Iere Theatre Productions remembers Samuel Selvon

Internationally renowned author, Samuel Selvon will be honoured tomorrow at his grave site at the UWI, St Augustine campus, at 11 am. The memorial service is being done in collaboration with the organisation Friends of Mr Biswas, headed by Professor Kenneth Ramchand, and with the support of the principal of the UWI. Reverend Daniel Teelucksingh will officiate, Professor Ramchand will speak about Selvon, and Sharda Maharaj will sing a Hindi song.

The memorial forms part of a three-part project organised by Iere Theatre Productions Limited in celebration of the 100th birthday of Selvon.

Born in San Fernando in 1923, Samuel Selvon is known as one of the most important Caribbean authors of the 20th century. He moved to London in 1950 and spent most of his life there, crafting several novels, including A Brighter Sun and The Lonely Londoners. Selvon’s works illuminated the experiences of Caribbean immigrants in post-World War II Britain and are cherished for their vibrant, lively language and their portrayal of everyday struggles and joys. His writing frequently explored themes of migration, cultural identity, and the quest for a sense of belonging, and he was instrumental in amplifying the voices of Caribbean writers to a broader readership. Today, Selvon’s oeuvre remains revered and studied, and he is remembered as a pioneering figure in the annals of Caribbean literature.

Victor Edwards, artistic director Iere Theatre Productions Ltd and Chaconia Silver Medal (2022) recipient they decided to host this three-part project because, “it’s his (Selvon's) centenary and he has achieved international acclaim for his writings, he is a San Fernandian, he comes from a great literary tradition from Naparima College and he is Trinidadian. Culture and its celebration is not and should not be restricted to only mas, pan and calypso. Trinidad has a rich literary tradition dating back to the thirties.”

A gala dinner will be held on May 13 at the Naparima College Auditorium in Selvon’s honour, at which outstanding thespians from the college will also be honoured: Ralph Maraj, Errol Sitahal, Tony Hall, Dennis Hall, Devindra Dookie, James Lee Wah, Horace James, David Sammy and Dennis Noel.

Iere Theatre Productions also produced the play, A Brighter Sun, which will run from the May 18 to 21, at the Naparima Bowl, with at least three shows for secondary school students. The school shows are already sold out and the demand for spaces has caused the theatre company to begin to organise a repeat of the production in the final week of September at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts.

Asked what Iere Theatre hopes to accomplish through these events, Edwards, who has been in theatre since 1972, said, “Just to create awareness, especially among the young. All our productions have been attractive to teachers and students...The gala is really about celebrating his (Selvon’s) life and the accomplishments of those so named. We hope the public will respond to the event.” Edwards said Selvon has made a great contribution to literature in Trinidad and Tobago.

“He is one of, if not the first to use ‘dialect’ as dialogue in writing. He has placed us high up on the literary landscape and set a standard for others to follow. He has, through his writings, been able to capture our lived experiences, our social reality and has pointed the way to social responsibility.”

He thinks more of Selvon’s work and that of Caribbean writers should be used in schools.

“None of our West Indian works are being privileged. Caribbean schools should know and experience Caribbean writers. Some of us have asked CXC to make the Literature texts and the theatre arts list the same. There are reading lists...but who does ‘extra’ reading?”

Giving his personal thoughts of Selvon and why he chose to do a play on A Brighter Sun, Edwards said, “The play was written by Pearl Springer and Devindra Dookie with inputs from Selvon himself. Long before we had political emblems and colours, through this novel, Selvon was offering us a solution to our social problems. Tiger and Urmilla moved from Chaguanas, an Indian stronghold. Joe and Rita moved from George Street, Port of Spain and were placed in a new developing area, Barataria. Selvon puts them side by side in an effort to help them work out their differences and build a nation.”