Although many events were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organiser for Poetry in Motion (PiM) Yasus Afari said his will not be among them.

“I think it all goes back to my personality. Mi nuh retreat, mi nuh surrender to purpose. I am very passionate as a person and that passion is what drives me. I also believe in adaptability so yes, the pandemic came but we have to adjust, and you have to ‘tun yuh hand mek fashion’ as what Miss Lou would say,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

A virtual 18th staging is scheduled for February 28. It will be live streamed from the Manchester Golf Club and accessible on JTvR, YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom.

Since this is the first virtual hosting of the event, Yasus Afari said his team is will stop at nothing to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols are followed for smooth execution.

“We are partnering with the municipality, the police and even the Ministry of Culture because we want to be socially responsible. Based on the protocols and guidelines set out by the Government, we understand that we might only be able to have between 15 and 20 people at the venue and that covers staff and performers. There are also several components that we had in the past that will not be taking place this year such as the question and answer and African Bazaar in the interest of time. The show has been condensed from three hours to one and a half hour. That way, everyone can reach home before the nightly curfew hours,” he continued.

Poetry in Motion is slated for 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Performers will include Benjamin Zephaniah, Professor Rupert Lewis, Stephen Wise (Stevie Wonder’s musician-singer), Leighton Smith, African Fashion, Martin Matthews, Dr Charmaine Gooden-Monteith, Viv Morris Brown, Mark Stephenson, Ka’Bu, Mikaya, and Yasus Afari & PiM 2021 Golden Tongue Awardees.

Yasus Afari said, fortunately, the online production has not come at any unmanageable cost.

“It is a genuine community event that is why we have been keeping in Manchester over the years. We have been asked by many corporate entities to keep the event on their property, but the people of Mandeville voted against that. They have supported us, and we have been so lucky to have many local and international sponsors to help with costs. Even though we are not selling any tickets and we have to pay for the setup, décor and so on, it we are in good standing to host the festival this year,” said the organiser.

He is also positive that the online event will be successful.

“We’re not subjectively optimistic, we are objectively optimistic that Poetry in Motion will be a hit. Judging by the Jamaica Poetry Festival’s virtual staging in August which had over half a million views, we can make that prediction. It has been 18 years and many people have committed to Poetry in Motion…,” Yasus Afari added.