By Alicia Wallace

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was held last week in Apia, Samoa, drawing delegations from 56 countries. This meeting, held every two years, provide an important space for Commonwealth countries to plan, exchange knowledge, and make commitments around the set themes. This year, the theme was “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”. Through CHOGM, the Samoa Communiqué of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting was produced.

In the communiqué, it is acknowledged that “resilient societies require an intersectional, human rights-based approach built on peace, security, sustainable development, and social and economic inclusion”. This is affirmation of the importance and central nature of human rights, that human rights apply to and are held by everyone, and that intersecting identities and forms of oppression impact access to human rights.

The heads noted the “importance of our diverse cultures and heritage, faiths, and indigenous knowledge systems, sciences, skills and practices” and committed to “prioritising small and vulnerable states, all women and girls, youth and children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and marginalised groups[…]”.

When they are together, in Commonwealth spaces, heads of government are able and willing to acknowledge the beauty and wide-ranging benefits of diversity. This unfortunately, does not always translate to appreciation of diversity in country, especially with regard to people in situations of vulnerability including women, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and migrant people.

One of the most inspiring aspects of multilateral spaces is the ease with which decision-makers agree on issues that are somehow seen as more complicated and often ignored at the national level. This can easily trick rights-holders and movement-builders into thinking that progress is being made and conversations will continue at level that heads of governments are not actually prepared to or interesting in sustaining.

The fourth paragraph of the communiqué states: “Heads renewed their commitment to gender equality and to the empowerment of women in keeping with the Commonwealth Charter, in all areas of activity within their countries and to strengthen their contribution to global efforts, in particular to SDG 5 on Gender Equality. Heads recognised that conflict, climate change, the digital environment, and negative social norms and behaviours may hinder progress on achieving gender equality and eliminating gender-based violence, and committed to promote the empowerment and rights of women and girls, including by working in partnership with and supporting civil society and women’s rights organisations. Heads welcomed the Outcome Statement of the 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting and the roadmap in support of the Commonwealth Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment 2022-2030 adopted at the 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting held in The Bahamas in August 2023. Heads committed to employ evidence-based approaches to eliminating gender-based violence, and to oppose all forms of discrimination, be they gender-based or otherwise. Heads strongly support the Commonwealth Says NO MORE Campaign and Road Map in support of the Commonwealth Declaration for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women 2022-2030.”

Commitment to gender equality is necessary for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The promotion of SDG 5 on gender equality is, of course, insufficient when there is no work toward the targets with implementation of the necessary policies and programs. The Bahamas, for example, continues to have a Department of Gender and Family Affairs that appears to be largely inactive, ill-equipped, and without a structure and clearly articulated mandate. It is not a national gender machinery, and a national gender machinery is what The Bahamas and what has been recommended in various United Nations review processes including the CEDAW review of 2018 and the Universal Periodic Review of 2023.

The Minister of Social Services has yet to meaningfully engage with the organizations and advocates working toward the advancement of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality. The Department of Gender and Family Affairs sits within the Ministry of Social Services, and it does not have and control its own budget, so it is in desperate need of an engaged Minister and a director who is a technical expert to both guide and champion its work.

The Minister of Social Services, who was unavailable or unwilling to meet with Equality Bahamas for many months, spoke at a session on women’s economic empowerment at the Commonwealth Women’s Forum in Apia, Samoa, taking place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). He stated that women’s economic empowerment is critical to economic growth. This came after his comments at the opening plenary of the Commonwealth Women’s Forum which included reference to loans provided by the Bahamas Development Bank and the United States Embassy-sponsored Academy of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program.

It is quite telling that the emphasis is on this kind of programming that is certainly fantastic for direct beneficiaries, but does nothing to transform the environment that makes such programs necessary and leaves many behind. When will any government minister acknowledge the specific factors that affect women’s participation in the economy, access to resources including land and money, size and volatility of the informal economy, and the burden of domestic and care work on women and girls which affects their economic opportunities and outcomes? When will Bahamian legislators and policymakers leverage relationships with Commonwealth countries and other multilateral organisations and spaces, not to grandstand, but to gain new perspectives, learn from successes, and identify initiatives that may be replicable and scalable in The Bahamas?

