On Emancipation Eve…UK-based Guyanese launches African- themed anthology of poems

Aug 06, 2018 News

Tell me of many triumphs
Won on the battlefield
Of the black regiments
Who refused to yield
Fashion me a people
Rhyme me a rhyme
Reveal to me a history
Back in time…
(poem from anthology Make it Shine!)

On the eve of Emancipation Day, Guyanese-born Ingrid Dover Vidal launched her first poetry anthology entitled Make it Shine, at the National Library in Georgetown. The event was hosted by University of Guyana Public Relations Officer Paulette Paul, and Vidal’s audience included friends, family, students, library staff and members of the public.
They listened, watched and participated with Vidal as she treated them to energetic readings and recitations expressing her passion for the themes of spiritual and cultural identity, resilience and learning.

Ingrid Dover Vidal at the Emancipation Eve book launch

Some of the books on display

The UK-based poet urged her listeners to pursue these goals and to take pride in Guyana’s cultural heritage and to use the knowledge “to ignite the entrepreneurial Spirit within them, to help them make Guyana shine again.”
After the launching, Vidal expressed her thanks to Chief Librarian Emily King for her undying support.
“I look forward to “future collaborative ventures such as poetry workshops which will engage young people and help sustain their interest in Guyana as oral tradition beyond the common entry exam year so that they can use their creative talents in positive ways”.
Mrs. Vidol also expressed thanks to former Mayor Hamilton Green, Eric M. Phillips and members of ACDA, the NCN team and Marva Gordon for working behind the scenes to help me bring my poetry to a wider National audience.
“I felt privileged to share the stage at the National Park in Georgetown with Guyana’s talented young people, as well as some of the more well-known artists, such as Richie Spice and Carl Fraser.”

Ingrid Dover Vidal with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

“I look forward to future projects which celebrate and Inspire our land of Guyana on to even greater achievements.”
According to Vidol, Make it Shine! is a celebration of language diversity and poetic forms such as dub and narrative poetry. It covers themes such as spiritual and cultural identity, transition, adoption, bullying, love and perseverance.
“Within Make it Shine! you will find poems that celebrate black heroines and heroes from our past and present, thus acknowledging the existence and rich legacy of ancient civilizations well before the Atlantic slave trade.”
Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Ingrid Dover Vidal migrated to the UK in the early 1960s.
She grew up in Ladbroke Grove, West London. After secondary school, she trained as teacher in English and Drama, going on to teach these subjects as well as Religious Education in a teaching career that spanned 34 years.
Make it Shine! is available for purchase online at amazon.com published by Conscious Dreams Publishing.
The collection costs £8, while the Kindle version costs £2.99.
Make it Shine! is also available at the National Library.
Mrs. Vidal can be contacted at: email:fashionmeapeople10@yahoo.com
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