By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 2, 2024 – Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, who is currently in Botswana heading a Bahamas delegation accompanying Bahamas Governor-General Cynthia A. Pratt on a five-day official state visit to Botswana, yesterday posted an extensive collection of photos on Facebook taken during a visit by the Governor-General to a Roman Catholic Mission school in Francistown, the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417, according to its 2022 census. I absolutely had to share some of them with readers of my Washington, D.C. – based online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Mr. Mitchell posted the photos with the following narrative:
“The Governor General Dame Cynthia Pratt on the 4th day of her state visit to Botswana traveled to their second city Francistown and visited the Roman Catholic Mission School at Our Lady of the Desert Cathedral and its primary school. She ended the day at the Francistown Secondary School. At each stop she was welcomed by the children and gave them a motivational talk based on her life experiences. Many were moved to tears. She thanked the Catholic Church in Nassau for helping to feed her, one of 16 children of her parents, when she was a girl. The photos are of scenes from her arrival to the various stops. She was met by the Mayor of Francistown, who accompanied her on what he called an historic visit, the first of a Head of State to Francistown. He presented her with the gift of a painting. 1 August 2024. Photos by Calvin Brown Jr RBDF
BAHAMAS CHRONICLE EDITOR’S NOTE: Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 and 147,122 inhabitants for its agglomeration at the 2022 census. Our Lady of the Desert Church is located in the Diocese of Tucson in Northeast District of Botswana (SOURCE: Wikipedia)
More likely than not, the Governor-General personally requested that the visit to the Roman Catholic Mission School during her visit to Botswana was personally requested by the Governor-General, who has strong historical ties to the Roman Catholic Church in The Bahamas.
As a young girl growing u in Nassau, poverty defined the environment in which Cynthia Moxey lived on West Street and she and her siblings visibly reflected this in the way they dressed. But being poor did not put limitations on the natural ability Cynthia Moxey had in virtually all areas of sports.
It was through sports that she would lay the foundation for the success she has attained and the ethical standards that govern her life. No small amount of credit for this is due to the late Father Marcian Peters, a Roman Catholic priest, who was responsible for putting many young persons in The Bahamas on the right road to becoming productive citizens of The Bahamas.
As the founder of St. Bernard’s Sporting Club, Father Marcian, who was the priest in charge of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, provided many wayward youths with an outlet to not only develop their sporting talent, but to improve their social graces and to establish a camaraderie with other youths who were from “better-off” or, in some cases, “well-to-do” families.
Among the club members, there were no social differences, and superbly gifted and talented athletes like Cynthia Moxey were popular members of St. Bernard’s. She excelled in virtually every sport and attained “superstar” status in basketball and track and field and, in later years, was also a standout in softball, volleyball, netball, and cycling, among others.
Her subsequent rise to prominence in the political arena, eventually to become Governor-General of The Bahamas, has been chronicled in a biography she has written that’s available on Amazon.
Her state visit to Botswana is a continuation of the ongoing diplomatic efforts of Bahamas Prime Minister Philip E. Davis’ Administration to strengthening diplomatic and economic relationships with African countries and in the process diversify the Bahamian local economy and forge closer political and cultural ties with African nations.
The visit follows relatively closely on the heels of a state visit to Botswana earlier this year by Prime Minister Davis from March 19 – 24 accompanied by Michael Halkitis, Minister of Economic Affairs; Fred Mitchell; Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Education.
Prime Minister Davis was extended an invitation to make a state visit to Botswana by President Mogweetsi Masisi, who along with a delegation made a state visit to The Bahamas from September 12 – 15, 2023.
Oswald T. Brown is the Presss Attaché at the Embassy of The Bahamas in Washington, D.C.
