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Ayissa Textile Designs inprints on local market

As we continue to celebrate women this month, the National Cultural Foundation is highlighting the journey and work of artist and designer Ayissa Burnett in this two-part feature. Next we will feature her daughter Shanika Burnett who is also an artist and designer.

Talented artist and designer Ayissa Burnett’s face lights up as she speaks about her business.

She is the textile and fibre artist behind Ayissa Texitle Designs, located at #8 Pelican Craft Centre. She creates a range of home goods which includes, but is not limited to, soft furnishing pillows, throw cushions and table cloths. She also offers accessories, shirts, scarfs, shawls, wall pieces and a commercial line of mugs which feature her fabric designs.

The artist’s pieces are not only handmade but ecofriendly as well. They are created with the best all natural fibres and dye products available on the market.

“We were certified in 2016 by the Future Centre Trust as a green business so we take care and we pay a lot of attention to the products that we are using, how they impact the environment…how sustainable they are…” she explained.

Burnett has been an active artist and teacher for about 30 years. She started out when she was a young girl by learning crochet and knitting from her aunt.

Back then, she also did smocking as a hobby. After, she started to sew but finding the materials to work with was a challenge so she got into designing her own fabrics for her garments.

She gains inspiration and bounces ideas with her daughter, Shanika Burnett who also designs under her label Shakad Designs. She creates the fabric while her daughter makes the products.

Despite Ayissa Textile Designs and Shakad Designs being two separate businesses, they often collaborate. In 2022, their joint efforts could be viewed at the NCF’s Wearable Art Exhibition.

“After a while, Shanika came along and she was really into the fashion and she started to create pieces that were beyond my imagination…she was doing a fantastic job with what she was coming up with in terms of designs for the textiles…[I] put all of my energy then into designing the fabrics that she worked with and then we came up with the line of soft furnishings,” she said with a smile.

Burnett’s other source of inspiration is her immediate surroundings. The colours in her work especially reflect a lot of the environment.

“Sometimes standing by my door and looking across… as the sun goes down, that is inspiration… seeing the water, the different shades of blue you get on a given day, those are sources of inspiration,” she said.

Additionally, her work uses the ancient techniques of batiking and tie dying.

“Years ago, the NCF had a training programme where they brought in a textile artist from West Africa and that too really was a springboard in further development for me in terms of the textiles… that helped me take it to another level in terms of designing and patterning…,” she said.

Over the years, she has participated in other NCF workshops such as the Adinkra Workshop in 2003 and more recently, the Accelerate to Export Symposium 2022. Furthermore, she has been an instructor for NCF’s Community Development Craft Workshop and Youth Achieving Results Visual Art Programme, a judge at the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts and an assistant curator for the Celebrating Textiles Exhibition.

As someone who has worked and taught with the NCF on multiple occasion, she recommended that other creatives form a relationship with the NCF as well as pointed out the training opportunities such as the current workshop in leather craft and crochet.

Going forward, she wants to increase and build the presence of Ayissa Textiles and carry on their legacy. Moreover, she wants to continue to share and give back through her workshops.

She shared some advice for those who are interested in taking a similar path: “You have to be passionate about the work you are doing. You have to have that stickability… because the journey has been long and the roads were rough sometimes… it has its ups and downs so you have to be willing to stick it out. Every day is not a picnic and you have to be willing to put your all into it,” she said.

Ayissa Textile Designs can be found on Instagram and Facebook at ayissatextiledesigns or on their website www.ayissatextiledesigns.com (PR)

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Centenarian Celebrates Her Dominica-Barbados-UK Connection

Josephine Bailey Celebrated

One of Barbados’ newest centenarians, Josephine Bailey, celebrated her 100th birthday on September 27, 2024, at her home in Dalkeith Village, St. Michael.

In addition to family members and some close friends, one of her specially invited guests was President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason.

One of Mrs. Bailey’s daughters, Judith Lockhart, shared that her mother was born in Castle Bruce, a village on the east coast of Dominica, where she also attended school. After school, the centenarian, who worked in agriculture, made an initial visit to Barbados around the age of 18 and decided to stay, working in retail stores in Bridgetown.

Ms. Lockhart also shared that her mother had a stall in town where she would take them as small children, to work with her.

“She had a market stall, fruits and vegetables, and then after that she left…. It was nursing that gave her the opportunity to go to England and train as a nurse,” she said.

When asked by Her Excellency whether the centenarian was a disciplinarian, Ms. Lockhart remarked that as teenagers they were allowed to attend social events with the understanding that they were to return “by a particular time” or face being disciplined.

She said her mother insisted that all four of them attend evening classes, even while at school, to learn additional trades and be better prepared for the future. “Mum was very passionate about us doing something with our lives. Her motto was ‘always be independent …and look out for yourself’,” Ms. Lockhart said.

Always goal oriented, Mrs. Bailey applied to be trained as a nurse in the United Kingdom (UK), and became a member of the Windrush Generation, who emigrated there at the invitation of the British Government to be trained and to help rebuild England after the Second World War.

