Caribbean literature is gaining increased international exposure through a regional initiative that recently showcased authors and publishers at one of the world’s largest book fairs.
The Caribbean Collective, which represented eight Caribbean territories at the Beijing International Book Fair in China, is being hailed as a major step forward in bringing regional stories to global audiences.
The Caribbean is making its mark on the global publishing industry.
The Caribbean Collective, an initiative spearheaded by the Jamaica Book Festival, recently represented eight Caribbean territories at the Beijing International Book Fair, creating new opportunities for authors, publishers and creatives across the region.
Founder of the Jamaica Book Festival, Latoya West-Blackwood, said the collective was born out of a desire to ensure Caribbean voices are present in major international publishing spaces.
“Whenever I leave Jamaica and I go to these different places across the world, it was notable in terms of the Caribbean presence being absent. You may find one or two people being there of either Caribbean ancestry, but in terms of turning up in a way that meant we were ready to engage other parts of the world around the business of books and creativity. We were largely absent.”
Ms West-Blackwood said the caribbean collective has already grown significantly, expanding from three participating islands in Italy earlier this year, to eight Caribbean islands in Beijing, China.
Among those featured as part of the Caribbean showcase was Trinidad and Tobago creative entrepreneur Jeunanne Alkins.
“I did not physically go to Beijing, but Latoya and the Jamaica Book Festival took a contingent of. And work across to Beijing on behalf of eight islands. And I was one of them. But I also, further than that, developing an identity for the Caribbean collective that when we move into a space, we’re easily identifiable as an amalgamation of islands under this stand was where we also have been contributing towards the project.”
She reminded that Caribbean stories have the potential to connect with audiences far beyond the region.
“So, from a creator’s perspective, a good story is a good story. Invest inyour story and it can be enjoyed by anyone, right? Which means it could then travel to other markets.”
Ms West-Blackwood added that the experience demonstrated that Caribbean literature has global appeal and deserves greater investment.
“The data is there. We are ready to engage with those who need to be educated. And so You know, to make this effort sustainable, we need formal support and investment without having to constantly try and prove our worthiness to anyone or to any organization beyond what is reasonably expected.”
The Beijing international book fair was held from June 17th to 21st.