Lit Fest for children too

THE Children’s Bocas Lit Fest will take off from tomorrow to May 5 at City Hall, Knox Street in Port of Spain, as part of the Caribbean’s premiere annual literary festival, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest.

The Bocas Children’s Storytelling Caravan, which was on tour for the past month, comes to Port of Spain with Imagine New Worlds, an annual event catering to 300 students from primary schools across the nation. It will be hosted by Mayor of Port of Spain Joel Martinez and the City Corporation, and supported by the Ministry of Education.

On May 1, the children’s festival heads to the Children’s Library at the National Library, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, where schoolchildren will be engaged in a series of activities with writers and artists such as Lisa Allen-Agostini, Danielle Boodoo-Fortune, and Freetown Collective’s Muhammad Muwakil, among others, over three full days.

The occasion attracts esteemed authors, poets, actors, illustrators, artists, performers, and has consistently starred prominent, local personalities. This year’s event brings into focus the traditions, culture, and music of Tobago, and features readings of stories written by children of Tobago.

Director of the NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest Danielle Delon describes the event as “a powerful opportunity to unite children from very different backgrounds in the capital city to learn more about themselves by learning about and interacting with others.”

Weekend highlights include the 2019 Storytelling Caravan’s final stop at the Children’s Library on May 4 with storyteller Lylah Persad, and a presentation by Newsday artist Warren Le Platte of the fun and interactive local board game Santimanitay. Children’s festival mascot Dragonzilla is set to close the programme with his annual birthday party. Children are invited to dress up as their favourite toy to celebrate the 2019 theme, Toys. Prizes will be given for the most creative costumes.

These and all weekend events are free and open to the public, though pre-registration is required as space is limited.

In a media release, Bocas Lit Fest founder and director Marina Salandy-Brown said, “The NGC Children’s Bocas Lit Fest allows us to work closely with children to demystify books and foster an interest in, and love for, the written word. And this platform is absolutely vital to the success of all the work we put in at the other end.”

For more info: www.bocaslitfest.com.