KINGSTON, Jamaica — Acclaimed dub poet Malachi Smith has been named the 2026 honouree of the Jamaica Brew Literary and Film Festival, an accolade he receives with gratitude while insisting he is simply “a messenger”.

“I do my work the best of my ability and every day I try to get better at it,” Smith said. “And if or when the flowers or awards are given I simply give thanks every time.”

He credits his spiritual lineage as a guiding force. According to Smith, his maternal grandmother, Mamma Lee, was a “warner woman”, travelling across Jamaica to urge transformation, while his father, Hambert, was a steadfast preacher.

“I am doing my ministry in real time to advocate for the oppressed, dispossessed and the disadvantaged of the world without apology. I am disturbed by the cruelty of this world — and I will continue to speak truth to power,” he added.

Last year’s honouree, Dr Aza Weir Soley, who attended this year’s festival, praised Smith’s selection.

“I was delighted that Malachi won, given his standing in both the Jamaican and the Jamaican diaspora community, not just as a talented poet and performer, but in several civic and charitable organisations in Jamaica and south Florida,” she said.

Dr Donna Aza Weir-Soley

She continued, “The Brew Festival’s impact on the Jamaican Diaspora community of South Florida is meaningful, transformative and fairly democratic. It provides a platform to Jamaicans of different ethnic and class backgrounds to shine, to have a voice and to claim space.”

Smith acknowledged the festival as a valuable platform but said that issues of identity remain a struggle.

“If you listen or read my poem My Jamaican Tongue, it speaks to this very issue. Our voices are not being heard or showcased the way they ought to be. This has forced many Caribbean writers to abandon their tongue to become acceptable to the so-called international audience. I reject that path,” he said. He called for more collective efforts among Caribbean professionals and writers’ groups to nurture authentic voices in the diaspora.

A decorated poet with national and international recognition including selected poems translated into Mandarin and published in Taiwan, Smith was also moved by the festival’s acronym, BREW: bravery, resilience, excellence and will. He said it reflected Jamaica’s resilience following Hurricane Melissa and the devastation it caused.

As founder of the Jamaica Poets Nomadic College and School Tour, Smith led the rescheduled eighth school tour in December, visiting parishes hardest hit by the hurricane, including St Elizabeth and Westmoreland. He and his team, including Judith Falloon Reid and Professor Opal Palmer Adisa, brought books, supplies and poetry sessions to affected schools.

“We looked into the sad and confused eyes of the people — infant, primary and high schools, providing reading and colouring books and groceries as well, with Opal and Judith adopting two basic schools. There was a collective joy and happiness everywhere, following our visits — a resilience and will to press along, to keep going. At Mannings High the session took place outside as the buildings were so badly damaged, yet the students and teachers were totally emersed in the session. At Godfrey Stewart High, the atmosphere was that of a concert, a celebration and more. Albert Corcho, the principal of Bethlehem College was excited and remarked that we couldn’t have come at a better time. He thanked us for the joy and hope we had brought and stated that they would all be ready for us next year.”

Smith is expected to return to the Jamaica Brew Festival in 2027.