"YASUS AFARI represents the immortal vision of the ancient future, stimulating the revolutionary will to conquer poverty, ignorance, and injustice, by releasing positive vibrations in harmony with words, sounds and power. Deeply rooted in his Rastafarian beliefs, Yasus Afari is one of Jamaica's national treasures".

"Yasus Afari is a Dub Poet, Author, Philosopher and Reggae Artiste of unprecedented insight and inspiration, and international renown. This international reggae/Rastafari ambassador has received numerous awards and accolades, and has been featured by many publications, including Billboard Magazine. He produces his own music as well as tat of other artistes and has produced several ground breaking and successful stage shows. His annual poetic showcase is called "Poetry in Motion" celebrating Jamaica's rich poetic heritage". Groundings - St Michael's Theological College - July 2011

 Whaa Gwaan ?  

THE JAMAICA POETRY FESTIVAL GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

The Poets of Jamaica presented the inaugural staging of the annual JAMAICA POETRY FESTIVAL at the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre on Sunday August 14th, 2011.

This historic initiative was spearheaded by Yasus Afari, supported by Mutabaruka and other Poets in association with JIIC, JCDC, Visual Vibe, Mona Graphic Printers & Fontana Pharmacy, as well as other friends and supporters of Poetry.

The Jamaica Poetry Festival consisted of family friendly Poetry and Story Telling Workshops between 10am and  2pm. There will be display booths, face painting, portrait creations and other interesting attractions.The night time session will begsn at 7pm and featured a very varied array of national and  international poets and a special invited guests. Check Whaa Gwaan?

Special Guest - Macka Diamond

DJ Macka Diamond was special guest selected to encourage and inspire social responsibility through the Cultural Arts, as well as to support her literary efforts and to build and extend an artistic bridge between Reggae-Dance Hall and Poetry.

Tribute to Miss Lou, Marcus Garvey & Mikey Smith

Thehistoric staging of the very first Jamaica Poetry Festival paid a very special tribute to three of Jamaica's outstanding Poets; Marcus Garvey, Miss Lou and Mikey Smith. This tribute is now set as an annual feature of the Jamaica Poetry Festival in which different poets will be celebrated annually. Interestingly and quite significantly, Marcus Garvey's birthday is on August 17th, the date on which Mikey Smith was fatally stoned in Stony Hill and Miss Lou's birth day is on September 7th.

The Jamaica Poetry Foundation

The inaugural staging of the JAMAICA POETRY FESTIVAL was instrumental in the development of the Jamaica Poetry Foundation and the Jamaica Poetry Fund which will assist in the growth and development of Poetry in Jamaica as well as the development of the Literary Arts in general. The Jamaica Poetry Foundation will be governed by a board of directors which will comprise of most of the poets who were instrumental in the inaugural staging of the festival.

International Guest



International guest poet was the Canadian based Melissa 'The Mad Poet' Dean who is a very dymanic and hard working poet with Jamaican roots.

The vibrant and renewed Cultural and Literary Arts in Jamaica as is evident in the growth and development of  the very exciting and timely JAMAICA POETRY FESTIVAL as we "Write and Chant Jamaican".

Bless it and set it

With Honour, Love and  Poetry

EDUTAINMENT PROMOTION / JAMAICA POETRY FOUNDATION

The African Redemption Initiative (ARI) is a response from the African Diaspora that is aimed at providing an answer to the challenges of Africa, with a view of reinstating her to the rightful place of dignity and leadership within the family of nations and re-uniting the African Family. We hope to achieve this objective by coordinating our efforts with individuals, organizations and nation states who have demonstrated genuine interest in African unity and development. Accordingly, we intend to establish African Redemption Tours, the African Redemption Foundation/Fund and a network of African Redemption Centres as pillars and mechanisms of our initiative.

African Redemption Tours

We will coordinate tours within the six regions of Africa, which includes the African Diaspora as mandated by the African Union (AU). The proceeds of these ventures will help to finance the activities of the ARI and the funds generated will not be repatriated from the African continent. Several artistes and other cultural practitioners from all around the world have already pledged their support for the African Redemption Tours.

African Redemption Foundation/Fund

This foundation, which is the operational arm of the ARI, will be sustained by funds generated by the tours and merchandising as well as other cultural products, goods and services that are consistent with our efforts.

The ARI is now in an embryonic state of networking and consensus building but in due time will be governed by an executive comprising a male and female president, a male and female vice president, male and female secretary and a male and female treasurer. These will be supported by committees and sub-committees with responsibilities in areas deemed necessary by the executive. As the ARI develops a steering committee will be formed which will call a general meeting where democratically elected members will constitute the ARI central executive which will draft a constitution which will then govern the ARI.

Each African Redemption Centre ( ARC) will essentially reflect the design and mandate of the central executive but with allowances which can accommodate the local realities and considerations. The ARI’s central executive will have oversight of all the ARC and all the centres combined will effectively constitute the ARI. While each ARC will be allowed reasonable levels of autonomy, the central executive will have the duty to ensure openness accountability and transparency.

