competition opento everyone. The theme this year:“Cultural Heritage and NaturalHeritage of Saint-Barthélemy:Intertwined Relationships.” This isa variation of the theme “CulturalHeritage, Natural Heritage,” asannounced for the 2014 EuropeanHeritage Days, scheduled for nextSeptember. The goal of the compe-tition is to illustrate “how our natu-ral and cultural heritage interact toform a cultural landscape, consist-ing of the combined efforts of manand nature, expressing a long andintimate relationship of the popula-tion with its environment.” Theparticipants are also invited to lookinto traditional techniques andknowledge “that reflect this her-

itage in a natural environment.” To participate, send an email [email protected] toreceive the rules of the competitionas well as the registration form,which should be completed,signed, and returned. Each partici-pant should submit one or morephotos (three maximum) accompa-nied by a caption that explains eachimage (the association can helpyou edit your images if need be).NOTE: The captions are obligatoryand photos will not be consideredwithout them. The deadline forsubmissions is April 30, 2014. Tosend by email send to:[email protected]; via thepost office: Association St BarthEssentiel, BP 1032, 97012 Saint-Barthélemy cedex. Submissionscan also be dropped off at thetourist office in Gustavia.

The winner of last year’s St BarthEssentiel photo competition wasBruno Dreyer whose magnificentimage of a tropicbird unani-mously wowed the jury calledupon to judge 37 photos evokingthe “wild fauna of Saint-Barthélemy.»



I n a sense, DouglasWhite—an artistborn in 1977— is an

alchemist. And the titleof his exhibit at EdenRock Gallery throughMarch 9, Splendor Solis(The Splendor of theSun), is a reference to abook used by 16th-cen-tury alchemists whotried to turn lead intogold. The associationArt St Barth, run byJenny Mannerheim andPhilippe Combres,invited this British

artist, who changessociety’s discardedmaterials into art, toenjoy a residency on theisland. His workincludes a deceptivepalm tree made of oldtruck tires that has takenroot in the garden at theEden Rock hotel. “Thisis not a tree,” one mightsay in paraphrasing thesurrealist painter RenéMagritte. Yet a fewpigeons have built anest there for their cutelittle fledglings…andthe mother is doing justfine. These nestlingscharm Douglas White,whose work embracesthe intersection ofnature and man. Hisother work at EdenRock Gallery includes aseries of ink drawingsmade with… squid. Theartist soaked the squidin its own ink to perme-

ate the canvas, withnature providing all theelements to create beau-tiful arabesques. Anoth-er of his techniques is toimprint veins and ribs inpieces of wood by usingan electrical charge withan extremely high volt-age. Art St Barth hasalso published a bookabout the artist in con-junction with his exhibitat Eden Rock.

Splendor Solis: anexhibit of work by Douglas White organized by Art StBarth at Eden RockGallery in Saint Jean.Opening reception,Sunday, March 9 at6pm. The exhibit runsthrough the end ofApril.

When Is A Palm Tree Not A Palm Tree?



Aman of convic-tion, GeneRobinson was

the Episcopal bishop forthe diocese of NewHampshire from 2004to 2013, but his tenurewas not without contro-versy. Known as thefirst priest in an openlygay relationship to beconsecrated a bishop ina major Christiandenomination, Robinsonsparked a split in theEpiscopalian Churchthat caused 100,000 ofits more than 2 millionmembers to leave andform an Anglicanbranch in the US.“They had issues withthe ordaining of womenas Episcopal clergy aswell as a gay bishop,”says Robinson, on vaca-tion in Saint Barth forthe 32nd consecutiveyear. “Those who leftare not really Anglicansas they are not in com-munion with the Arch-bishop of Canterbury,

and many of them havealready come back,” headds. And even theAnglican Church in theUK has embracedchange, as Robinsonwill be going to Wash-ington DC at the end ofthe month to join theUK ambassador in acelebration of marriageequality in England andWales, while the Epis-copalian Church in theStates now has a secondopenly gay bishop inLos Angeles and theclergy is now open totransgender people aswell.

Robinson first came toSaint Barth in 1983. Atthat time, a priest fromthe diocese of NewHampshire, whichencompasses 47 congre-gations across the entirestate, served the island’sAnglican parish. “Hewas here from Decem-ber through April eachyear,” notes Robinson.“When he stopped com-

ing he called upon anumber of us, and Icame for three weeksaround Lent, and neverstopped coming onvacation.” Robison hasfound, even all theseyears later, that “theessence of the islandendures. There hasalways been a casualacceptance of everyone,which is unusual in theCaribbean. And thebeauty of the islandremains of course,” headds. “It appears thateveryone has benefittedfrom the economicboom, and while somepeople may still livemodestly, there is not agreat disparity betweengreat wealth and pover-ty. It’s a pretty wonder-ful place that feels moreEuropean thanCaribbean.” Although officially

retired as bishop,Robinson maintains avoice and vote in theHouse of Bishops and isa senior fellow at theCenter For AmericanProgress, a think tank inWashington, DC. “Wethink about nationalsecurity, genocide,poverty, LGBT issues,questions of faith. I amostensibly a religiousperson working for aliberal think tank, pro-viding a moral voice tothe issues facingmankind,” says Robin-son, who is on the fore-front of progressivethinking. It makes greatsense, then, that one ofhis inspirations and rolemodels is MahatmaGandhi. “There is a life-size statue of Gandhi inWashington DC,”Robinson notes. “I liketo meditate with him.”

GENE ROBINSON: A VOICE OF REASON By Ellen Lampert-Gréaux

Photo: Rosemond Gréaux


1 St Barth Weekly n°302 St Barth Weekly n°302 1

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