Rapso Festival Celebrates 18 Years of Expression
Posted 05-10-07

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International Conference And Rapso Brunch Bring New Energy To Festival

Port of Spain, Trinidad... Festival of Rapso and the Oral Traditions will bring a new vibe to the popular annual celebration with an international conference and brunch. Now in its 18th year, the festival first emerged as a day of recognition for rapso music. Today it is an internationally recognized month-long celebration.

In the spirit of continued growth, this year’s programme will feature the International Rapso Conference to be held at the National Museum and Art Gallery on Friday May 11, 2007. The conference is being hosted in partnership with the University of the West Indies’ Centre for Creative and Festival Arts and the National Museum and Art Gallery. Rapso pioneer Brother Resistance describes this as a first step towards bringing together practitioners of rapso and dub poetry from across the Caribbean and African diasporas. “The intention is to bring rapso into the context of academia, to make it an issue of national importance and encourage intellectual discourse, research and documentation. This is in the hope that the festival and the art form will grow and bear a different kind of fruit,” he said.

The second novel feature of this year’s festival is the Rapso Brunch to be held on Sunday May 13, 2007 to share in giving thanks for rapso’s many successes. It is the only priced event for the entire festival and will feature Brother Resistance, Karega Mandela, Omari and 3 Canal.

The festival prides itself on its unique training elements which culminate in a show called Breaking New Ground. These workshops have birthed popular rapso artists including Ataklan, Sheldon Blackman and Sister Ava. This year’s Breaking New Ground will be held on Saturday May 6, 2007 at the Little Carib Theatre, and features previous graduate Black Lyrics alongside newcomers Sharlan Bailey and Golden Egg. “When we see the work bearing fruit like that there’s a sense of satisfaction and celebration,” Resistance said.

Other highlighted events include:

Children’s Story Time on Wednesday May 2, 2007, 9:30 a.m. at Queen’s Hall, St. Anns, Port of Spain.
Both children and youth will perform the oral tradition to share the power of the word.

Women of de Oral Tradition on Thursday May 3, 2007, 6:00 p.m. at NALIS Amphitheatre, National Library, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.
This event highlights the lyrical firepower of women, featuring Sister Ava, Sernia and Shakeela. It celebrates the contribution of the late Cheryl Byron, mother of the Rapso movement.

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