ST. CROIX — Junior high and high school students on St. Croix gathered at the University of the Virgin Islands\u2019 (UVI) Albert A. Sheen Campus Great Hall to share their literary works as budding writers and to hear from the pros in the opening session of the Third Annual Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book Fair on Wednesday, April 19, D.O.E. announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
An official opening, including a presentation by featured speaker, author Bernice McFadden, was part of the first day of the three-day Literary Festival. McFadden, a writer of nine critically acclaimed novels, presented on the topic \u201cYoung Adult Literature:\u00a0 Using Experiences to Colour Your Story.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Ms. McFadden lives in Brooklyn, NY and was a recent finalist for the NAACP Image Award.<\/p>\n
Students’ participation in the opening of\u00a0LitFest included a presentation titled, \u201cHow Anansi Brought the Stories Down\u201d by the St. Croix Educational Complex Drama Club and Class under the direction of Rainella Labadie and presentations of poems, prose and songs facilitated by Dr. Sharon Charles, assistant principal at Claude O. Markoe Elementary School. Later that day, students participated in workshops on \u201cWriting Calypso Lyrics: From Imagination to Stage,\u201d conducted by Antiguan Lyricist and Author Dorbrene O\u2019Marde and facilitated by Crucian Calypsonian King Derby; \u201cCreating Caribbean Sci Fi Tales\u201d by Science Fiction Author Tobias Buckell and facilitated by Dr. Patricia Harkins-Pierre.<\/p>\n
Program Chairman for the Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book Fair Alscess Lewis-Brown was ecstatic that the event has been successful during its short existence. \u201cIt is our hope that\u00a0each year\u00a0the VI LitFest will continue to probe new ideas, stimulate the imagination, and offer new opportunities for writers to hone their craft, while making strides towards becoming one of the most unifying cultural events in the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean and the world,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cBesides offering a space for bibliophiles to purchase books and for writers to deliver and share, our festival is focused on exposing our community to the talent of regional and international artists, scholars and authors \u2013 established and emerging.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the second day of LitFest, April 20, a team of award-winning Virgin Islands’ and Caribbean authors visited schools to engage students in culturally relevant, interactive literary workshops.\u00a0At the Elena Christian Junior High School (ECJH) Historian and Author Sele Adeyemi, a St. Thomas native, enlightened more than 50 students on their African heritage and identity\u00a0during a lecture in the school\u2019s cafeteria. Quoting from the book,\u00a0The Depth,<\/em>\u00a0written by Randall Robinson of Virginia, who now lives in St. Kitts, Adeyemi read, \u201cOne does not know the West Indies (Caribbean) unless one knows Africa.” The author then highlighted instances of African culture prevalent in Caribbean culture, particularly in the vocabulary. He said using the term \u201cdem boys\u201d in a sentence is an African method of pluralizing \u201cboys.”\u00a0 \u201cGongolo\u201d (millipede), \u201ctutu\u201d (feces), \u201cmumu\u201d (stupid), Bamboula (traditional dance), \u201cobeah,\u201d \u201ccocomacaw” (a stick)\u00a0and \u201ccocobay” (leprosy)\u00a0are some interchangeable African terms used in the islands, Adeyemi pointed out.<\/p>\n The traditional instruments used while performing Quelbe music, the official music of the Virgin Islands,\u00a0are similar to those used in some African cultures, such as the\u00a0wash pan, maracas, squash and triangle,” Adeyemi explained. The historian also discussed riddles, proverbs and games of contemporary times that were inherited from African heritage.<\/p>\n At the end of his presentation, Adeyemi solicited this question from eight grader,\u00a0Ladaiya Dunbar, \u201cWhy is it important to learn about our African past?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it is part of our identity,\u201d Adeyemi began. \u201cWe are tied to a place (the African continent) with the most minerals. It is the richest continent in the world with its mineral mostly used by other peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n Facilitating the presentation, ECJH\u00a0eighth grade teacher Julie Deterville elaborated on the question. \u201cYou should live your lives like you are descendants of royalty, rather than the descendants of slaves,” she said. “You should know that you have a rich history of royalty.\u201d Adeyemi authored the book\u00a0Engaging Freedom\u2019s Journey\u00a0<\/em>in 2006. He has been professor of history at the J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Va., for the past 10 years.<\/p>\n Playwright and Calypso writer Dorbrene E. O\u2019Marde presented to students at the John H. Woodson Jr. High School on April 20 and focused on the method he uses\u00a0to create catchy lyrics. \u201cIdeas come from all sort of things and you have to be open to these ideas,\u201d he said. \u201cI may get ideas standing up in the supermarket, but the creative writer simply doesn\u2019t repeat what he sees, but produces it in a way that become attractive to a wider audience. Writing is all about words–that\u2019s all we have.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Marde, an Antiguan citizen, has written many successful Calypso hits for his country\u2019s singers. He is the author of\u00a0Send Out Your Hands\u00a0<\/em>(2013) and\u00a0King Short Shirt: Nobody Go Run Me \u2013 The Life and Times of Sir Mac Lean Emanuel.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ST. CROIX — Junior high and high school students on St. Croix gathered at the University of the Virgin Islands\u2019 (UVI) Albert A. Sheen Campus Great Hall to share their literary works as budding writers and to hear from the pros in the opening session of the Third Annual Virgin Islands Literary Festival and Book […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1078,191,147],"tags":[6812,694,71],"yoast_head":"\n