Caribbean Voices

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Pauline Henriques and Samuel Selvon recording for Caribbean Voices in 1952.

Caribbean Voices was a radio program on the BBC World Service from Bush House in London , England , between 1943 and 1958. It is considered "the program in which literary talents of West India first found their voice". Caribbean Voices sponsored many writers who were later honored, including Samuel Selvon , Edward Kamau Brathwaite , VS Naipaul , Derek Walcott , John Figueroa , Andrew Salkey , Michael Anthony , Edgar Mittelholzer .

history

Caribbean Voices grew out of the BBC's first program for a Caribbean audience, Calling the West Indies , which was introduced in 1939 to provide West Indian soldiers in the British Army with a way to connect with their families at home while serving in the Second World war . In the broadcast, letters were read for families back home in the Caribbean . The Jamaican writer and activist Una Marson was adjusted in 1941 to moderate the show and the following year it was made to a producer for the West Indies and transformed the program in Caribbean Voices was renamed, in a forum for literature of the Caribbean. When Marson returned to Jamaica in 1946, Henry Swanzy took over the production and set an “indelible mark”: “Under his leadership, Caribbean Voices took the form of a creative workshop on the art of writing, in which the writers Received encouragement and informed criticism. He made it clear that he should fill the program with authenticity and local flavor, thereby showcasing the wealth of the region. "Swanzy left the program in 1955 and on his departure The Times Literary Supplement wrote :" West Indian writers freely plead their guilt to the BBC for encouragement, both financially and aesthetically. Without this encouragement, the birth of Caribbean literature would have been much slower and also much more painful. "

During the run of the series, approximately 400 stories and poems along with dramas and literary criticism were broadcast by 372 writers, 71 of whom were women.

effect

Kamau Brathwaite described Caribbean Voices as "the main literary catalyst for creative writing and literary criticism by Caribs in English." A key figure in BBC's Caribbean service of the time was Andrew Salkey as the host; his program "became a glittering show for generations of writers". Established and emerging writers were “cheered, flattered, gently rebuked, inspired, and trained to write new works for the radio.” Other notable writers made famous by the program in the 1950s were George Lamming , Gloria Escoffery , Ian McDonald and EM "Shake" Keane .

Two volumes of poems that had aired on the program were edited by John Figueroa: Caribbean Voices , vol. 1: Dreams and Visions (1966) and vol. 2, The Blue Horizons (1970).

In 2009 a two-part radio documentary about Caribbean Voices was produced by Colin Grant on the BBC World Service.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "the programs in Which West Indian literary talents first found Their voice, in the early 1950s." Pamela Beshoff, "Obituary: John Figueroa" , The Independent 11 March 1999.
  2. ^ "About us," BBC Caribbean, March 31, 2011.
  3. ↑ Montague Kobbe: "Una Marson" archivlink The Daily Herald , July 22, 2011.
  4. ^ "Under his editorship, Caribbean Voices took the form of a creative workshop around the craft of writing, in which writers were offered encouragement and informed criticism. He made it known that he wanted the program to be filled with 'authenticity' and 'local color,' reflecting the diversity of the region. "Philip Nanton, Anne Walmsley : " Henry Swanzy - Pioneering BBC producer whose literary programs launched a generation of Caribbean writers ” , Obituary in The Guardian , March 20, 2004.
  5. ^ "West Indian writers freely acknowledge their debt to the BBC for its encouragement, financial and aesthetic. Without that encouragement the birth of a Caribbean literature would have been slower and even more painful than it has been. " Marina Salandy-Brown : " Swanzy meets La Rose. " Trinidad and Tobago Newsday , April 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ "some 400 stories and poems, along with plays and literary criticism, were broadcast"
  7. ^ Philip Nanton: "Caribbean Voices." In: David Dabydeen , John Gilmore, Cecily Jones (ed.): The Oxford Companion to Black British History. Oxford University Press 2007: 94-95.
  8. ^ "The single most important literary catalyst for Caribbean creative and critical writing in English". Edward Kamau Brathwaite: History of the Voice: The Development of Nation Language in Anglophone Caribbean Poetry. London: New Beacon 1984: 87.
  9. ↑ "became a glittering showcase for a generation of writers, including Sam Selvon and George Lamming"
  10. ↑ “chivvied, cajoled, gently chastised, inspired and schooled to produce new work for radio on the Caribbean Voices program over which Andrew Salkey often presided.” Stuart Hall: Obituary of Andrew Salkey. In: The Independent , May 16, 1995.
  11. ^ BBC Caribbean.com , Archives.
  12. ↑ Colin Rickards, "Remembering Edgar Mittelholzer: Part 1". Stabroek News , November 15, 2010.
  13. ↑ Juanita Cox: "Edgar Austin Mittelholzer: A Caribbean Voice". Stabroek News , May 28, 2008.
  14. ^ A b Philip Nanton: “What Does Mr. Swanzy Want - Shaping or Reflecting? An assessment of Henry Swanzy's contribution to the development of Caribbean Literature. ” In: Caribbean Quarterly , Vol. 46, no. 1 Mar 2000: 61-72.
  15. ^ "Caribbean Voices". BBC World Service, July 21, 2009.

Web links