As Trinidad and Tobago marks 60 years of Independence, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest joins in commemorating the historic moment with a special online program of literary and performance events.
This month-long program will run from Independence Day, 31 August, to Republic Day on 24 September – an “Independence Season” bringing together newly commissioned writings from T&T authors reflecting on our past and future, as and discussions and readings focused on recent times. books about the meaning of belonging and citizenship. A musical performance and a curated playlist of video content from the NGC Bocas Lit Fest archives round out the program. Details are online at www.bocaslitfest.com/independence-2022 and all events can be viewed on demand on the NGC Bocas Lit Fest YouTube and Facebook pages.
From August 31—Independence Day—viewers can explore and enjoy curated videos covering T&T’s heritage and history via National Interests, a YouTube playlist available for the duration of “Independence Season.” Drawing on the festival’s rich archives, offerings include discussions with contemporary authors, celebrations of classic books, and lively panel discussions on historical topics—a chance to revisit the highlights of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest over the past five years.
New online on-demand programming will premiere four consecutive Thursdays through September, premiering on the NGC Bocas Lit Fest YouTube and Facebook pages. Events include a September 1 discussion on how our national history is written and by whom, featuring prominent historians Bridget Brereton and Brinsley Samaroo; and a Sept. 22 conversation with Barbara Jenkins and Ira Mathur, authors of new memoirs that address poignant questions of belonging and “home.”
“Season of Independence” also focuses on “lost voices” from T&T’s past, with newly commissioned prose and poetry from six contemporary T&T authors focusing on historical figures whose personal perspectives were unrecorded in their time. The segments will air on September 8 and 15.
T&T’s next generation will also add their perspectives, through a series of “Letters to the Future” from young writers in their 20s, addressed to T&T in 2062 – a virtual time capsule of sorts recording the concerns and hopes of youth of today. available from September 15.
And a popular fixture of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest will also return: the Extempo Debate, bringing together two expert calypsonians for a sharp and witty discussion of current affairs through song. Black Sage and Lady Syntax will tackle “The Price of Progress,” using King Austin’s 1979 classic “Progress.” The Extempo Debate will be available on demand from September 8.
The title sponsor of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest is the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited. “Season of Independence” is also sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts.
