00:00It's that time again, Bocas time. The country's biggest literary festival, the Bocas Lit Fest, is all set to begin.
00:08Now in its 16th year, the festival continues to celebrate Caribbean storytelling while creating a space for writers and readers
00:16to connect.
00:17Managing Director Georgia Popwell says the mission of the festival remains clear.
00:22Bocas exists to do something both simple and ambitious, to champion Caribbean writing in all its forms, to make sure
00:31that our stories are told, heard, argued over, celebrated, and carried forward so that they continue to shape how we
00:40understand ourselves and the world.
00:42But beyond the annual event, she says Bocas plays an even bigger role throughout the year.
00:48A year-round engine for literary development that connects Caribbean writing to a global audience, a space for young people
00:56to explore ideas and find their voices, a place where children learn to love reading, and a venue for conversations
01:03that we don't get to have anywhere else.
01:06TV6 parent company One Caribbean Media continues to be one of the main sponsors of the festival.
01:12This year's theme, All Together Now, captures something essential about what the festival achieves year after year.
01:20Literature has a unique ability to bring people together.
01:23It connects writers with readers.
01:26It connects communities across the region with voices from the diaspora.
01:30It creates conversations that might not otherwise happen.
01:34At One Caribbean Media, we understand the value of connection.
01:39Through our print, radio, and television platforms, our work is about informing, engaging, and uniting audiences.
01:47We help shape national conversations.
01:50Ram Sumeris says the OCM Bocas Prize plays an important role in highlighting Caribbean talent.
01:57Prizes serve multiple purposes.
01:59They recognize excellence.
02:00They bring attention to deserving works.
02:03But the OCM Bocas Prize does something more.
02:07It builds community across the region and our diaspora.
02:11When the short lists are announced, writers and readers from Trinidad to Toronto, from Jamaica to London, they take notice.
02:21And the festival itself provides the annual opportunity to bring those writers and readers together in person
02:28to meet and to celebrate the works that represent the best of Caribbean literature.
02:33She adds that the OCM media platforms continue to support the festival year-round.
02:38Our media platforms work year-round to support the Bocas Lit Fest's mission of promoting and developing readers and writers.
02:46Every month, readers of the Trinidad and Tobago Express can look forward to the Bocas Book Bulletin,
02:53a column that highlights new Caribbean books and literary news.
02:57And in the coming weeks, we are pleased to offer readers something special.
03:02Excerpts from the three genre winners of the OCM Bocas Prize will appear in the Express on Sundays and Wednesdays
03:09leading up to the festival.
03:11Now, this is our way of building anticipation and giving the audiences a taste of the excellence they can expect
03:17during the main event.
03:19The festival runs from April 30th to May 3rd.
03:23Charlotte Kisto, TV6 News.
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