Dub poet Malachi Smith will be featured in the first in a series of documentaries entitled 'Dub Poetry: From the Page to the Stage'. The documentary series, which is being produced by Reggae Concepts from Baltimore, Maryland in the United States and Kingston, Jamaica, looks at the art of dub poetry and its exponents.

"I choose the dub poetry genre because I see dub poets as social commentators," said conceptualiser Michael Bryan and head of Reggae Concept.

"We will be looking at dub poets, their lives, their influences, their work, taking them back to where they were born, where they grew up, where they went to school, what shaped them, what defined their thinking, what made them who they are. We will talk to people who know them best and also take a look at the future," Bryan said.

The native of Central Village, St Catherine, who has been living in Canada for the past 15 years, told the Observer that the first episode featuring Malachi Smith, may be done in three parts.

He said he has been working on the project for the past 15 months, with filming in Canada Miami and Jamaica.

"So far we've interviewed about 12 people including Professor Mervyn Morris, parents, family members and people who were just observers and friends of Malachi Smith."

And for the dub poet himself, the documentary marks a significant milestone in his development as an artiste and as a person.
"I've done some little things here and there, but this is the first comprehensive documentary on me," Smith said.

"It (the documentary) has taken a holistic approach to me the writer, the person, the father, the husband, the police officer, the philosopher, the visionary, and I'm very proud of it," he said.

Smith could not contain his sense of pride and excitement over the project.

"Recently I went to Westmoreland, to Moreland Hill and actually found the spot where the house where I was born is located. It was powerful to be looking around to find where my navel string was probably buried. Then we went to Peter Tosh's home, spoke with his mother at length, it was very empowering."

Smith, who was filmed in Toronto at the Dub Poetry Festival last year, has won the Reggae Soca awards on three occasions, sharing the honours with Mutabaruka on one occasion. He has been nominated almost every year for Martin's International Reggae Awards, and even though he is yet to receive that coveted prize, has performed to great ovation during the awards presentation.

He was the recipient of the Peter Tosh Award from the Westmoreland Reunion Association for his services to music. He is also featured on the Jamaica Poetry Society's DVD project archiving Jamaican contemporary poets.

To date, Smith has recorded three albums, Throw 2 Punch, The Blacka The Berry, The Sweeta The Cherry and Middle Passage as well as numerous singles, the latest of which is Dread Times.

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