The Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council will be staging the 18th renewal of its popular Reading Festival on Saturday, February 1, starting at 1:30 PM, at Southwest Regional Library in Pembroke Pines.
Under the theme “Ancestral Voices: Awakening Our Consciousness,” the reading festival will feature guest presenters Professor Kei Miller- novelist, author, poet and essayist, speaking on Alexander Bedward. Garvey scholar, poet and novelist Geoffrey Philp will speak on Marcus Garvey.
Alexander Bedward and Marcus Garvey, are important figures in Jamaican history and given their legacy still generate much discussion. Marcus Mosiah Garvey is one of Jamaica’s National Heroes whose extraordinary global vision led to international recognition for his commitment to encouraging Black liberation. Alexander Bedward, a forerunner to Marcus Garvey, was a successful Jamaican Revivalist preacher. He advocated for social change and racial equality.
Professor Kei Miller has done extensive research on Bedward as evidenced in his award-winning novel Augustown. This intriguing historical fiction explores the cultural and social setting and values of Jamaica in the 1920s against the backdrop of a dynamic religious movement. Garvey scholar Geoffery Philp has published several books on Garvey for adults and children and has presented extensively on Garvey’s life and times.
The Reading Festival will include performances by the Tallawah Mento Band and the Jamaican Folk Revue, mainstays of the event. One mission of the Reading Festival is to educate young people in the Diaspora on the island’s rich cultural heritage, to this end, the Ring Ding kids, ages 6- 10, will present traditional Jamaican ring games led by well-known actress, Maxine Osbourne.
Patrons who arrive early will receive gift packages of products from Benjamins, a Jamaican company that celebrated its 145th year of operating in Jamaica and where Marcus Garvey was employed in the printery in his early working life.
The Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council (LBCHC) is dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Jamaica’s cultural icon, Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley, affectionately known as “Miss Lou.” Through events like the Annual Reading Festival, the LBCHC fosters appreciation for Jamaica’s rich cultural heritage. Learn more at www.louisebennettheritage.com.
