NIFCA Book Fair to promote reading

The National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has been making a concerted effort to encourage and promote Barbadian authorship, as well as stimulate locals’ desire to read.

To this end, as part of the NCF’s National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) 50th Anniversary celebrations, a book fair will be staged on Saturday at Golden Square Freedom Park, The City, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Individuals are invited to bring their books and participate.

NCF’s Literary Arts Officer Karra Price said the “family-friendly” book fair was intended to cater to everyone.

“There will be used and new books on sale, and even though books will be sold, there will also be literature readings done for everyone,” she said.

Price added that there would be interactive stations for members of the public to engage with creatives. Among the wide variety of book stations will be one for those with culinary interests.

Noting that the upcoming book fair will be the first of its kind, Price encouraged persons to attend the event which will be attended by local authors who will showcase their works. She said making the book fair an annual event would be determined by the public’s response to the initiative.

According to Price, the NCF had embarked on a number of strategies over the years to stimulate an interest in reading and general literacy. These include creative writing programmes in schools that had even been extended to the penal corrections facility at Dodds.

“We have had monthly online workshops as well as projects involving audiobooks and heritage books,” the literary arts officer added. 

She indicated that local writers were not only producing works in standard English but the Bajan dialect was also being utilised, especially as it related to the exploration of Barbadian folklore, and the quality of some of these works was
excellent.

Price also invited the public to be a part of the Night of Prose, Poetry and Performance which will see the literary outpourings of several Barbadian creatives on display at Ilaro Court on Wednesday, November 22 starting at 7 p.m.

The calendar of NIFCA’s 50th anniversary celebratory events commences on Friday with Music in the Square: Icon Nights’ Tribute to James Millington at Golden Square and culminates on Sunday, November 26, with the NIFCA 50th Anniversary Gala at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex. 

(PR)