CHERYL METIVIER
AS a secondary school student, Janieka Tudor-Baptiste made a pledge to herself – one that was inspired by the mundane introduction that she had received to a subject area that she loved.
By the age of 16, she had already determined that her preferred profession was teaching; and she was clear in her head about the kind of teacher she intended to be. It was at this stage she developed a love affair with English Literature, Shakespeare and the classics; one that she fully expected to be able to share with her future students.
"I deliberately went after teaching, I’ve just always known it’s what I was called to do.”
She vowed that under her stewardship, English literature would come to life, each student would have a glimpse into the literature she had learned to love so deeply, and she would take them on a journey to discover the true depth and value of the classics.
Today she is director of Milwaz Productions, a non-profit educational theatrical company birthed to assist and encourage students who are pursuing CSEC and CAPE studies in theatre arts and literature. She and her team work extensively with young people to introduce them to Shakespeare and the classics in an engaging way, one of which is putting on productions of the plays the are studying.
From October 14-17, Milwaz will host a Shakespeare festival at Queen's Hall in St Ann's with two productions – Twelfth Knight directed by Renaldo Briggs; and Othello directed by Tudor-Baptiste. There will also be a Lit Rally for students, and reading clubs where they will have an opportunity to hear from local writers, publishers, dramatists and poets and will be exposed to career options in these fields.
She said Milwaz is a contraction of two Swahili words – Milango Wazi which translates to "open door." The concept was inspired by a prophetic word she received from her pastor based on the scripture verse, Isaiah 22:22, which declares that God will open doors that no man can shut. She said after brainstorming with the other members of the group, they found the Swahili translation to be the best version.
Milwaz is based at Dickson Street, Arouca and consists of over 95 members and volunteers.
In 2020 the group was preparing for a trip to the Shakespeare Globe in London, having launched the Milwaz Shakespeare Festival locally in 2020. Unfortunately, the covid19 pandemic caused everything to shut down and the trip was cancelled.
"Everything just hit an indefinite pause. It was a tremendous disappointment after months of rehearsals and preparation."
But the team managed to stay together in the months that followed, connecting virtually and having online dramatic table readings, which were very well received. “Our zooms were always full when we did the readings," but of course, it was no replacement for in-person readings. In addition, challenges with internet reliability and other technical issues also proved to affect interest in the project.
"Every aspect of what is presented requires research to ensure authenticity, with respec
