The publishing house, House of Nehesi Publishers is urging the celebration of Caribbean Literature Day on July 12, 2020, throughout the Caribbean region and beyond.

At the Closing Ceremony of the St. Martin Book Fair, broadcast live on Facebook, Lasana M. Sekou, writer and projects director at the publishing house, read a statement, inviting  all  writers,  aspiring  writers,  literary  festivals,  book  clubs,  journals, creative writing programs,   and   all   creative   artists,   institutions,   and   media   of   the Caribbean  region;  all  Caribbean  peoples;  and  all  lovers  of  Caribbean  writings,  authors, and books, from everywhere in the world, to join the celebration.

This year’s edition of the St. Martin Book Fair, held online, had the participation of more than 30 authors and book publishers from the Caribbean, North America, Africa, South America and Europe.

July 12-- Caribbean Literature Day-- celebrates the roots, range, and excellence of writings and books across the language zones of our region.

On that day, 458 years ago, the Spanish Franciscan priest and bishop of Yucatán, Diego de Landa, with soldiers and colonial authorities in attendance, burned the sacred books of the Maya people. It marked the destruction of the first known books and library containing knowledge spanning millennia in the widest space of our region.

Organizers are urging to grace the date and celebrate one of the world’s youngest and most resilient literatures by reading the works of Caribbean authors; buying books on Caribbean-related issues, particularly culture and history, published in the region and beyond, and presenting Caribbean books as gifts.