GRADUATES from BABI with instructor from left: Solana Gooding, Kaymarie Daniel, Dravin Peters, Colin Peters, Dr Nadia Richards, Cassandra Stowe and Rhonelle Simmons. (Image courtesy Gabriel Sargeant)
News
September 8, 2026
THE FIRST Bequia African Batik Intensive Programme, known as BABI, officially wrapped up five weeks of hands-on training with a graduation and open house on August 11, 2026 that brought together batikers, mentors, and community members at The Hub Collective’s Creative Arts Centre.
For the six graduates-Cassandra Ollivierre, Colin Peters, Dravin Peters, Kaymarie “Shaki” Daniel, Rhonelle Simmons, and Solana Gooding, the programme was as much about process as product, the organisers said in a release. The Hub Collective and their partner Owia House, are already seeking for support to host another programme in 2027.
In a feedback session held shortly after the graduation, batikers spoke to the depth of what they took away, not just technique, but the spiritual and cultural weight the art form carries. “The value of batik is spiritual, economic and life-changing,” one participant shared, while others pointed to the satisfaction of learning every stage, from wax to stamp to final wash, and to the experience of watching each other work.
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