Amani for Women of the Oral Tradition (RapsoFest)

Toronto-based Amani (Ann-Marie-Woods) is to be the feature performer at the 20th RapsoFest's Women of the Oral Tradition this Sunday.

Sunday's show serves as the curtain-raiser of RapsoFest: the Festival of Rapso and the Oral Tradition. The festival is aimed at promoting the oral tradition and folk culture through performances, lecture-demonstrations, seminars and workshops across Trinidad and Tobago.

Described as a "contemporary blues poet", Amani fuses spoken word poetry and with blues and jazz singing, as heard on her aptly named first CD release, Amani: the words, the rhythm, the music in 2007.

The event will also showcase other local and foreign performers, including Jaylene, a spoken word poet out of the USA; and from T&T Sister Ava, Gillian Moore, Sister Sernia, Sister Shakeela, Ivory (d’ Midwife Robber) and Denise the Poet.

An important part of Sunday's presentation will be a tribute to Cheryl Byron – "Mama Rapso" – who is credited as one of the early creators of rapso along with some of her male counterparts like Lancelot Layne and Brother Resistance (Lutalo Masimba). As one of the few women's voices in the artform, she has paved the way for all the women who came after her.

Women of the Oral Tradition takes place this Sunday May 3 at Bishop Anstey High School, Keate Street, Port of Spain at 6pm. Tickets are $100.00.