African Redemption Centres (ARC)

Initially, a centre will be set up in each of the five regions within Africa and one in the African Diaspora. Eventually we hope to have centres in each African nation, all across the African Diaspora and ultimately wherever necessary. These centers will be designed to be self-sustaining and shall be operated as social intervention and renewal centres with a specific youth focus. They will have facilities, projects and programmes to meet the objectives of the ARI.

Some of these are:

• Conference Centres

• Information Technology Units

• Entrepreneurial Centres

• Life Long Learning Centres

The ARI intends to harmonize its work with the African Union, United Nations and individual Nation States in enhancing a sustainable development for Africa and Africans while contributing to the welfare of all humanity. We hope to gradually coordinate our objectives and methodologies with those of all ethnic, cultural and faith-based entities that are committed to African development. In this connection, we hope to be able to work within the inter-faith movement and with the United Nations vision of 2011, which it designated as the International Year for People of African Descent (IYPAD). Also, we intend to consolidate any gains that these synergies will generate and to use them as pivots for providing momentum and sustaining our developmental work for Africa.

Finally, we hope that these efforts will serve as a catalyst which will result in Africa gaining membership within the Permanent Security Council of the United Nations, since most of the UN's challenges are African centered or African related.

Our Mission is African Redemption

The African Redemption Initiative is spearheaded by Yasus Afari and an international network of colleagues and associates who are committed to the development, ‘inity’(unity) and redemption of Mama Africa.

Updates on the African Redemption Tour will be made available as they develop.

Kindly feel free to indicate your interest and suggestions.

YA

Edutainment Promotion ( Jamaica )

Email: edutainmentpromo@yahoo.com

YASUS AFARIs 7^th annual poetry celebration Poetry in Motion was held in Feb 2010 featuring the Golden Tongue Award. The Golden Tongue Anthology will be published shortly.

YASUS AFARIs 2010 Tour in Mama Africa was a great success and plans are in hand for the 2011 African Redemption Tour as part of the UNESCO  United Nations Year for People of African Descent.

One Love, One Hope, One Humanity.

International Poet Author and Reggae Recording Artiste,YASUS AFARI  The Ancient Youth has been circling the globe nonstop for the past three years carrying the message of One Love One Hope One Humanity

YASUS incorporates entertainment, Jamaican humour social graces and education into an inspirational, motivational and mystifying package which he dubs edutainment for the entire family Accordingly the audience is served with an unforgettable nourishing menu of good clean intelligent fun

Wirl Wind World Tour

Since the historic double launch of his Jamaican bestselling Overstanding Rastafari,  Jamaicas Gift to the World, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, along with his CD Revolution Chapter 1 AFARI has toured Jamaica Barbados St Lucia England Wales Japan Australia New Zealand Canada The Gambia Zimbabwe and Azania/South Africa visiting some of these countries up to 6 and 8 times

in 2008 Yasus Afari re-released his poetry Anthology Eye Pen and his CD Gift of Visionfeaturing YASUS AFARI and Friends inclusive of Beres Hammond Black Uhuru Luciano Freddy McGregor Garnet Silk Natural Black Singing Melody and Jahson Bringsley Fords of ASWAD son

In 2009 YASUS released Kiss Mi Neck which is an unprecedented Jamaican Spoken Word CD which is an extraordinary recording and constantly gaining international attention

Jamaican Dub Bardd YASUS AFARI yng Gogledd Cymru

In Wales YASUS AFARI flows with the environmental themes he promotes, sharing the Welsh translation of his internationally recognised poem The Earth is our Friend Daewedd ys ein Cydwedd and also continues to build bridges and embrace differences as he performs with another international poet Richard Douglas Pennant a descendent of a family who used their wealth to build the castle at Penrhyn in North WalesYASUS AFARI will be working with school children who have been studying the historical links between Jamaica and North Wales as well as setting up learning links between schools

YASUS in Scotland

In Scotland the focus will be on visiting the Museum of Religious Life and Art to present the perspective of Rastafari and present his book Overstanding Rastafari – Jamaica’s Gift to the World for inclusion in their prestigious library as well as meeting local groups to plan activities for his next tour in the Autumn

In London and Wolverhampton YASUS AFARI will be the Key Note speaker at Learning Links Internationals conference and seminar events organised with the very active Caribbean and African Languages Network

Then YASUS AFARI returns to Jamaica to touch base for 4 days before flying to Anguilla for a series of parenting workshops and concerts book and CD signing engagements before returning to Kingston for the University of the West Indies historic RASTAFARI Studies Conference at Mona August 17 to 20 where he is one of the key note presenters as well as a workshop facilitator and featured performer with his Reggae Band and special guests

African Redemption

YASUS AFARI is returning to Africa in September for highly anticipated appearances to advance the planning for the 2011 African Redemption Tour as part of the UNESCO United Nations Year for People of African Descent.

And then as this frenetic year closes YASUS AFARI is back in the UK for the Black History Season before flying to Australia at the specific invitation of the indigenous peoples of the Melbourne area who he connected with at the Parliament of the World’s Religions which was hosted there last year