It is likely no surprise to anyone that The Bahamas excitedly hosted the 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting, failed to engage sufficient nongovernmental organisations engaged in policy spaces, then shared very little with the public about the event and its outcomes. This is what we have come to expect. When will Bahamian delegations, travelling on the taxpayers’ money, understand and fulfill their obligation to clearly communicate with the public about their goals for these engagements and the short- and long-term outcomes of their participation? When will they understand the importance of sharing outcome statements along with the specific ways they will follow through on their commitments and build relationships with other countries on similar paths?

When will what is said abroad be reflected in what is done at home?

At CHOGM, the Minister of Social Services went on to talk about the importance and rapid growth of the orange economy on the global scale. While this is true, we do not have sufficient evidence that the Government of The Bahamas is aware of the tremendous talent of Bahamians in the arts, nor the significant investment they make, on a consistent basis, to acquire supplies and space to work, and to make their products and services available to the public, all while making clear the intricacies of their work and the value of what they produce.

The Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts is the only community theatre in New Providence. Its mission is to [provide] a home for vibrant performing arts companies, and it is “committed to the development of the performing, visual, audiovisual, digital, and folk arts of The Bahamas”. Its board includes Nicolette Bethel, Adrian Archer, Claudette Allen, Philip Burrows, and Delores Archer-Adderley, and it is committed to nurturing writers, directors, and actors, providing opportunities for them to strengthen their skills and share their talent, and bringing the world of theatre to Bahamian audiences.

The full story of The Dundas, from the very beginning to where it is now, is quite interesting and can be found at dundascentre.org/our-story. Through many changes, both in the structure of The Dundas and the environment in which it operates, it has continued to nurture creatives and entertain as many people as the theatre(s) could seat. One of the most exciting programmes that has been recently introduced is Short Tales. Every year, the members of the public, including those who have never written a play, are invited to write and submit a short play. This gives new writers the opportunity to not only practice the art of writing, but to see their words come to life on the stage, with direction from another person who may or may not be new to the role of directing. It is no small feat or honor to see one’s work on the stage, and to be exposed to the ways the work is interpreted and portrayed by others. This, alone, can help writers to sharpen their skills, and may even lead to increased interest in directing and acting. The Dundas is a training space, a practice space, a workshop space, a culture space, an entertainment space, a community space. It ought to be enthusiastically supported by the Government of The Bahamas.

During the eighteen-month closure of The Dundas Center for the Performing Arts, due to measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the air conditioning ceased to function. It cannot be repaired, and replacement will cost an estimated $150,000. Without properly functioning air conditioning, the Winston V. Saunders theatre cannot be used. Fortunately, in the short term, for people who love and support Bahamian theatre, the Black Box theatre is being used to bring entertaining productions to up to 70 people per show. Unfortunately, in the long term, for The Dundas and its supporters, performances in the Black Box theatre do not generate enough revenue to support for The Dundas to operate. It needs the revenue of the Winston V. Saunders theatre. Why would the Government of The Bahamas fail to step up and support the community theatre of New Providence?

Philanthropists, corporate Bahamas, and members of the public may make contributions with deposits to the Royal Bank of Canada account number 1181171, branch number 05745 in the name “Dundas Civic Centre.” Not only does The Dundas and its people deserve to be open and fully functioning, but we, the people of The Bahamas, deserve to have the space to see ourselves more clearly, whether in laughter or tears, and to be moved by the social commentary that comes through the performing arts to do and be better, from the “ordinary citizen” to the hifalutin globetrotters with titles. Speeches in Samoa do not get us where we need to go. We need investment in national actions that, at the very least, match the words spewed all over the world on our behalf.