Authors from Haiti will be celebrated this weekend during the third annual Haitian Caribbean Book Fair in Little Haiti.
The event is sponsored by Sosyete Koukouy of Miami, a group dedicated to preserving Haitian culture in the United States.
Sosyete Koukouy Founder Jan Mapou says one of the main goals of the book fair is to get people reading, particularly young people.
"Nowadays everybody has a little gadget in their hand, and they don't realize that whatever is posted on the Internet came from research, came from knowledge of other people, of historians and writers," said Mapou.
He points to book stores closing and libraries being threatened.
"So we think it's necessary to promote reading, to promote books in our community," said Mapou.
During the event, writers will be on hand to discuss their work, and more than 7,000 books written in French, Creole, English and Spanish will be on display.
He says the event is also about encouraging the public to discover or rediscover Little Haiti.
"We need to keep our culture," said Mapou. "We need to keep our literature, our music, our dance and our history," said Mapou.
Fair goers will have a chance to sample Haitian food and music. There will also be activities to entertain children, including a magician.
The Haitian and Caribbean Book Fair runs Sunday, May 24 from 10 to six at the Little Haiti Cultural Center at NE 2nd Ave. between NE 59th Street and 59th Terrace. Admission is free.
The fair received a Knight Arts Challenge grant to help offset the costs of the event.
