Literary Festival and Book Fair was at a “professional standard”

The third annual Nature Island Literary Festival and Book Fair took place last weekend at the UWI Open Campus in Roseau, playing to enthusiastic audiences representing a wide cross section of the population.

“Joy between the covers” was the Festival slogan and there was much collective joy in words and music – from the opening ceremony on Friday evening down to the final calypso on Sunday evening. Apart from the events on the stage, there was a craft display, an introduction to e-books, an exhibition of African literature and history, and a thriving book fair featuring local and overseas bookshops and publishers (including Ian Randle Press of Jamaica and Best of Books from Antigua), a book exchange programme and seven superb workshops.

The Festival opened on Friday evening in the presence of the acting president, Conrad McIntyre, Ministers of Government and other distinguished guests. Hosted by Alwin Bully, the chair of the organising committee, it started with performances by the acclaimed Sixth Form Sisserou Singers and Golden Drum winning bele dancers, Tradibelle, the Giraudel Jing Ping band and Ti-bwa drummers. The audience then listened to the keynote speaker, Barbadian cultural icon, Dr. Cynthia Wilson, before relishing four rich and varied performances which set the high standard that were to be maintained throughout the weekend.

Bernard Wiltshire, environmentalist and a former attorney-general, performed his own moving poem in Creole, Wev Yon Neg Mawon. Next came an emotional Yakima Cuffy, of the Writers’ Guild followed by a preview of the amazing talents of Trinidadian rapso poet Muhammad Muwakil.  The set ended with one of the most powerful readings of the festival by Jamaican Kei Miller, the prize-winning novelist and poet, who read ethereal Caribbean poems and an extract from his just published second novel, The Last Warner Woman.

The Saturday morning workshops were well attended, especially those led by Jamaican film-maker, Esther Figueroa, whose powerful film, Jamaica for Sale, was shown on Sunday morning. The workshops have become a key ingredient of the Festival, and this year, apart from film, they focused on poetry, fiction, book illustration, internet marketing and sports journalism.

But if the Friday night belonged to Kei Miller, the Saturday was clearly owned by Muhammad Muwakil who practically swept his listeners off their feet with his dynamic delivery, insightful commentary, crisp enunciation, dramatic pauses and intriguing topics. This young man is destined to reach world audiences in the field of performance poetry.

On Saturday too, a spectacular launch was of the book “For King and Country” was staged complete with military drums and colours form the Dominica Cadet Corps. Co-author Gabriel Christian of Pont Case Press officiated.

Student Ameka Cognet ran away with the national schools’ poetry competition prize, cleverly unpeeling layers of her clothing to reveal her different characters; Vincentian Philip Nanton, had the audience in stitches with his prose-poems, Island Voices, that gently satirized various Caribbean stereotypes. Cynthia Wilson read an autobiographical section of her novel looking back at old Bajan customs, while her compatriot Esther Phillips read deep poems after introducing the audience to the literary magazine BIM which she now produces. Alick Lazare read from his much anticipated new novel on the life of Indian Warner, State College students performed Spanish poems and readings by Dorothy Leevy and Fr. Clement Jolly entertained the audience.

On Sunday morning, the Festival’s homage to the written and spoken word was fittingly reflected by Lennox Honychurch’s popular presentation on Dominica’s libraries “lost and found”. He paid tribute to the work of Dominicans who have recently put Dominica’s archives in order so that future generations can learn about their history, including the immensely important slave registers, which are now part of UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” project.

Many other literary offerings from both overseas and local combined to give the Festival its relaxed but also challenging flavour. On Sunday evening the curtains came down with a highly enjoyable session on the calypso lyrics of Tim Durand.

“This is a terrific occasion,” said one enthusiastic festival-goer, who added that she felt that everyone should flock to the Festival.

There were also warm words from a member of the Dominica Diaspora social networking site, who said: “Everything was of such a high professional standard yet in a very friendly and relaxed ambiance. I was so happy to meet former teachers, old friends and associates.” And from the visitors’ book came such comments as “Really appreciate this forum. Excellent work” and “It grows from strength to strength. Much respect.” Which is the sort of comment that the organizers appreciate. Not that they are resting on their laurels. Plans for next year’s –even better – festival will soon be on the drawing board.