Texturing the Word. 40 years of Caribbean writing in Britain - ACE438.5

Figueroa on V S Naipaul, on cross-cultural problems, and on the ignorance of the British as regards Caribbean writing at the time. Traffic in fog. VO of Samuel Selvon reading from The Lonely Londoners (1956). Selvon reading. He talks about the book which he says accurately describes his own experiences or those of his close friends. Lamming on The Lonely Londoners and other writing, saying that the central preoccupation of such work is less to do with Britain than with exploring the unique experience of the Caribbean. Kamau Brathwaite says Caribbean man is "a quester", with "both root and outreach", but there is not enough connection between what’s happening in the Caribbean and what’s going on in Britain. Lamming on the West Indian "regional consciousness". Commentary (over film of Caribbean scenes) explains that Kamau Brathwaite’s desire for a sense of community encouraged him to co-found the Caribbean Artists’ Movement in 1966. Kamau Brathwaite talks of this lack of community in Britain compared to Africa or the West Indies, and on the aims of CAM, primarily to help writers meet each other and learn about each others’ work, and also to try to have some influence on publishers.