BY OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 28, 2019 — In the same manner that the Government of The Bahamas recognized the contributions made by Sir Sidney Poitier in promoting The Bahamas internationally while establishing himself as one of the world’s greatest actors, The Bahamas should likewise “reward” Bahamian-American rock superstar Lenny Kravitz by nominating him for a Knighthood for the invaluable contributions he has made to the tremendous success The Bahamas currently is experiencing as one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
Make no mistake about it, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar and his management team at the Ministry of Tourism “hit the jackpot” when they selected Kravitz as the pitchman for The Ministry’s highly successful “Fly Away to Bahamas” promotional campaign, which is unquestionably one of the major reasons why The Bahamas, by any measuring rod, is having an extended period of overwhelming success in attracting tourists to the various Islands of The Bahamas.
Although Lenny Kravitz was not born in The Bahamas — which is also true about Sir Sidney, who was born in Miami – Lenny has “deep roots” in The Bahamas as the son of the late Bahamian-American actress Roxie and he grew up making frequent visits to The Bahamas and has involved himself in many Bahamian activities beyond the boundaries of his entertainment career.
Now is time for government of The Bahamas to again shift its focus from granting Knighthoods to mainly politicians and businesspersons who are major donors to the political party in power and recognize Lenny Kravitz in the same manner the country did with Sir Sidney, who was knighted in 1974 and was The Bahamas’ Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2007.
The British Government has an outstanding track record of honouring entertainers with the Knighthood. Sir Elton John, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Tom Jones are among the singers who come readily to mind. Of course, the list of actors who have been Knighted include the legendary Sir Laurence Oliver, Sir Alec Guinness, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Michael Caine, Sir Richard Attenborough, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Rex Harrison, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ben Kingsley, and the list goes on and on.
Then there are the famous British actresses who have been honoured with the female equivalent of the Knighthood (Dame), such as Dame Julie Andrews, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Edith Evans, Dame Diana Rigg, and one of my favourite actresses Dame Helen Mirren, to name a few.
Surely, a Knighthood would be a great way to say “thank you” to Lenny Kravitz for the significant stimulus he has provided to the promotion of tourism, The Bahamas’ number one economic lifeline, as well as for his philanthropic contributions related to the annual dental clinic that he co-sponsors on the island of Eleuthera, where he has a home and a studio.
As noted earlier this year in The Eleutheran, a local Eleuthera newspaper, Kravitz’s Let Love Rule Foundation and the GLO Good Foundation “teamed up again for the 4th year, returning to Eleuthera to offer free oral health care to adults and children on the island for four days, from Friday, January 25 through Monday, January 28, 2019 at the Parish Hall in Gregory Town.”
“Key principals of the GLO Good Foundation, Dr. Jonathan Levine and his wife Stacey Levine, were on island with a full team of people from their New York-based Dental Practice, to continue the work,” according to the Eleutheran.
During an interview in 2016, Kravitz, a 20-year resident of Gregory Town, who calls the township home, noted that he had a goal to have a medical and dental center in Eleuthera that he wanted to build for the people.
“Sometimes you have to just open your eyes and see what’s going on around you,” Kravitz was quoted as saying. “A lot of times when people think of charities, they think of these things where you have to go abroad, and these big ideas, which are wonderful, but there are things going on right in your own backyard. Something that my mother taught me from a very young age is that charity begins at home, and this is my home.”
“So, what originally began as just friends visiting Lenny Kravitz for the weekend has blossomed into an annual free oral health care event for Eleutherans, which they plan to continue,” The Eleutheran reported.
I still strongly believe that both Andre Rodgers, the first Bahamian to play professional baseball and advance to the Major League, and Bahamian track and field legend Tommy Robinson deserved to have been Knighted. If the selection process had been more diverse and the pool of potential honorees had not been so overly stacked with politicians and prominent supporters of political parties, they probably would have for their contributions to their respective sport.
I certainly hope that the powers-that-be give serious consideration to the suggestion I have made that Lenny Kravitz fully deserves to be honoured with a Knighthood. This video is just one reason why I think he has earned the right to be known as Sir Lenny Kravitz. https://www.facebook.com/TravelBahamas/videos/2441243942754477/
