During the entire month of April, in the lead up to the four-day festival at the National Library in Port of Spain, there were storytelling events every weekend at various locations around the country for children aged 6 to 15 years. In Sangre Grande and Belmont, storytellers visited two children’s homes.
Children’s storytellers
Masters of the oral tradition travel around the country in April to tell stories to children, and to hear theirs too.
Miguel Browne
is a history teacher at St. Mary’s College and member of the Talk Tent under the direction of Paul Keens-Douglas.
Kurtis Gross
is a founding member of the Arts in Action Group. He uses theatre to educate, motivate, and empower individuals. He is renowned for his portrayal of the Midnight Robber traditional Carnival character.
Dara Healy
is a trained dancer and performance poet who writes and presents her work for children through the Idakeda Company (with their drummers) and on TV and radio both locally and internationally.
Thelma Perkins
is the author of Searching for Mr. McKenzie and Wishing on a Wooden Spoon. A former teacher, she is an accomplished, popular storyteller who resides in Tobago.
Lylah Persad
is a writer, drama facilitator, actor, storyteller, and coach for positive thinking workshops. She is a Graduate of the Announcers Broadcast Academy, the Institute of Broadcasting Careers, and the Caribbean School of Dance.
Theodora Ulerie
is known as Auntie Thea, and is the founder of the Arts Education Resource Centre, Culture House. A storyteller who performs frequently at schools and at NALIS, her performances are vibrant with rhythm and songs rooted in the culture of T&T.
Errol Fabien
Errol Fabien is a co-founder of the TV station Gayelle, the first channel in the Caribbean dedicated exclusively to broadcasting Caribbean programmes. He is an actor, and comedian whose work is inspired by Caribbean culture.