*Barbados’ newest centenarians, Josephine Bailey poses with President of Barbados, Her Excellency, The Most Honourable Dame Sandra Mason and family during her birthday celebrations*.

After four years of training, she worked in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), in hospitals such as St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington and Royal Free Hospital in Camden. While in the UK, Mrs. Bailey (nee Lockhart) married a Barbadian and continued living there.

In the latter part of her career with the NHS, Mrs. Bailey worked at the Community Health Centre, which included family planning and home visits to patients. Earning the respect of her patients, peers, and leadership team, she was selected to meet Queen Elizabeth II, during an official visit to open a section of the Queen’s Park Heath Centre.

Mrs. Bailey retired at age 65, returned to Barbados, and settled down in Dalkeith Village, St. Michael, an area with which she was familiar.

She kept active in her kitchen garden and in church at the St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. She also taught at the St. Patrick’s Primary School; spent time with family and friends; did some cooking and travelled.

Her Excellency presented Mrs. Bailey with a bouquet of flowers, a bottle of non-alcoholic wine and a personalised card, which was followed by a toast to the centenarian.

Mrs. Bailey, a widower, had four children, nine grandchildren (one deceased), and seven great-grandchildren.

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Millie Ifill Fish Market At Weston, St. James Re-Opens

The Millie Ifill Fish Market facility, at Weston, St. James, reopened on Saturday after receiving a BDS $2.7 million upgrade, thanks to the Barbados Port Inc. (BPI).

As part of its corporate social responsibility initiatives, the BPI began upgrading the facility designed by Architectural Designer & Project Manager, Rianne Greaves, in May 2023. Completion of the state-of-the-art vending and fish processing disabled-friendly building occurred in July 2024.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, under whose portfolio the BPI falls, noted that similar to other large-scale community developmental projects, the Millie Ifill Fish Market project is expected to demonstrate a high level of benefits, including enhanced social experiences for residents and visitors, and improved infrastructural development.

He added that the initiative is part of a wider undertaking of Government to upgrade the island’s fishing facilities.

“We hope that this building will serve as a beacon of inspiration to a new generation of workers in the fishing industry, and a testament to this Government’s commitment to upgrading fishing facilities in line with the requisite standards that support fish handling and the retail of fresh catches to the domestic, hospitality, packaging, and distributing sectors,” Mr. Gooding-Edghill stated.

He also highlighted other initiatives under the BPI’s Social Responsibility Programme, including the renovation of the Speightstown Jetty, the Pile Bay Fishing Facility, the Bridgetown Port Fire Station, and the Shallow Draught Marina.

The Minister encouraged users of the facility to be forerunners in the maintenance of the property and upkeep of equipment.

Minister of the Environment, National Beautification, Green and Blue Economy, Adrian Forde; Member of Parliament for the area, Edmund Hinkson; and Chief Fisheries Officer, Dr. Shelly-Ann Cox, agreed with Minister Gooding-Edghill that it was important for those using the facility assist with its maintenance and care the equipment.

Dr. Cox said the upgraded Millie Ifill Fish Market in Weston stands out in the community “as a diamond on the West, not only aesthetically pleasing but fit for purpose”.

She added: “This world-class facility raises the profile and catalyses the sustainable development of the fisheries sector. In our thrust towards aspiring to excellence and promoting seafood quality assurance in the post-harvest sector, this building epitomises the highest standard of excellence. It is outfitted with the amenities and equipment to support the processing and sale of good quality fish and promote the improvement of sanitary measures. The facility also provides a space to encourage social interaction and a hub for fisherfolk and members of the Weston Fisherfolk and Community Organisation.”

The upgraded facility, constructed by Empire Building and Construction, boasts a main office, shutters, an ice machine, a chiller room, a walk-in freezer, a high-tech security system, fish offal storage, a public toilet with disabled provisions, a public shower, separate fish retail and processing areas, vendors bathrooms with showers, a lunchroom, and improved sidewalk with disabled access.

The facility is named after former centenarian and well-known fish vendor Millicent Ifill, who touched many lives in the Weston, St. James community. (PR/GIS)

Caption: Member of Parliament, St. James North, Edmund Hinkson and Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Ian Gooding-Edghill, unveil a plaque to commemorate the reopening of the Millie Ifill Fish market facility on Saturday, while Ministers Chad Blackman and Adrian Forde and government officials look on.

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ETA For Travel To Kenya Required

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade advises that all persons, including infants and children, must complete an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) form in order to travel to the Republic of Kenya.

This new requirement results from policy changes, which took effect this year, whereby holders of Ordinary Barbados Passports have to obtain an ETA at least 72 hours before their intended visit to Kenya. However, it is recommended that applications be submitted at least two weeks prior to travel to ensure adequate time for processing.

The cost for Kenya’s ETA is US $32.50 per traveller, plus banking and processing fees. The ETA is valid only for a single trip, and a new authorisation must be obtained for every subsequent visit to Kenya.

Holders of Diplomatic Barbados Passports must apply for an ETA at least 72 hours before their intended visit to Kenya, but they will be exempted from payment if certified by letter that they are on official duty.

For ETA applications and guidelines, persons should visit the official website https://www.etakenya.go.ke.