NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Whether intentional or not, the blaze lit twice at the historic International Bazaar in Freeport, Grand Bahama has illuminated the urgency required to address the economic downturn and neglect of an island rutted in the ashes of its former glory days.
The match was struck when the property was built in the 1960s conceptualizing an entertainment space for the multitudes of tourists and complex economic activity that would catapult Freeport to “second city”. As a commercial space and cultural landmark, operations effectually burned for nearly three decades propped up by the island’s domestic ebb and flow until Hurricanes France and Jean in 2004.
Since then a smattering of shops have smoldered on the periphery of the buildings structures, with the bazaar’s uninhabited sections of hollowed buildings fueling a slow yet steady decay.
“It feels like a final blow to me, the kind of bell being rung or the fat lady singing,” said Joey Gaskins Jr, Open Current Senior Partner, sociologist, and Grand Bahamian.
“It’s absolutely symbolic of a decade and a half of neglect, a lack of vision for the island, and a lack of progress. A reversal of fortune. It’s not just we’re stuck, it’s we are retreating, regressing in a way.”’
Gaskins spoke to an emotional reaction to footage of the burning relic, recalling childhood memories of more robust economic traffic, exploring the bustling alleys connecting themed shops, and rubbing the iconic Buddha’s Belly statue.
“My dad loved Asian culture and would always remind us to rub the belly, and then not only childhood but extensively as a young adult learning how to go out and socialize. All of these kinds of institutions are part of a Freeport that we don’t have anymore.”
“I think a lot of us in Grand Bahama would like to hearken back to a time when a lot of institutions like the Bazaar were the centerpiece of social nightlife and cultural life. It’s time for us to reconsider and recreate what Freeport is if these institutions are falling apart around us.
“And at the same time it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Gaskins added.
With the scorched remains of the Asian section of the Bazaar serving a black eye to hopes for the revitalization of both the site and wider island squarely at the city’s center, the longstanding call to demolish the eyesore is rapidly gaining ground.
According to Bahamas Hotel Catering & Allied Workers Union (BHCAWU) Darren Woods, the last group to make an offer to purchase the property involved a politician some five years ago.
However, C Allen Johnson, activist, consultant, politician, and CEO of Sand Dollar Business Solutions, says he and a group of investors have been trying to get to the negotiating table with owners for nearly 10 years.
“We keep inquiring, we talk about what is possible but never got to table for signature or disclosed 100% of value. We never got any clarity on ownership, even at the Grand Bahama Port Authority. They wouldn’t provide any information,” Johnson said.
“Our goal was to rebuild the bazaar but in a 21st-century environment. The concept was to continue to develop a tourism focal point of the bazaar with the different cities but put some cultural aspect into it and expand to a larger footprint. It is possible to advance the vision for the bazaar and expand with a digital arena.
Johnson said his collective is urgently seeking to meet with the BHCAWU to make an offer as they fear regulators will move swiftly to demolish the building.
“Before you go and commit and make a decision just give me an hour or two and let me make a pitch,” he continued.
“We can preserve the bazaar by stopping it from being derelict, by securing what’s left of it and moving quickly towards an actual replacement plan.
Johnson said: “We’ve seen GB where buildings have been demolished and the only thing sat there are empty lots. We’ve seen royal oasis sit there, demolishing it removes the argument that something needs to be done. They are arguing something needs to be done because they see something but if you remove the impetus from people’s mind then it just wipes clean the memory.”
As for Gaskins, he lamented that so much of the city’s character was symbolized by the Bazaar, with its Torii gate marking the transition into a sacred realm, or in this case, a wondrous ‘magic city’.
“And if we can find some value in that,” Gaskins said.
“I like to believe in every crisis is an opportunity, we have an opportunity to imagine what Freeport should be. Freeport didn’t exist in its heyday, solely due to the formal economy.
“Perhaps now is the time to reimagine from the ground up, the same way the Bazaar burned from the roof to the ground, what Freeport should be. Those of us who love Freeport from the Port Authority, the government, to those of us apart of the community, we really need to be calling for, demanding a reimagining of what the city should be.
But ultimately, as Gaskins suggests, Grand Bahamians should be centered in this effort.
He said: “We should be asking Grand Bahamians – ‘you’ve seen the heyday of Grand Bahama and its fairly rapid decline, what do you think of the city that you lived in and stayed in despite Hurricane after Hurricane – what next? People talk about what Grand Bahama used to be or could be but very few are asking Grand Bahamians what they would like it to be.
Gaskins added: “Those who are stuck with the island and tied their fortune and family fortune.”
