Monday, 14 July 2014 (South Hill, Anguilla)
Anguilla’s own Alexis S Ryan has been invited by Yasus Afari through SenYAcum and Edutainment Promotion to read a collection of his poems at this years highly anticipated Jamaica Poetry Festival – 4th annual staging on Sunday August 10th at Louise Bennett Garden Theatre, 36 Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica.
In addition to making public some of his thoughtful, insightful works of poetry Alexis has been asked to mix fashion with art and showcase some of his award winning TheoChris Design creations, a well publicized collection of fashions for men and women show cased in Tortola, St Maarten, St Croix, St Lucia, St Thomas and in Guyana where he represented Anguilla in Carifesta 10 and now to be presented in Jamaica.
TheoChris Design – Caribbean clothing with an African Essence and a Caribbean Feel.
The Jamaica Poetry Festival is a continued and sustained effort aimed at social intervention, renewal and transformation. This is a collaboration including the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), SenYAcum, Edutainment Promotion and the Jamaica Poetry Foundation.
Alexis, a government employee by profession for the last 15 years, is generally known for his work in Sports as a Track and Field Coach, 3 time National Club Champion, 10 time National Primary School Championship and he is known for having a keen eye in discovering talent and producing a host of regional talented athletes.
Known for being a youth activist, Alexis tackles issues that affect the young people in Anguilla, the medium he has chosen to use his voice through speaking out is poetry. He has been writing poetry on and off for a number of years but still considers himself a novice. Given the opportunity to perform during the 2cd Annual Anguilla Lit Fest in the first presentation of the Anguilla Underground Poetry spoken word event that was held at Darvin’s Place on the Back Street ignited a passion to perform and speak out on a diverse range of topics. Alexis recently had the opportunity to attend a session held by the Art Saves Lives Foundation and SoualigaFyah Poets of St Martin, held at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library featuring Abiodun Dyewole of The Last Poets, Lasana Sekou of Nehesi House of Publishing and Auntie Queen from New York.
Creative expressions are effective means of therapy and have proven to help in treating mental scars and delinquent behavior since most deviant behavior have roots in a lack of creative self expression. Therefore, in balancing art and life The Jamaica Poetry Festival aims to celebrate and promote positive, creative and socially responsible self expressions, in the interest of the social fabric of Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and the world.
As part of the Jamaica Poetry Festival Creative Writing Workshops will be held and by facilitated by Yasus Afari, Steppa, Dr Neal Hall and the JCDC among others.
The Creative Writing Workshops will focus on the notions of caring and sharing with the view of transforming lives and shaping the future with positivity in art and in life.
The Jamaica Poetry Festival Showcase shall feature several national and international poets and a very special guest artiste, Admiral Tibet.
As per tradition, this year’s Festival pays tribute to several Literary Icons. The 2014 audio-visual tribute will feature: Mutabaruka, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jean Binta Breeze, Oku Onuora, Benjamin Zephaniah, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou.
Alexis says he is ‘thrilled and honored to be extended an invitation to participate in the International edition of the Jamaica Poetry Festival and looking forward to representing the island of Anguilla’.
Irie Life – Anguilla
– Contributed
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
