The Guyana International Book Festival sets course for Africa and youth

It's the cultural event at the end of the month: the Guyana International Book Festival returns from November 27 to 30. It has been two editions since the “Guyana Book Fair” adopted this name. For Tchisséka Lobelt, member of Promolivres, the organizing association, this name corresponds more to the range of activities offered since then, in particular the agreement signed with the Théâtre de Macouria. Also, this year, as for the previous edition, shows will be offered: theater, stories, poetry… In the same vein, a class of middle school students from Mana will come to meet other schools in Cayenne to present a puppet show.

After the Caribbean last year, the Festival is putting the spotlight on Africa through several authors : Cameroonian Djaïli Amadou Amal, Goncourt Prize for high school students with her novel Les Impatientesthe Franco-Ivorian Serge Bilé, the Ivorian Armand Gauz, the Congolese Wilfried N'Sondé, the Malagasy Jean-Luc Raharimanana, the Afro-Antillean Sylvia Serbin, the Congolese Ekanga Shungu.

“We also wanted to integrate children’s literatureindicates Monique Dorcy, member of Promolivres. Our Guyanese population is young and we want to develop interest in literature among this audience. » Meetings are therefore planned with the invited authors: in schools or at the Zéphyr. The Festival is indeed returning to the Cayenne performance hall which it was unable to benefit from two years ago due to the work. This is where most of the literary cafés, round tables and meetings will take place. On site, the public will be able to meet invited authors, writers, booksellers and publishers from Guyana, but also the Brazilian Federation of University Scholars of Science, Letters and the Arts which will present authors from Brazil.

Among the new features this year : a space reserved for self-published Guyanese authors. Beforehand, Promolivres carried out a survey on the subject, the results of which will be presented during the Festival. « The idea was to know the number of self-published people in Guyana, their profile, the reasons for their choice, their difficulties…» lists Claudine Jantet, member of the association. The final objective could be the creation of a structure to print books in Guyana and respond to logistical difficulties.

Authors from Guyana will present their publications. Among the most recent : Guyana, land of exceptions by Eric Médaille. During the festival, six Guyanese authors who left last year for a residency on the Island of Marajò, Brazil, will also present the fruit of their work : a collection of short stories entitled married.

Please note: all appointments are free.

• 2:30 p.m.: Launch of Guyana, land of exceptions d’Eric Medaille et Jaguars of Jean-Paul Delfino at the Montsinéry Zoo
• 3 p.m.: Signings of Dominique Mwankumi et Antoine Guilloppé at the Vieux Bourg bookstore in Kourou
• 5 p.m.: Tribute to Elie Stephenson at the Tonnégrande library
• 6 p.m.: Meeting of Djaïli Amadou Amal with the readers of the Rémire-Montjoly library

8h: Djaïli Amadou AmalUniversity of Guyana

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: stories with Jean-Luc Raharimanana, Franconia library, Cayenne

9:30 a.m.: Professional morning at Zéphyr, Cayenne

• 9:30 a.m.: Guyanese self-publishing : Graziella Florimond, Claudine Jantet
• 10 a.m. puppet show with Mana’s middle school class
• 10:30 a.m.: The book to oneself, BookTok, Bookinou: M. Lucas; F. Foury; Elodie Prodel
• 11:30 a.m.: Literature and artificial intelligence : Jean-Paul Delfino

4 p.m.: Literary cafés at Zéphyr, Cayenne

• 4 p.m.: What difficulties “ BDiser » his biography ?: Didier Kassaï ; Jean-Paul Delfino
• 5 p.m.: New releases from Guyanese authors
• 6 p.m.: The new Africa : Armand Gauz; Wilfried N'Sondé; About the same

9 a.m. to 11 a.m.: stories with Jean-Luc RaharimananaFranconia library, Cayenne

8 a.m.: Meetings at the University of Guyana (library)

• 8h-12h : Armand Gauz, Wilfried N'Sondé, Jean-Paul Delfino, Serge Bilé, Rémy Péru-Dumesnil, Rodolphe Alexandre
• 11h-12h: Syvlia Serbin, Ekanga Shungu
• 2 p.m.-4 p.m.: Dominique Mwankumi, Antoine Guilloppé

4 p.m.: Literary cafés at Zéphyr, Cayenne

• 16h : Personal development at work: Valérie Laporte
• 17h : Hold on: Léon Bertrand, Greg Germain
• 18h : Black female resistanceSylvia Serbin

8 p.m.: Theatrical creation of Jean-Luc Raharimanana, Macouria theater

Literary cafés at Zéphyr, Cayenne

• 10 a.m.: Presentation of the Federation of Sciences, Letters and Arts Brazil
• 11 a.m.: Illustration, what new issues ? : Antoine Guillopé, Dominique Mwankumi, Didier Kassaï, Olivier Copin
• 12 p.m.: Jacques Chinon: Second Panamazonian prize
• 4 p.m.: Serge Bilé: His work, his biases
• 5 p.m.: Jean-Paul Delfino: Presentation of Guyanas
• 6 p.m.: Is feminism alive in our countries : Djaïli Amadou Amal, Sylvia Serbin, Tina Harpin, Ekanga Shungu
• 7 p.m.: Tribute to Damascus Armand Gauz