Harbour Island — or “Briland,” as locals call it — is famous for its pink sand and its conch. Everyone tells you to visit Queen Conch. What they don’t tell you is that the stand is run by the daughter of Ma Jacqueline, a woman who sadly passed away but who was practically synonymous with the island itself — she had 11 children, and this was just one of the ways her family shapes daily life on Briland.
I filmed this footage while I was there, and Ma Jacqueline’s daughter features in my documentary Harbour Island: Wisdom Keepers which premiered at The Bahamas international Film Festival. Watching her work the stand was one of those moments that reminds you why you travel with a camera in the first place.
I was in Harbour Island as a finalist in a filmmaker competition that sent 14 directors to 14 Bahamian islands to each make a short film. Mine was The Girl on Holiday — but I also came home with hours of footage like this, and the beginnings of my upcoming documentary, Harbour Island Wisdom Keepers.
What stays with me most isn’t the scenery, though it’s spectacular — it’s how instantly at home you feel there. Bahamian people are some of the friendliest, most relaxed people I’ve met, and Ma Jacqueline’s family is a big part of why Briland feels less like a filming location and more like somewhere I actually belong.
You can watch my documentary Harbour Island Wisdom Keepers in my You Tube Channel. Please subscribe if you like it.
