Business View Caribbean | Volume 9, Issue 1

13 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 T he Honourable I. Chester Cooper, Deputy Prime Minister of The Bahamas and Minister of Tourism, Investments & Aviation, along with members of the Ministry’s Senior Executive Management Team and Staff, with deepest sadness, mark the passing of a great Bahamian and global legend, Sir Sidney L. Poitier. From humble beginnings on Cat Island, Sidney Poitier, a proud young Bahamian embarked on a remarkable life journey on which he blazed trails, shattered glass ceilings and made a resounding global impact. Grounded in an ethos of discipline and BAHAMAS MINISTRY OF TOURISM TRIBUTE TO SIR SIDNEY L. POITIER KBE excellence, in 1964, Sir Sidney’s achieved the distinction of being the first black actor to be awarded an Oscar for best actor, for his lead role in the film Lilies of the Field. Sir Sidney went on to enjoy a brilliant acting career with numerous box office successes including iconic films such as The Heat Of The Night; To Sir, With Love; and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner. To all his fields of endeavour — acting, film directing, activism, diplomacy, philanthropy— Sir Sidney brought a singularly outstanding level of professionalism, which earned him the highest civic awards, both in the Commonwealth of Nations (Knight of the British Empire – KBE in 1974), as a Bahamian citizen, and in the United OPENING L INES