Gibraltar’s International Literary Festival – events for schools
Bringing literature to life in Gibraltar
Gastronomy, art appreciation, jazz, politics and poetry all feature in the eclectic line up of talks and events at Gibraltar’s world-class International Literary Festival, which we’ve supported for four years. “Educational cultural events are important for everyone in the community, whatever age you are,” says Kusuma Trust’s Executive Trustee, Soma. “They’re particular important for inspiring young, enquiring minds. We wanted to support this important event that encourages reading, writing and discussion in the country that was our home for many years.” We provided three grants, totalling £31,287, the first of which was used to develop a part of the festival specifically for secondary school students, designed by the Department of Education and festival organisers.
- The principal aim of the Schools Literacy Festival is to foster a love of reading in the young people of Gibraltar.
- Over 20 speakers each year visited Gibraltar schools as part of the festival.
- international singing star and actress Patti Boulaye on ‘How to Fulfil Your Potential’
- popular science writer Chris Lloyd on ‘How the Brain Evolved’
- Booker Prize winning novelist Ben Okri.
The grant also paid for local schools to have copies of all speakers’ books. We sponsored an annual Kusuma Lecture to provide a space for talks on philanthropy and charity. Speakers have included:
- Dame Esther Rantzen, who discussed her work with ChildLine and The Silver Line, the helpline she set up for older people
- AC Grayling reflected on the nature of friendship
- Brian Christian, co-author of ‘Algorithms to Live By’ explored how simple computer algorithms can delve into human psychology and help with decision making.
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