Warao community to host indigenous festival

THE Warao community of San Fernando and Siparia will host its first indigenous festival at the San Fernando North Community Facility auditorium.

The festival will centre on an exhibition featuring top visual artists of indigenous heritage including Nerukhi Ato Osei, Jason Hospedales, Ruthvin Walkins, Trevor Byron and Alice Mohammed. Works by secondary-school students whose schools were invited to participate will also be on display, a media release said.

Daily workshop sessions will be held on indigenous history and culture, local plants and herbs, music, dance and visual arts for schools and the public.

There will also be introductory sessions on the Warao language, which was once thought to be lost, the release said.

Caciqua (chieftain) Donna Bermudez Bovell, who will be speaking on indigenous history during the workshops, will show her craft skills in a display by indigenous practitioners.

The festival is designed to provide both young and old participants with a heightened awareness of the rich culture and history of the people who were the original custodians of TT, the release said.

Shaman Rauold Simon – head of the San Fernando Community and head of the organising committee – will launch his book The Meeting, along with another book, Anaparima – The Truth and the Tale, which he co-authored with Kathrina Khan Roberts.

"This festival seeks to continue that long road back to respect and honour for the original custodians of our land, " Simon said in the release.

He said respect for all indigenous people is essential for justice and harmony in TT.

"Key to that he says is the rebuilding of the cultures of indigenous peoples worldwide, a mandate...as stated in the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, (to) which TT is a signatory," the release said.

The festival runs from 9 am-7 pm October 13-19. Admission is free but there is a fee for each workshop.

For more info: 364-7979/868, 295-6599 or e-mail nabarima.warao@gmail.com.