CULTURAL CELEBRATION: The Little Haiti Book Festival offers a great opportunity to learn more about and to celebrate Haitian heritage.
The vibrant culture and heritage of Haiti will be on display at the Little Haiti Book Festival on May 5 and 6 at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. The festivities will include food, music and literature with something for people of all ages. In partnership with the Miami Book Fair and the Haitian culture and language organization, Sosyete Koukouy, the festival captures Haiti’s strong oral tradition of storytelling, fables and folklore.
Part of Miami Book Fair’s Read Caribbean programming, the festival is free and will feature authors from Haiti and the Haitian diaspora, literary panels and craft talks, workshops for writers, hands-on activities for children, a dance workshop, poetry, dance and music performances and more.
The opening night of the festival, visitors can experience a performance of dancing, drumming, and samba poetry inspired by the work of Haitian storyteller and performer Kiki Wainwright, followed by a bilingual keynote conversation in English and Kreyol about the role of research in Haitian writing.
Sunday will feature a full day of programming that includes a musical “petting zoo”
where children can interact with various indigenous African and Caribbean instruments, experience a participatory dance performance by the Venus Rising Women’s Drumming & Dance Ensemble, and participate in arts and crafts activities.
Adults will also be able to attend a panel featuring four published women motivational writers who will guide a conversation about overcoming cultural barriers for female authors, an exploration of the art of Haitian cuisine and folk medicine, and an academic discussion on the theme of zombies and zombification in Haitian storytelling.
Established and aspiring writers can participate in an ekphrastic poetry workshop led by Miami poet Yaddyra Peralta, a publishing seminar for first-time authors, and a tutorial on blending Haitian proverbs and comic-book illustrations.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Little Haiti Book Festival.
WHEN: Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6
WHERE: Little Haiti Cultural Complex, 5919 NE Second Ave., Miami
COST: Free
CONTACT: For more information, call 305-960-2969 or
visit littlehaiticulturalcenter.com.
No Comment