Today, July 12, is observed across the region as Caribbean Literature Day. Several organisations, institutions, publishers, book stores, literary and performing groups will be celebrating and promoting the literature written by Caribbean writers and published anywhere in the world in many different ways.
A release from the University of Guyana said that Caribbean Literature Day was first proposed at the annual St Martin Book Fair in the shared Dutch and French island of Sint Maarten/St Martin on June 6, 2020. At that event, the Caribbean region was urged to “Celebrate the day by reading the works of your favourite Caribbean authors; buying Caribbean books, published in the Caribbean and beyond, and by Caribbean authors; and presenting Caribbean books as gifts”.
The release said that the date was chosen to mark the occasion on July 12, 1562, when Spanish Franciscan priest and bishop of Yucatán, Diego de Landa ordered the burning of sacred Mayan texts containing millennia of accumulated knowledge.
The release said that the University of Guyana will celebrate Caribbean Literature Day with a special on-line two-hour programme via Zoom on Friday, July 15 at 5.00 pm. The University has decided to mark this occasion with “A Celebration of George Lamming”. The programme will be the institution’s contribution to a recognition of the contribution to West Indian literature made by Lamming, legendary Barbadian novelist, critic and postcolonial cultural activist, the release said.
The Zoom Session will hear statements from the university and will present readings from the writer’s work, accompanied by images, and tributes and testimonies.
The programme is open to the public.
