'LIKKLESTORYFEST 2004' was launched at the Mavisville Preparatory School, Vineyard Town, Kingston, on Friday morning. This year, the festival has taken on a very international flavour with storytellers from various parts of the world.
'Likklestoryfest' is organised by Ntukuma Productions and is in its second renewal. The festival gets its name not because it is intended to be on a small scale, but because the main storytellers are children.
Along with the young tellers from various schools, 'Likklestoryfest 2004' will feature international and local storytellers. Writer and critic Michael Reckord, actress, puppeteer and writer Jean Small and storyteller Amina Blackwood Meeks (the creator of Ntukuma) are among the local storytellers.
Trinidad's Samanthat Pierre, who participated in the inaugural festival, will return this year. Pierre is the co-ordinator of the Arts in Action programme at the Creative Arts Centre at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus.
Pierre will be joined by Costa Rican storyteller Edgar Ortiz, who has participated in storytelling festivals in Cuba, Colombia and the United States, and is also a juggler and musician.
China will also be represented in this year's festival. Linda Fang, who specialises in stories relating to Chinese culture and traditions will brings this aspect.
According to Amina Blackwood Meeks, who chaired the launch, Friday morning's proceedings was intended to be a 'flavour' of what 'Likklestoryfest' will be like. In keeping with that, three students from Mavisville told tales. Lamar Headman told the story about Anansi and Bredda Rabbit's birthday party, Patrice Stewartson told a story about a cake eating monkey and Reynel Barrett explained how Anansi became a spider.
Meeks and Tamara Moyston of Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts also told stories. While Meeks regalled the students with the tale of how the stories became Anansi stories, Moyston (ably assisted by a sock puppet) told the story of Elma and the Yellow Snake.
For the most part the students sat quietly and attentively through the launch but became an active audience when it was demanded of them.
When Blackwood Meeks first sang her good morning song, they had not immediately realised that participation was required. However, after she noted how 'fenky-fenky' they sounded their voices gradually bolstered as the morning went along.
'Likklestoryfest' starts on May 10, 2004, with events at Total Care Learning Centre and the Institute of Jamaica. On Tuesday, the festival will stop at Hampton Girls' School in St. Elizabeth, and on Wednesday at Hanover Parish Library and Muschett High School. On May 14 there will be three events at the Port Maria Civic Centre (St. Mary); Lynch Park, Buff Bay (Portland) and the Children's Expo at the National Arena (Kingston). The festival closes on May 15.
