“Saving the Sea Turtles”

More than a hundred art lovers and marine life protectors gathered at the Embassy of Argentina in Bridgetown to support the Barbados Sea Turtle Project (BSTP) last Saturday, an NGO founded in 1987 to promote the conservation of sea turtles in the island.

Under the theme Saving the Sea Turtles, the very talented young, local visual artist Jeena Chatrani, showcased her exceptional work at the Argentine gallery. Chatrani´s paintings are recognized worldwide because of her unique style and technique: she uses only palette knives and unmixed paints straight out of the jar. The exhibition included more than 20 original pieces, all of them with the endangered turtles as the main protagonists.

The host of the event, Ambassador Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, accompanied by the elated artist, welcomed the attendees together with the Minister of Culture John King and the Minister of Labour Colin Jordan, and called on the crowd to “Buy art and donate funds for a good cause.” With a grin on his face, the Ambassador stated for those who were undecided about acquiring the artwork, that the cocktail reception had “Plenty of wonderful Argentine wines to help everyone to make up their minds”. The guests, chuckling in approval, headed to the gallery where the Bryden Stokes representatives were pouring the famous Trapiche Malbec.

However, the function was not only about art and wine but also about raising awareness and informing the public on the risks faced by the local turtle population. For that purpose, Carla Daniel of the BSTP took the floor and shared critical data, while describing the various challenges of nightly surveillance; monitoring, nesting and hatching; and tagging of the endangered hawksbill and leatherback species.

Many of the patrons included Massy CEO, Glenn Taylor, Apes Hill Director Linda Williams, The Nation CEO Anthony Shaw, Miss Universe Barbados Meghan Theobalds, and Dame Maizie Irene Barker-Welch. Many of these and other VIPs were seen congratulating a visibly proud Sunil Chatrani, Chairman of the Board of BTMI and father of Jeena. (PR)