(St. Christopher National Trust) St. Kitts and Nevis – July 26, 2017: The St. Christopher National Trust is honoured and excited to welcome Ms Jihan Williams as our storyteller at our Dasani-Harper’s Heritage House Storytelling Series this weekend. Ms Williams is an attorney and arts enthusiast, well-known for her spoken-word performances at Island Expressions.
On Saturday (July 29th) she will share the tale of Priscilla, an enslaved woman who lived at Shadwell Estate until the age of 102. Her story was compiled by Director of the National Archives Mrs. Victoria O’Flaherty, from information available about Priscilla and based on our understanding of life on the estates at the time that she lived. It is presented in the first person and has been adapted by Ms Williams to language that is appropriate for children.
The Saturday morning storytelling sessions are being held from 9:30 – 11:00 inside the National Museum in a room that is transformed into a fun, storytelling space. The Heritage House weekly series, which is designed for children aged 6-12 years old, runs until August 26th.
At the inaugural session of the Series on July 8th, National Trust President Schneidman Warner read “I am Kalinago,” a first person account of a Kalinago boy, who witnessed the arrival of the Europeans to St. Kitts.
On July 15th, entrepreneur Troy “Spuddy” Hendrickson told a story written by Heidi Fagerberg, about Oliver the vervet monkey and his friend Lionpaw the dog, who live of Reggae Beach.
Last weekend (July 22nd) the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture and Youth and Sports Shawn Richards, got in on the storytelling action, sharing one of Carol Ottley-Mitchell’s stories about the adventures of Chee Chee the monkey!
In August, the Governor General His Excellency Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, QC will share the story of Betto Douglas, an enslaved woman who took on the court system in the 1820s. Composer, Musician and 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.
Also onboard are Coordinator of the Sea Turtle Monitoring Network Dr. Kimberley Stewart and Habitat Monitoring Offer at the Department of Marine Resources Tricia Greaux. The two will be teaming up for a session called, ‘Sea Talk.’
Thanks to our partners Caribbean Journey Masters, Caribbean Reads, Caribelle Batik, Gary’s Fruits and Flowers, Social Security and a number of private patrons, we are able to offer the entire series free of cost, but space is limited so you must register by Friday at 5:00 pm.
We regret that we will be unable to accept late registrations, so to avoid disappointment, please get in touch as soon as possible!
To register contact the National Trust at: 465-5584 or admin@stchristophernationaltrust.kn.