Urban Voices Brings Our Culture to Life at 16th Annual Reading Festival

SOUTH FLORIDA – Urban Vote brings our culture’s urban roots to life through dance, music, poetry and real life stories. 16^th Annual Reading Festival hosted by the Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Festival Highlights

This year the festival will be two days, the first day is Friday, February 10th.^th reserved for students.

On the second day, which is open to the public, the festival starts at 2:00 pm. There will be Jamaican folk revue entertainment. Plus poems by the Nicaraguan poet Francisco Larios. In addition, artist and media personality Richard Blackford narrates the urban roots of modern Jamaican culture from real life. Best of all – spoken word, hip-hop and dance with the First Wave touring ensemble from the Urban Arts Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Keynote speaker

Our keynote speaker is Professor Chris Walker, a Jamaican-born professor of dance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a former dancer with the National Dance Theater Company of Jamaica (NDTC). To the 60th anniversary of the company^th anniversary repertoire, Walker staged a tribute to reggae matriarch Rita Marley. His lecture demonstration “Poetry in Motion” will focus on the culture and traditions of the African diaspora.

Francisco Larios He has three collections of poetry to his credit. He lectures at Miami-Dade College and has read abroad.

Artist, blogger, media personality and co-host of a popular online show, Richard Blackford, brings a wealth of knowledge to the festival. He grew up in Kingston and is well versed in the origins of Jamaican culture.

The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion on aspects of Caribbean culture. The host of the event is Sophia Nicholson.

This free public event is hosted by the Louise Bennett-Coverley Heritage Council under the auspices of Jamaican Consul General Oliver Mair.

Funding is provided in part by the Broward County Board of Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council. Sponsors include the Friends of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center and the Jamaica Tourism Board.

For more information about the event and the work of the Heritage Council, visit: www.louisebennettheritage.com.