Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes (left) conversing with Outgoing Chairman of the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Committee, Antonio ‘Boo’ Rudder, during the 20th Annual Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Awards on Saturday night.
Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados, Cleviston Haynes, is of the view that the evolution of local literature is intrinsic to national development and needs to be encouraged.
Noting that the Bank has been playing its part through the establishment of the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment, to assist in the promotion of the literary arts in Barbados, he is therefore calling on other champions to support the island’s poets, playwrights and other writers.
“Champions who can recognise talent and through assistance in publishing, expose indigenous superior penmanship to the Barbadian society,” he said.
Addressing the 20th Annual Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Awards, held at the Courtney Blackman Grande Salle, Tom Adams Financial Centre on Saturday night, Haynes also stressed the need to find avenues to make literature commercially viable for its exponents.
He highlighted that one intriguing prospect is that as Barbados seeks to develop its film industry, opportunities will emerge for some writers to have their manuscripts converted in film stories.
“The synergy between these two art forms should be encouraged as a means to enabling our writers to profit from their
talent,” he pointed out.
“If we can accomplish this we would establish creativity and imagination as basic national values. Let this be our immediate mission therefore, that whoever stands here in 20 years can extol a significant body of national literature and a cadre of renowned Barbadian writers as this competition’s biggest accomplishment.”
Celebrating “20 years of Literary Excellence”, the Governor expressed that the Bank is satisfied that the competition has facilitated the enhancement of the body of indigenous literature.
“We have witnessed seasoned writers competing alongside newcomers and this augurs well for the sustainability of these awards. Aspiring writers have used this vehicle to practise their craft, to develop their skills, to make their work public and to realise their self-imposed responsibility of defining who we are as a people and as a nation.
“I am therefore delighted to participate in this celebration and I pledge the Bank’s commitment to the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment; its support for writing and writers through its sponsorship of scholarships and assistance to writers’ groups and writers’ workshops and of course these awards as our finances allow,” Haynes assured.
(TL)