The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

TWO concerned citizens decided to stop talking and turn their words to action, as the duo yesterday began to clean up the Rawson Square area in the wake of a social media video which showed dirty, rundown parts of downtown Nassau.

Social activist and part-time talk show host Deran Thompson Sr and self-described nationalist Toby Smith said while the recent video made by two Disney Cruise Line employees spurred social media conversations, little has actually been done to address the “truthful points” raised in the clip.

The pair said Bahamians are more concerned with bashing the persons responsible for the video, and not ensuring that tourists who visit The Bahamas have a beautiful environment to enjoy.

Mr Thompson explained that some residents, himself and Mr Smith in particular, decided to focus on the parts of the video that needed to be corrected.

“We are at a point now where we can’t continue to talk, we now have to put things into action and that is why we are here,” said Mr Thompson.

Meanwhile, according to Mr Smith, the people of the Bahamas have long overlooked the value of a clean and pristine tourism product.

He insisted that tourism, the country’s number one industry, should always be protected with the vigor and intensity shown by many Bahamians in response to the video. However, he called on Bahamians to pair that effort with a push to be more “hands on” with initiatives aimed at improving the country.

“This is a good initiative, everyone is going to benefit from this. We can’t expect the government to do everything. I am sure they have good intentions, but we have to understand that everything that needs to be done can’t get done on their limited budget,” he said.

Mr Smith, the proprietor of the Bahamas Mosquito Fogging Company, added that every social initiative he gets involved with, the end goal is and has always been a better Bahamas.

In addition to his work yesterday, Mr Smith has applied his skills to the restoration of two historic monuments – the Steve Burrows Conch Shell and the White Crown Pigeon – and the construction of the Ringo the Flamingo statue next to the Baha Mar resort.

He said: “Bahamians have to understand we can’t rely on others to do it for us. Some of these things, we as everyday citizens can do it ourselves. I think people took the message negatively, let’s focus on the parts of the video that addresses the problems we already knew about. We need to step up and do our part.”

Both men called on more Bahamians to join their initiative, with Mr Thompson lamenting the fact that residents have often talked about change, but do little to make it happen.

The two men plan to expand their movement with sights set on other locations around New Providence.

The video in question, a spoof about cruise ship workers docked in downtown Nassau, went viral over the weekend.

However, many Bahamians on social media criticised the mock infomercial for painting Nassau in what was seen as a negative light.

The three-minute long video starred Americans Casey Gill and Joseph Oster, both said to be Disney Cruise Line employees.

In one scene of the video, Mr Oster is sitting on Junkanoo Beach playing in sand littered with cigarette butts and bottle caps as a pile of garbage is shown in the background.

In another scene, Ms Gill is shown in front of several derelict buildings that the narrator called “four star hotels and fine dining establishments.”

The video ends with the couple frolicking on the beach with the words “visit www.nassau.com/getoutnow or call 1-800-IDONTFEELSAFE,” scrolling across the bottom of the footage.

On Monday, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said he was “disappointed” by the video, however he said more can be done to “beautify” downtown Nassau.