The Centre for Language Learning is pleased to announce the release of a unique collection of stories titled Unearthing Traditions: Stories of Language & Culture. Volume One was launched on April 11, 2025. This captivating series brings together voices from across the globe, illuminating diverse cultural practices, traditions, and the perspectives that emerge when individuals engage deeply with language and culture.
Volume One features contributions from faculty and alumni of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, including: Dr Nicole Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Director, CLL), Mrs Janine Lutchman-Nkouetang (Administrative Assistant for Outreach and Mandarin Chinese Tutor), Dr Diego Mideros Camargo (Lecturer in Spanish, CLL), Ms Mathilde Dallier (Assistant Lecturer in French, CLL, and PhD candidate in Linguistics), Dr Oscar Bazán Rodriguez (Lecturer in Spanish), Ms Sandra Castro Carmona (Spanish Instructor II, Spain), Dr Adonis Díaz Fernández (Instructor in Spanish), Dr Jo-Anne S. Ferreira (Senior Lecturer in Linguistics), Ms Paola Palma Rojas (Instructor in Spanish and PhD candidate in Linguistics) and Mr Sean Samad (Adjunct Lecturer in Brazilian Studies).
Each story invites readers to explore the beauty of intercultural experiences, promoting understanding, appreciation, and the joy of discovering our shared humanity. From language enthusiasts, cultural explorers to anyone who loves a good story, this book has something for you! Copies are available at Charran’s Book Store nationwide and at the Centre for Language Learning.
Keep up to date with more information on this series by following its Instagram account: @unearthingtraditionstt
Volume Two was launched on April 17, 2026. This captivating series brings together voices from across the globe, illuminating diverse cultural practices, traditions, and the perspectives that emerge when individuals engage deeply with language and culture.
Volume One features contributions from faculty and alumni of the Faculty of Humanities and Education, including: Dr Nicole Roberts (Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Director, CLL), Mrs Janine Lutchman-Nkouetang (Administrative Assistant for Outreach and Part-time Assistant Lecturer in Mandarin Chinese), Ms Mathilde Dallier (Assistant Lecturer in French, CLL, and PhD candidate in Linguistics), Ms Sandra Castro Carmona (Spanish Instructor II, Spain), Dr. Oluwakemi Somorin (Yoruba Tutor), Ms. Natalie Bhawanie (ESL Tutor), Mr Rómulo Guédez Fernández (Spanish Instructor III, DMLL), Mrs Misato Noto (Japanese Tutor, Japan), Ms Maria Natalia Florez Cruz (Spanish teacher, Colombia), Ms Hannah Peru and Mr Stephan St. Hilaire.
We also had external contributors and a number of current and former CLL students write for the series including Mr Jésus-Ismaël Nkouetang (Writer, Cameroon), Ms Ruru Gong (China), Ms Joy Dillon (Chinese student), Mrs Ambika Assiu (Chinese and Japanese student), Ms Jaya Maraj (Chinese student), Ms Venessa David-Sayers (Japanese student), Mr Aneil Lutchman (QuadTT), Mr Alan Chan and Ms Imojin Mayers (Japanese student).
Each story invites readers to explore the beauty of intercultural experiences, promoting understanding, appreciation, and the joy of discovering our shared humanity. From language enthusiasts, cultural explorers to anyone who loves a good story, this book has something for you! Copies are available at Charran’s Book Store nationwide and at the Centre for Language Learning.
Keep up to date with more information on this series by following its Instagram account: @unearthingtraditionstt
CLL Culture Through My Eyes Contest 2026
In recognition of the recent launch of the book Unearthing Traditions: Stories of Language & Culture Volume Two, we invite artists of all ages and skill levels to enter the second edition of the Culture Through My Eyes Art Contest.
CONTEST GUIDELINES
Who Should Enter?
- Open to all ages and skill levels.
- Individual entries only (no group or class submissions)
THEME & SUBJECT:
How do you see cultural festivals? Let your art reflect language, tradition, everyday life, or the beauty of a people and place. Create a painting that captures the spirit, colours, costumes, foods, dances, or rituals of a festival celebrated in your chosen country. See the country list below (You must choose one country from the list) :
- The Americas: Colombia | Martinique (France) | Trinidad & Tobago | Venezuela
- Africa: Cameroon | Nigeria
- Asia: China | India | Japan | Malaysia | South Korea
- Europe: Spain |Turkey
MEDIUM & FORMATS
- Digital Art (JPEG, PNG)
- Hand-Drawn Art (scan or photo as JPEG/PNG) | Artwork size: minimum 1,200 × 1,200 px (or equivalent print resolution)
- Portrait or landscape orientation accepted.
PRIZES
Main Categories
- 1st Place – Digital Art (cash prize)
- 1st Place – Hand-Drawn Art (cash prize)
Special Awards
- Best Africa Artwork
- Best Americas Artwork
- Best Asia Artwork
- Best Europe Artwork
- Best Young Artist Prize
Digital category
- All pieces must be your original work.
- No AI-generated work will be accepted.
Hand-drawn category
- All forms of work will be accepted, including oil painting, watercolour painting, gouache painting, printmaking, comic style, sketching, and acrylic painting.
- Size recommendation: A4 (participants are free to choose a larger size)
NOTE: All submissions must be accompanied by a paragraph of no more than 100 words stating the festival name and explaining the artwork.
This information will be displayed in the exhibition.
JUDGING CRITERIA
- Relevance to Theme/Cultural Understanding (40%) – clarity of the cultural connection
- Creativity & Originality (30%)
- Artistic Skill & Technique (20%)
- Overall Impact (10%)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Participants must submit:
- Clear image of artwork
- Title of artwork
- Country represented
- Name and age of artist
Save your file as:
LastName_FirstName_Country_Category.
e.g. “Smith_Jane_Japan_HandDrawn.jpg”
Hand-drawn pieces – Please take a clear photo of your hand-drawn artwork and upload it via the submission link. This photo will be used during the judging process.
Digital artwork – Along with your digital submission via the online form.
TIMELINE
- Art contest submission period – May 18 – June 30, 2026
- Winners announced – July 24, 2026
- Award ceremony – September 25, 2026 (subject to change)
TERMS & CONDITIONS
- All work must be original and created by the entrant.
- Entrants retain copyright; contest organisers may feature submissions in promotions, with credit.
- By entering, you grant permission for your artwork to be displayed online and in print.
- Every entrant will get a certificate of participation. However, only artwork that follows the guidelines (i.e. the contest theme) will be eligible for prizes.
- Participants may submit more than one artwork, provided that each submission accurately represents one of the countries on the list provided in a different region (The Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe).
Questions? Contact janine.lutchman@uwi.edu or kristy.ramkisson@uwi.edu
We look forward to seeing culture through your eyes!
Guidelines updated: June 3, 2026.