By Abby De Four

You may never realise how much you craved your diverse and exquisite region until you’ve perused the pages of MACO magazines. These publications are dedicated to heralding the good news of the Caribbean and Central America’s celebrated splendour and hidden treasures.

WomanWise was recently able to steal a few precious moments from Neysha Soodeen’s hectic schedule for an interview.

After our chat, Soodeen, MACO’s editor-in-chief and the managing director of Toute Bagai Publishing Ltd, jetted off to the Turks and Caicos Islands armed with intentions of visiting the Cayman Islands as well.

There, her enviable search for stunning sights and breathtaking adventures to fill the pages of her publication continued.

“I live on a plane,” an exuberant Soodeen declared. “We are always looking for something new to capture the imagination of our readers.”

Having started Toute Bagai Publishing in 1999, this 36-year-old, who was born in Trinidad, spent her childhood in Barbados and attended boarding school in Canada as a teenager, never dreamt she would be involved in this industry.

“I thought that I wanted to pursue law, so I studied criminology at the Carlton University in Ottawa” she said.

While in Canada, however, her attention was diverted towards the fashion industry.

“I modelled on a part-time basis while I was at university and was approached with the opportunity to migrate to Italy to continue modelling there,” she said.

On the advice of her parents, however, Soodeen completed her degree first. On the day of her graduation, she hopped on a plane headed for Milan to pursue a career in runway modelling.

“My experience in Italy was phenomenal. I met people from all over the world and worked for top designers like Versace and Jean-Paul Gaultier,” she said.

After two years in the fashion-absorbed arena, Soodeen returned to Barbados for Christmas vacation only to discover that she was in the advanced stages of thyroid cancer.

“A routine check-up by my doctor revealed that a lump in my throat, which I had been ignoring, was

cancerous,” she said.

For the next three years, Soodeen focused all her energies on recovery.

“My full-time job was to get better; I had to change my entire lifestyle, including my diet and exercise regime,” she said.

This period of recovery also provided a chance for reflection and gave her a new sense of direction.

“When I began to contemplate my death, I remembered thinking that I had not done anything major in my life,” she said.

After her successful battle with cancer, Soodeen began taking on new challenges in Barbados, exploring the field of events management. This led to her involvement with the Bajan magazine, Island Life.

Working in this new sphere, she realised that she possessed the fervour and knack for the publishing industry and later left Island Life, packed her things and came to T&T, with one thing on her mind: starting her own publishing company.

“Trinidadians are the most vibrant people in the world,” Soodeen said, when asked what drew her back to her birthplace. The burgeoning advertising industry and the central location of our market were also key factors which led to the establishment of her company here.

Before leaving Barbados, an acquaintance had jovially asked Soodeen if she was going to Trinidad to “maco.”

Having never heard the expression, when she was told that it meant “to mind other people’s business,” she decided that it would be a fitting name for her magazine.

“When you think about it, what we are really doing is peeping into other people’s islands, homes and lifestyles,” she said.

In October 1999 the first issue

of MACO Caribbean Living was

distributed.

The 9x12 glossy magazine focuses on Caribbean architecture and entertainment. Spectacular houses, historical buildings, verdant gardens and all of the region’s finest cuisine are on display within its covers.

The success of this publication led to the launch of MACO destinations Caribbean and Central America, in 2005, which focuses on illuminating the innumerable getaway hot spots that litter the region.

Fifty thousand copies of each issue is distributed throughout the Caribbean and internationally. Because of the overwhelming demand for her product, Soodeen plans to increase her production from three times a year to an expected four issues per year in 2008.

Her company has also been asked to produce several other publications including magazines for the Carifta Games and the St Lucia Tourist Board.

Soodeen has not ignored her love for events management either as she partnered in the hosting of the first Food and Rum Festival in St Lucia in October last year.

A number of internationally renowned chefs from across the world are invited to share their talent with the Caribbean for the affair. Rum companies from the region are also on hand to share their samples. This year, the event will run from November 1-4.

Plans to expand MACO’s brand are afoot and include a foray into real estate.

Soodeen, who has been married for four years, admitted that she has to remind herself to make time for her personal life and is terrified by the prospect of children in her already packed life.

“Maybe later on,” she said when asked about children. “Right now, my baby is my company.”

©2003-2004 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited