Three Days of Calabash, The Caribbean’s Greatest “Little” Festival

From South America and China, to India, Africa and the Caribbean, the calabash is an historic, multi-purpose plant used by the people of many nations. In Jamaica, the use of calabash is twofold. It is not only used as utensils, such as cups and bowls, as well as decorated shoulder bags in rural areas, but also as a namesake for one of the most recognized cultural festivals on the island, the Calabash International Literary Festival.

Widely acclaimed as earthy, inspirational, daring and diverse, the programming of this unique event has even been accredited by The Wall Street Journal as being, “all that’s right with Jamaica.” For three days every May, this inter-continental festivity attracts travelers from all over the world who go to enjoy spirited music, readings from celebrated authors, publishing seminars and writing workshops, a film series and of course, delectable Jamaican dishes—a winning combination that often compels visiting festival-goers to make reservations for the following year before leaving the island.

Since 2001, Calabash has been a celebration in Jamaica that showcases established writers of fiction, literary non-fiction and poetry, and also highlights the works of new writers looking to establish a voice in the literary arts. This year, with a Jubilation! 50 theme, the festival will feature a selection of authors and performers from around the world, including Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, the UK and US. Acclaimed novelist Chimamanda Adichie from Nigeria; award-winning sisters Sadie and Melissa Jones from the UK; and Jamaica’s Olive Senior, are just a few people who will grace the festival with their artistic talents. This year’s program will aslo bring in writers with a strong connection to Jamaica in order to help commemorate the island’s fiftieth anniversary.

The festival’s producer, filmmaker Justine Henzell, believes that the spirit of Calabash will be in full force this year due to the exciting inclusions and performances surrounding the event’s theme.

“We wanted to continue our mission in a focused and selective way, and Jubilation! 50 does exactly that!” Henzell said. “Jubilation! 50 is a celebration of Jamaica’s literary achievements as we commemorate this milestone anniversary of our independence from Britian.”

Along with Calabash International Literary Festival Trust, Henzell has been part of the show’s production since its inception and her support of the arts in Jamaica is widely celebrated. Henzell says the event is much more than a literary festival and the Wall Street Journal agrees:

“The words ’literary festival’ apply to Calabash only because there’s no neat phrase for reggae-fied, rootsy-intellectual, interdisciplinary extravaganza for those who worship words, abhor pretension and believe that ‘smart’ and ‘fun’ need not be mutually exclusive. Calabash is, in a nutshell, all that is good about Jamaica.” ~Wall Street Journal

http://www.sandalslifestyle.com/caribbean-culture/three-days-of-calabash-the-car ibbean%E2%80%99s-greatest-%E2%80%9Clittle%E2%80%9D-festival.html

The usual, theme-d, incredible musical wrap-up to the Calabash featuring what has become our 'steady' quartet (Calabash Acoustic Ensemble), Wayne Armond, Ibo Cooper, Steve Golding, and guitar virtuoso, Seretse Small...this festival honouring "50 years of Jamaican music on one stage for one afternoon."

BlessingsAllOverSeen Link::Chalice's Wayne Armond
http://blessingsallover.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/chalice-live-at-sunsplash

Caribbean Literature Catching Fire::Bocas Literary Festival...In Trinidad

The NGC Bocas Lit Fest held last week in Port of Spain is a timely reminder that however bleak political and cultural life in the West Indies may seem from time to time, at least Caribbean literature is alive and well...As the events unfolded, it was hard not to notice how interwoven West Indian culture remains even 50 years after the failure of Federation.
Nearly every discussion – whether concerned with West Indian history, literary influences, or our relationship to the colonial imagination – invoked writers from all parts of the region, and not just the usual suspects – CLR James, Kamau Brathwaite, Naipaul, Walcott – either.

As the Lit Fest got underway, the Caribbean Literature Action Group (CALAG)...convened in Port of Spain, to address the root causes of what might be called our literary diaspora.
A CALAG press release noted that although “literature is one of the region’s most celebrated cultural products … Caribbean writers continue to migrate to North America and Europe in order to obtain financial support for their work and to achieve the highest level of international recognition.”

In time, the group hopes to create conditions in which sustainable literary publishing can take root throughout the Caribbean, repatriating some of our exported talent and helping local writers to compete on a world stage.

In part the emigration of literary talent from the Caribbean is due to the “embryonic state” of literary publishing, most notably the absence of the literary agents, marketing and public relations professionals integral to the success of most well-established publishing houses. But it is also due to a wider cultural malaise.
Fifty years after independence, the Caribbean still takes too many of its cultural cues from abroad. We tend to accord the full measure of our respect to singers, authors or intellectuals only when they have been properly certified elsewhere. Predictably, this neglect encourages a widespread exodus of creative talent and leaves little behind to inspire or nurture the next generation of artists and writers...

Repeating Islands Link:
http://repeatingislands.com

Sorry...Incorrect prior Link to Reviving Caribbean Literature in Repeating Islands Story

Replacement LINK:
http://repeatingislands.com/2012/05/05/reviving-caribbean-literature