Dr Alfred Sangster, Sean Paul to be honoured at Jamaica Poetry Festival

ON SUNDAY, August 11 a huge breeze of poetry will be passing through the University of Technology Jamaica (UTech) in Papine, St Andrew, to manifest SenYAcum Edutainment’s 14th Annual Jamaica Poetry Festival (JPF), in partnership with UTech, the RJRGLEANER Communications Group, and PBC Jamaica.

“This significant milestone represents a major homecoming for Yasus Afari and his brainchild Jamaica Poetry Festival, and it’s certainly a huge, historic collaborative synergy which totally excites, inspires and delights,” SenYAcum Edutainment said.

Yasus Afari is the founder, director and producer of Jamaica Poetry Festival. In the mid-1980s, Yasus Afari did his very first dub poetry performance at the College of Arts Science and Technology, now known as UTech. He, himself, had produced the event (at which he spoke), which was a fundraiser for the Commerce Department. This experience provided the inspiration for his dramatic, true-to-life recording, Poetree Caan Nyam, which went to number one on the international La Danza Poetica Chart.

The activities on August 11 start at 10 a.m., with a free family-friendly creative arts workshop focusing on drumming and creative writing. This will be followed by an innovative sports and arts demonstration, featuring swimmers from Jamaica Synchronized Swimming Association doing synchronised swimming to poetry, plus a poetic volleyball display. Art and craft items will be on display.

“Jamaica Poetry Festival is actualising the vision for the pivotal role of the creative arts in Jamaica’s national development. This fact is made evident in the creative sports and arts workshops which are an integral part of JPF 2024,” SenYAcum Edutainment’s also said.

At 7 o’clock, the 2024 Jamaica Poetry Festival ‘Feast of Poetree Showcase’ will have on its menu, Yasus Afari himself, Blossom O’Meally Nelson, Steppa, international child star Jazmin ‘Jazzy J’ Headley, Herbie Miller, Professor Clinton Hutton, Hugo Barrington, Denise Brown, UTech student Ossie Gee, Dr Michael Abrahams, Simone Absolom-Gayle and a special surprise guest.

‘The Philanthropic Child Prodigy’, 11-year-old Canadian-Jamaican Jazmin ‘Jazzy J’ Headley, who mesmerised the audience last year, is back as international youth ambassador, a role she inherited from Skip Marley in 2023. The actress, singer and poet has her own movie, Fire Inside, by MGM Studio in Hollywood, to be released on December 25.

The evening also belongs to two people from different professional backgrounds, talking about Dr Alfred Sangster, a past president of UTech, and UTech past student and international reggae/dancehall star Sean Paul, who are this year’s lifetime achievement awardees. Tribute will also be paid to Gil Scott-Heron, Carla Thomas-Hewitt and Professor Edward Baugh.

“The ‘full-ticipation’ is running very high, especially for Sean Paul’s personal and physical presence, as everyone wants to witness the historic moment when he is being bestowed his lifetime achievement award of honour,” SenYAcum Edutainment said.

This family event is supported by TVJ, Radio Jamaica, Tourism Enhancement Fund, Free Form, PBCJamaica, JPS, the Ministry of Culture Gender Entertainment and Sport, MGP, Vanguard Security Ltd, Hitz 92-FM, Art of Life magazine, Jamaican Language Unit, Flag Up Scotland Jamaica, Images, The University of the West Indies, and Jamaica Music Museum.

Admission at the gate is for $3500, but a variety of presold tickets ($3000 regular, $1500 UTech student, $2000 staff) is available at UTech, Rubis Half-Way Tree, Fontana pharmacies, New Leaf, Bookophilia, Mi Hungry, Music Mart, CFA, and Jamaica Society for the Blind. The all-inclusive dinner and show ticket for $12,000 is also available at these locations.

This charity dinner is in keeping with the ‘Poetry for Charity’ element of the Jamaica Poetry Festival and will be served in the UTech Hotel, from 4-6 p.m. One hundred per cent of the proceeds will be handed over to support veteran musician Harold Butler. In 2022 and 2023 the Jamaica Association for the Deaf and the Jamaica Society for the Blind, respectively, were the beneficiaries.