Bocas Lit Fest: Who tells the story?

As TT celebrates its diamond jubilee, Bocas Lit Fest, through what it says is a discussion event, explores how the national story is written and passed on, who has that responsibility, whether it is only the job of professional historians or if the government get involved.

The Who Tells the Story? discussion event is part of the literary organisation's Season of Independence, which begins on September 1.

The panel will include two of TT’s most eminent historians, Prof Bridget Brereton and Prof Brinsley Samaroo, both of whom have published recent books relevant to the story of TT.

In a release, Bocas said Prof Brereton’s History Matters "collects a decade’s worth of newspaper columns on a broad range of historical topics, while Prof Brinsley Samaroo’s recent biography of 20th-century labour leader Adrian Cola Rienzi is the first book-length study of one of the key figures in our political history."

Reading will also be done from their respective books, after which the panellists will embark on a broader conversation about researching, writing, teaching, and disseminating historical knowledge, moderated by writer and scholar Amílcar Sanatan.

Who Tells the Story? begins a month-long online programme of events from the Bocas, starting on Independence Day, August 31, to Republic Day, September 24.

The Season of Independence series will also include readings and performances, a curated playlist of video content from the NGC Bocas Lit Fest archives, newly commissioned fiction and poetry on historical themes by TT writers, young authors sharing their in Letters to the Future and an extempo debate.

For more information, visit www.bocaslitfest.com/independence-2022. Following the series of events, they can be viewed on demand at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest YouTube and Facebook pages.