(St. Christopher National Trust) St. Kitts and Nevis, July 5, 2017: The Governor General and the Deputy Prime Minister are among the storytellers slated to be part of the National Trust’s Dasani-Harper’s Children’s Summer Storytelling Series.
The ‘Heritage House’ Series – designed for children aged 6-12 years old – features stories about and set in St. Kitts and Nevis. Followed by discussion time, participants will be encouraged to talk about character development, their observations about the environment and relationships, and learn to unleash their creativity, inspiring them to value self-expression and our culture and heritage.
The National Trust is thrilled that our patron the Governor General His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, QC, JP readily accepted our invitation to share the story of Betto Douglas, an enslaved woman who took on the court system in the 1820s.
Composer, Musician and professional storyteller Creighton Pencheon, will tell the tale of Marcus of the Woods, who led a band of enslaved Africans who had escaped captivity and roamed the forests of St. Kitts in the 19th century.
Coordinator of the Sea Turtle Monitoring Network Dr. Kimberley Stewart is also onboard to talk about the endangered turtles that nest on St. Kitts’ beaches.
Also throwing his hat into the storytelling ring is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture Shawn Richards, who eagerly volunteered to be a reader.
His Department of Youth Empowerment is providing funds to support the Heritage House Series.
Meantime, Director of the Department Pierre Liburd and Marlene Phillips, the Research and Documentation Specialist at the Department of Culture have been assisting Trust staff with preparing the space for the series.
Major sponsors are Dasani Water and Harper’s Office Depot, whose invaluable support along with that of the Ministry, has allowed the Trust to host the series.
Other donors and supporters are the Director of the National Archives Vicky O’Flaherty and Paul’s Cleaning Services.
The Saturday morning storytelling sessions are being held inside the National Museum, in a room that is being transformed into a fun, storytelling space. Children can be registered for all eight sessions or from week to week.
For more information and to register, interested persons can call 465-5584 or email admin@stchristophernationaltrust.kn.
