BBC historian to kick off Lit Fest today

United Kingdom author and filmmaker David Olusoga will kick off the four-day BVI Literary Arts Festival at 4 p.m. today with a lecture exploring citizenship in the United Kingdom and its overseas territories.

The annual festival will then continue with a packed lineup of more than 30 other speakers over the course of four days.

Themed “Roots to Routes,” this year’s festival will be held at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College and other venues around the territory as part of Culture and Tourism Month.

Other featured speakers will include Jamaican poet and memoirist Safiya Sinclair, Trinidadian novelist Celeste Mohammed and Jamaican poet Jason Allen-Paisant, among many others.

Culture and Tourism Month

Meanwhile, other events for Culture and Tourism Month got under way on Saturday with the 284 Excellence Film Competition, where Hakeem Gravesande emerged the overall winner with a production titled “Exit Wound.” The activities continued Tuesday with customer service training sessions on Tortola and Virgin Gorda.

The month-long celebration is themed, “Telling Your Story through Tourism: Sharing Virgin Islands Legacies,” according to Junior Minister for Tourism and Culture Luce Hodge-Smith.

“By sharing these stories, visitors are attracted and a deeper appreciation for heritage is cultivated among locals and tourists alike,” Ms. Hodge-Smith said.

Author Jonathan Escoffery signs a fan’s book at last year’s BVI Literary Arts Festival. (File photo: DANA KAMPA)

More events

The activities will continue next week with an oral history workshop on Nov. 15 and the Fungi Festival from Nov. 15-17.

Next comes the Nov. 18-22 Culture Week, featuring workshops, performances and exhibitions highlighting traditional arts and crafts.

A cultural mural will be unveiled on Nov. 23, and the annual Cultural Food Fair will take place on Nov. 29.

Nov. 30 will see the launch of the St. Philip’s Anglican Church Heritage and Pilgrimage Site and the African Burial Ground in the historic village of Kingstown, as well as a celebration at Cane Garden Bay Baptist Church.

Lobster festival

Meanwhile, the Anegada Lobster Festival will be held Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

“This month provides a platform for communities to express their cultural narratives and for locals and visitors alike to immerse themselves in the authentic experiences available,” said Culture Director Dr. Katherine Smith.