TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, set up booths for the first time at the 2022 Taiwan Reading Festival, which got underway Saturday (Dec. 3) at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Bowman said that through Vincentian writing and books, Taiwanese will be able to learn more about her country.

Bowman said she wants Taiwanese to be able to compare the cultures of Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including national cuisines, flags, and symbols. Only afterward will they "have a basis for seeing how similar we are in things that we share," which is ultimately what she wants them to realize.

The ambassador lamented that “there’s still so many Taiwanese that have no idea about Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.” However, she is hopeful that travel fairs, agricultural fairs, and the reading festival will help Taiwanese familiarize themselves with her country.

The books featured at the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines booth include: “Call it our village” by Margaret Soleyn, “Flippity Floppity Wings” by Hayden K. Billingy; “Shape of a Warrior” by Peggy Carr; “Global Wings: Flying to St. Vincent and the Grenadines” by Yuan Ze University’s Global Cultural Initiative; and “Nia's Summer Vacation in the Caribbean” by Danielle Fairbairn-Bland.

Bowman said her embassy will be making a book donation to the National Central Library in January, which will include the aforementioned books as well as “Doctor Grandad: A Caribbean Doctor and His Little Patients and Family” by Sir Cecil Cyrus.

Ambassador Bowman coloring with Taiwanese children. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)

Belize Ambassador Candice Pitts praised the reading festival as “a great platform to introduce the Taiwanese reading public to our cultures, our society, our peoples, our histories through our books.”

Pitts said national symbols are the first images through which people are usually introduced to a country. These symbols “help build people-to-people understanding between Taiwanese and Belizeans.”

For this reason, one of the selected books at the Belize booth heavily promotes the culture, history, geography, animals, and landscapes of the Central American nation. The book, titled “Jada goes to Belize,” was also read on stage by Pitts during the reading festival opening ceremony.

The Belize embassy donated five children’s books and one novel to the National Central Library on Saturday, Pitts said, which is the embassy’s first donation of creative works.

In addition to “Jada goes to Belize,” the other spotlighted books at the Belize booth included: “Nick and Aya travel to Belize” by Khadizhat Witt; “Kylee on the Go! Belize” by Akeem Genus and Kaya Hamer-small, “Dooley Bear adventures: Belize” by Lisa Cyrier, and “Beka Lamb” by Zee Edgell. Edgell’s book is one that is commonly read by Belizean high school students, Pitts said.

Ambassador Pitts posing with Taiwanese elementary school students. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassador Donya L. Francis said that by participating in this reading festival, “I want (Taiwanese) to feel the warmth of our people, I want them to really recognize our country, our flag, our other national symbols.” Francis said he hoped similar events, including travel fairs, can help promote his country among Taiwanese.

Given that the ambassador earned his bachelors and master’s degrees in Taiwan, he said, “I always tell people I’m a Taiwanese.” “I always accept the opportunity to give back to Taiwan,” Francis added.

Four of the books displayed at the Saint Kitts and Nevis booth include: “The Final Passage,” “A Distant Shore,” and “Crossing the River,” by Caryl Phillips and “Adventure at Brimstone Hill” by Carol Ottley-Mitchell.

Francis pointed out that his embassy was the first to donate books to the National Central Library, in June. The embassy plans to donate more books to other libraries, schools, and institutions outside of Taipei, he said.

“A lot of times we only focus on Taipei,” the ambassador said. There are people in southern Taiwan who would love to have the opportunity to learn about Saint Kitts and Nevis, he added.

Francis said he always looks forward to the opportunity to teach Taiwanese about his nation. “It gives me a sense of excitement to present my country to the Taiwanese populace,” he said.

This year’s Taiwan Reading Festival, which has been held annually for 10 years, is the largest iteration ever, with 150 partners. The success of last year’s festival prompted organizers to expand it to a two-day event for the first time.

Ambassador Francis chats with young Taiwanese. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)