Seven Skeletons

E06: The Art of Erasure

In 2014, the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB) mounted "Creation's Grace [https://nagb.org.bs/exhibitions/creations-grace-minnis-family-retrospective/]," a Minnis Family Retrospective featuring Ward's father, celebrated Bahamian artist Eddie Minnis. It also included his sisters, Nicole and Shan and Eddie's son-in-law Ritchie Eyma. Ward was not invited. Not contacted. Not included. In this episode Ward finally has the conversation he was owed – interviewing the three principals behind the exhibition. What he finds is a trail of shifting justifications, convenient memory lapses, and a smoking gun hiding in plain sight. But this episode isn't just about Ward's exclusion. It's about what else got erased – and why that matters for every Bahamian. Transcript: The Art of Erasure [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/6-the-art-of-erasure] Original Painting: https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/pedestrian-crossing https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/pedestrian-crossingKingdom Hall [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/kingdom-hall] Instagram: Video Reveal [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWY5Z8fkc4C/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==] Intro Music: Reggae Is The Answer [https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/reggae-is-the-answer-347519498.html] by Rent Kid.  Royalty free music licensed through Story Blocks [https://www.storyblocks.com]. Outro Music: "Pay Me What You Owe Me [https://music.apple.com/ca/album/pay-me-what-you-owe-me/528477038?i=528477373]" by Exuma. (1972).  Reincarnation. Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/6QdpHwcvNJIWO83MqvmBpF].

E05: Bahamian Conspiracy Theory

Ward explores the strange ways he is left out of Minnis family projects — and uncovers a pattern of “reverse nepotism” implemented by the family and reinforced by the Bahamian art community itself. What emerges is a quiet system operating in the background, hiding in plain sight. Transcript: Bahamian Conspiracy Theory [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/5-bahamian-conspiracy-theory] Original Painting: Pedestrian Crossing [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/pedestrian-crossing] Poem: Meditation on Shit [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/meditation-on-shit] Facebook: Article teaser [https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17oUj5ryDA/]. Instagram: Story [https://www.instagram.com/p/DR1OYKtjhZ_] Intro / Outro Music: Reggae Is The Answer [https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/reggae-is-the-answer-347519498.html] by Rent Kid.  Royalty free music licensed through Story Blocks [https://www.storyblocks.com].

Bonus: Public Service Announcement

Jehovah’s Witnesses may seem harmless, but the trauma they create —through shunning, coercion, failed prophecies, and hidden abuses — is anything but. In this bonus episode, Ward steps back from the family story to explain the wider system: a high-control group facing global scrutiny while making only cosmetic changes to survive. He outlines why former members’ stories aren’t “family disputes,” why waking up must come from within, and how to support loved ones still inside with compassion instead of pressure. A clear-eyed guide to understanding the danger behind the door-to-door smiles — and why informed awareness matters. Transcript: Public Service Announcement [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/public-service-announcement] Resources for Recovering Jehovah’s Witnesses [https://www.mentalslavery.com/resources-for-recovering-jehovahs-witnesses] Facebook: Article teaser and conversation. Intro / Outro Music: Reggae Is The Answer [https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/reggae-is-the-answer-347519498.html] by Rent Kid.  Royalty free music licensed through Story Blocks [https://www.storyblocks.com].

E04: House Arrest and Daydreams

What does it cost a family to spend their entire lives as hard-core Jehovah’s Witnesses? In this episode, Ward traces the choices his father and sisters made under the weight of doctrine — from abandoned opportunities to stifled creativity — and asks what was lost, what was gained, and what will never be recovered. Transcript: House Arrest and Daydreams [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/4-house-arrest-and-daydreams] Poem: Final Confession [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/final-confession] Facebook: Article teaser and conversation [https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17ULRpMyL7/]. Original Painting: I’ll Be Fine [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/ill-be-fine] Instagram: Story [https://www.instagram.com/p/DQsroR9kW5a] Intro / Outro Music: Reggae Is The Answer [https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/reggae-is-the-answer-347519498.html] by Rent Kid.  Royalty free music licensed through Story Blocks [https://www.storyblocks.com].

E03: My Life as a Ghost

What happens when your family treats you like you no longer exist? In this episode, Ward recounts life after disfellowshipping: the strained interventions, the silence from parents and sisters, and the rare exceptions that only deepened the wounds. It’s the story of being shunned, haunted by the past, and learning to live as a ghost among the living. Transcript: 3: My life as a Ghost [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/3-my-life-as-a-ghost] Poem: Change of Plan [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/change-of-plan] Poem: Ventilate [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/ventilate] Facebook: Article teaser [https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LuZ9dreKV/] and conversation. Original Painting: Chasm [https://www.mentalslavery.com/archives/chasm] Instagram: Motion painting reveal [https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQBzo71Dw6n] Intro / Outro Music: Reggae Is The Answer [https://www.storyblocks.com/audio/stock/reggae-is-the-answer-347519498.html] by Rent Kid.  Royalty free music licensed through Story Blocks [https://www.storyblocks.com].