A picturesque view of the Sandy Ground ocean created the backdrop for the heartwarming tributes to Anguillian Malliouhana Culture Bearers, Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks, Mr. Kenneth Richardson and Mr. George Hodge and the wonderful array of local talent at the 2021 Malliouhana Poetry Performance Round and Awards.
The theme for 2021 was “If Only…” and participants and awardees were supported by family, friends and a wide cross-section of cultural enthusiasts at the well-attended ceremony.
Organised by the University of the West Indies Open Campus Anguilla in collaboration with the Anguilla Library Service, the Department of Youth and Culture and the Anguilla Community College, the annual literary event attracted some 30 submissions overall. 19 of those were for the poetry on the page category, and 11 for the Spoken Word/Performance Poetry. 19 of the submissions were from our adults, 7 from our teens and 4 from our junior poets.
Cassilda Thomas-Brookes emerged Winner in the Seniors Performance/Spoken Word category with her poem “The Great Fall of Man (Adam & Eve Disobedience)”, Joy Wedderburn took Second Place honours with “One Last Breath” and Kenneth Porter’s “Fighting” earned him Third Place. Alysha Carty took first place in the Teens Performance Category with her rendition of “Pondering-If Only”, Cyan A. Carty took first place in the Junior Performance Category with “Who Am I” and second place was awarded to Eboni Hodge with her performance piece “I’d Want the World to Change”.
In the Seniors “On the Page” category, Kashamar Lewis took first place with her poem “She and Me Without Her”. Mark Quirk’s “This Moment” earned him second place and Hyacinth E. Hughes’ “An Ideal World” was awarded third place.
First place in the Teens “On the Page” Category went to Nekaybaw Vanterpool for her poem “Time”. “A Father’s Love or The Lack Thereof” written by Rhonica Ann Connor was awarded second place, while Jelani Gumbs’ “The Mysteries and Hopes of Man” won him third place.
First place in the Junior “On the Page” category went to Jamyoi Hodge for his poem “If Only”, followed by Eboni Hodge with “If a Dream Came True” in second place.
All the participants received Participation Certificates, while the First, Second and Third Place Winners were presented with plaques and/or monetary prizes/vouchers by Committee Members, Ms. Jansie Webster, Dr. Phyllis Fleming Banks and Ms. Avon Carty.
During the Ceremony, the Organising Committee also presented the three Culture Bearer Awards for 2021. The Awardees were Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks who was introduced by Aunika Webster-lake, while Jansie Webster outlined the cultural achievements of Mr. Kenneth Richardson and Avon Carty introduced Mr. George Hodge on his contributions to Anguilla’s history and culture. Roots Binghi also performed a drum salutation in honour of the three Awardees. Each awardee was given the opportunity to give a response- Dr. Oluwakemi Linda Banks wrote a poem entitled “If Only…Only If” for the occasion. Kenneth Hodge sang one of his famous hits, ‘Aya Looka Wuk, Fire bun up de fire truck’ while Tr. George spoke of his many writings particularly his Simmericks, something serious to think about as so many things simmer in his mind and applauded the efforts of the committee.
Other performances came from Anna Lynch of Stages Anguilla, who rendered the National Song, a musical duet by Elliott Gumbs on Saxophone and Leroy John on Keyboard, Roots Binghi and Bankie Banx.
The Awards Ceremony, which was chaired by UWI Open Campus British Overseas Territories Manager, Dr. Phyllis Fleming-Banks, also included remarks by the Honourable Minister of Social Development and Education Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers who applauded the Committee and the Participants and spoke of the relevance of poetry in our society, and our everyday lives.
The Committee thanks and congratulates the Awardees and all the Participants, including Jamyoi Hodge, Eboni Hodge, Nekaybaw Vanterpool, Rhonica Ann Connor, Jelani Gumbs, Kashamar Lewis, Mark Quirk, Hyacinth E. Hughes, Cyan A. Carty, Alysha Carty, Cassilda Thomas-Brookes, Joy Wedderburn and Kenneth Porter.
Special thanks to the Judges: Professor Howard Fergus, Mrs. Chanelle Petty Barrett, Ms. Ingrid Fullington, Mr. Bernard Wattley, Mrs. Collette Jones-Chin, Mr. Felix Fleming and Mr. David Carty.
Partners/Supporters: The Department of Youth and Culture, The Anguilla Literary Foundation, Anguilla Community College, Digicel, Roy’s Bayside Grill, Radio Anguilla, Lloyd’s Live, KCN Network, The Anguillian newspaper, The Daily Herald, Trenton Roach as well as all other supporters and friends for their role in making the 2021Malliouhana Poetry such a memorable event.
