THE Canadian arm of a group called Caribbean and African Self-Reliance International (CASRI) in collaboration with a sister local organisation, Action for Community Transformation (ACT) will be hosting a Carifesta Dialogue entitled ‘Art, the Artists and Community Transformation’ at the Ocean View Hotel on Wednesday.

Renowned novelist, playwright and highly acclaimed Caribbean short-story writer Earl Lovelace will lead the dynamic panel at the event among other artists, such as Barbadian novelist, Austin Clarke.

During an interview with the Chronicle, International Director of CASRI, Mr. Franklyn Harvey said that at a previous forum, both artists and community leaders called for the creation of space to maintain dialogue between artists and community leaders and to involve in a collaborative effort to better shape communities.

According to Mr. Harvey, the dialogue is the in keeping with the belief that artists play a vital role in the self-definition of people and in shaping their society.

Writer Earl Lovelace highlighted the fact that the idea of the dialogue is for the community leaders to be more conscious in art, which would give them more confidence to transform in the community. Lovelace reiterated that art must not be taken for granted, since it is about consciousness.

Though the CASRI/ACT National Dialogue is not a part of the programme of events organised by the Carifesta Secretariat, it is being launched during the celebration of CARIFESTA X in Guyana and the theme is in keeping with the purpose and spirit of CARIFESTA X.

The objective of the dialogue is to develop a wider understanding of issues and challenges as well as opportunities; to provide the space to shape and articulate directions for change; to strengthen and expand citizen’s engagement and participatory democracy in general; and to act as a catalyst for communities of people to mobilise and organise themselves to define and change their communities.

The Carifesta dialogue is being launched as an ongoing national dialogue in Guyana and the Caribbean. Guyanese and other Caribbean artists from various disciplines of art, who will be attending Carifesta, will be invited to engage with community leaders and activists.

The dialogue, though semi-structured, will be informal and flexible. There will be thoughts by a guest and four to five panel of artists, an open session of questions, comments and discussion, open space dialogue by artistic discipline, exchange and sharing in plenary, and open dialogue by artists and other participants.

Mr. Harvey noted that the organisation is committed to the Carifesta dialogue and will do what is necessary to make it a success. They are however asking that the Carifesta Secretariat and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, support the dialogue and assist in making it a success.

Earl Lovelace, who will lead the panel, was born in Toco, Trinidad in 1935 and grew up in Tobago. He studied in the United States at Howard University, Washington (1966-7) and received his MA in English from Johns Hopkins University in 1974.

In 1980 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent that year at the University of Iowa. After teaching at a number of other American universities, Lovelace returned to Trinidad in 1982, where he now lives and writes, teaching at the University of the West Indies. A collection of his plays, Jestina’s Calypso and Other Plays, was published in 1984.

His first novel, While Gods Are Falling, was published in 1965 and won the British Petroleum Independence Literary Award. It was followed by The Schoolmaster (1968), about the impact of the arrival of a new teacher in a remote community. His third novel, The Dragon Can’t Dance (1979), regarded by many critics as his best work, describes the rejuvenating effects of carnival on the inhabitants of a slum on the outskirts of Port of Spain. In The Wine of Astonishment (1982) he examines popular religion through the story of a member of the Baptist Church in a rural village. His most recent novel, Salt, was published in 1996 and won the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Overall Winner, Best Book) in 1997. Set in Trinidad, the book explores the legacy of colonialism and slavery and the problems still faced by the country through the story of Alford George, a teacher turned politician.

As a Canadian writer born and raised in Barbados, Austin Clarke has been able to explore the difficult lives of Caribbean immigrants in Toronto from a unique perspective. His ninth novel, The Polished Hoe, won the Giller Prize for fiction in 2002, and the Regional Commonwealth Prize for best book in 2003. Clarke has published numerous collections of short stories including Choosing his Coffin: the best stories of Austin Clark (2003). In 1999 he was awarded the W.O. Mitchell Prize for producing an outstanding body of work and the Rogers Communication Writers Trust Prize (1998).