By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Godfrey Eneas, who is currently visiting Washington, D.C., presented a copy of his latest book, Road to Bahamaland: The Story of The New Bahamas, to His Excellency Wendall Jones, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, during a visit to the Embassy, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
The book has received rave reviews, including an excellent one on October 21, 2022, by McKenzie Tozan under the headline, ROAD TO UNDERSTANDING THE BAHAMAS PAVED IN HISTORICAL AND AGRICULTURAL GUIDE. Road to Understanding The Bahamas Paved in Historical and Agricultural Guide
Mrs. Tozan is a poet, novelist, essayist and avid reader who received her B.A. in English and B.S. in Education from Indiana University, followed by her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University. Since 2010, she’s worked in the publishing industry, primarily with small presses and literary magazines.
“Originally from the Midwest, Mrs. Tozan now calls coastal Croatia home, alongside her husband, their three children and their cat,” according to a brief biography that accompanied the review.
Here’s an excerpt from Mrs. Tozan’s review: “We’ve all heard the saying, ‘You can’t know what a person is going through without walking a mile in their shoes,’ and the same is true of our fellow countries and cultures. Stereotypes have been created for every country, and only the people who live in that country or are committed to knowing more will know the truth.
“Recognizing the misinformation that was readily available to tourists and neighboring countries, Godfrey Eneas committed to telling the important stories of The Bahamas — more specifically, he explains, ‘the historical and contemporary narratives analyzing where The Bahamas is and how The Bahamas got there’ — in his book, Road to Bahamaland: The Story of The New Bahamas (Media Enterprises Ltd.)
“A people without knowledge of theirn this photo taken in the dining room of the Army -Navy Club, Washington, D.C. on Thursday, December 1, pictured from left: Judge William England and Mrs Faith England, Ambassador Wendall Jones and Godfrey Eneas and his wife, Mrs. Sandra Eneas. past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots,” wrote Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican Nationalist and Pan-African icon.
Mrs. Tozan adds: “The first element that caught my eye in this book was Eneas’ dedication to his grandchildren, their peers and future generations. Throughout the book, the importance of understanding The Bahamas on a social, political, economic and cultural level is emphasized, but I read this, believing it was even more important to the people beyond The Bahamas. This book will be a unique time capsule for Eneas’ family and beyond, absolutely; but it is also a patient teaching and reportage of the history of The Bahamas, how it’s developed over the years, what a visitor could expect and what it’s actually like to live there — no fluff or stereotypes included.
“From a historical exploration of slavery and colonialism in The Bahamas, followed eventually by its independence, and all the way to a ground-level look at the country’s present-day agriculture and consumer patterns, readers are able to understand and appreciate how far The Bahamas has come.
“A person who understands their history not only can stay connected with their roots, but they can aim to avoid making the same mistakes as their ancestors. That is another goal forged by Godfrey Eneas, as he not only depicts the important developmental history of The Bahamas, and all that has been achieved in its agriculture, but Eneas has also pointed out what the area needs to continue advancing forward.
“In addition to these pointed ways of moving forward, Eneas tells short, interesting stories about compelling characters and events that have occurred throughout The Bahamas’ history. Readers not only know what they could do, say, to improve agricultural and sustainability efforts, but they have more reasons to care once they have names and families to apply those goals to.”
Continuing, Mrs. Tozan adds: “Godfrey Eneas worked in the Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture for fourteen years and left his Directorial role in 1982 to pursue a new career as a consultant. He established Agro-Consultant Services, which oversees multiple foreign agribusiness investments within The Bahamas territory. In addition to his role at Agro-Consultant Services, Eneas was also appointed to fulfill the role of Ambassador to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) because of his extensive services in The Bahamas.
“Eneas’ compilation of work and services in agriculture inspired him to dive into the writing of his stories. In addition to Road to Bahamaland, Eneas has also written two other books about The Bahamas: Agriculture in The Bahamas: Its Historical Development 1491-1992 and The New Caribbean: A Region in Transition. The compilation of these three books is sure to give readers a unique look into the history of The Bahamas, dispel rumors and misinformation about the location and inspire their sense of adventure.”
Although Mrs. Tozan did not say so because the review was written in October, this superbly literary gem would certainly make a great Christmas gift for someone who loves to read.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Godfrey Eneas was born in Nassau, on November 20,1942. He received his primary and secondary education in Nassau and tertiary education at Tuskegee University (B.Sc.) and the University of Wisconsin (M.Sc.) in the United States,, the University of the West Indies (D.T.A.) in Trinidad and post-graduate studies at Reading University, England.
Here’s a link to Mrs. Tozan’s review: https://booktrib.com/2022/10/21/road-to-bahamaland-godfrey-eneas/?fbclid=IwAR0EXz2jEdT9sgwtYNafOiFeOorTSnR3IH7Q_KfnvJDfIrpDbUNO-ufep10
