Leeds played host to some of the most exciting voices in UK and Brazilian poetry on 8 October as the National Poetry Centre joined forces with Out of Many People to launch a groundbreaking international Creative Exchange Programme at Sound System: Music & Poetry of the Black Atlantic.
The Creative Exchange Programme is designed to foster new international collaborations between writers and creatives in the UK and Brazil. Wednesday’s launch at the Royal Armouries brought together an extraordinary line up of poets to launch the Exchange Programme as well as Out of Many People’s much-anticipated Rooted series centred in authentic Black storytelling.
Internationally recognised literary stars – iconic dub poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson, one of Brazil’s most influential writers Conceição Evaristo and T.S. Eliot Prize-winning poet Roger Robinson – explored the impact of sound system culture in a conversation chaired by Malika Booker, the celebrated two-time Forward Prize winner.
Teaming up with Brazil’s foremost literary gathering the FLUP Festival, the Programme is supported by the British Council’s UK and Brazil Season of Culture 2025. It aims to forge powerful creative connections between poets, performers and audiences in the UK and Brazil, exploring the cultural legacies of slavery, colonialism, and the Black Atlantic. Brazil has the second largest black population in the world, founded on the ancestors of the estimated 4.8 million enslaved Africans who were transported to the country in the Transatlantic Slave Trade between the 1500s and 1850.
Ruth Pitt, Susan Pitter, Malika Booker, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Simon Armitage, Roger Robinson, Conceicao Evaristo, Nick-Barley. @photosbydavidlindsay
Announced at the event were the three emerging poets Kadish Morris, Jamila Pereira and Omari Swanston-Jeffers from Northern England, selected by Khadijah Ibrahiim, founder of Leeds Young Authors, working with the National Poetry Centre. Their work will represent the diversity, innovation and lived experiences of Black British communities.
National Poetry Centre Director Nick Barley: “We have the privilege of working with outstanding partners to deliver this landmark programme, the amazing FLUP festival in Rio and Leeds based Out of Many People, to nurture and empower creative voices on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Poetry can be a vehicle for memory, resistance and imagination, and this programme encourages writers to compare and contrast their experiences through an international lens. What an opportunity for the three emerging poets we’ve selected – Kadish, Jamila and Omari – to travel to Rio in November and perform their work at FLUP.
“Out of Many People have worked tirelessly with us to bring this event to life. Their commitment to building bridges across cultures has been invaluable from the very beginning.”
Director of Out of Many People Susan Pitter: “The Sound System event was the perfect way to launch our Rooted programme centred in Black storytelling, and National Poetry Centre’s Brazil Exchange, especially during Black History Month.
“From its birth in 1940s Jamaica, sound system culture has evolved as a global phenomenon, shaping wider culture too. It has reflected Black community narratives for generations. The artists, music and lyrics have told our stories, captured joy and celebration and marked defining moments and movements. The lyrics – whether in powerful anthems or in the words of dub poets like Linton Kwesi Johnson, have been a call to resistance and cultural awakening.
“We’re delighted that our partnership with National Poetry Centre brought this incredible line up of poetic voices together and thrilled that three local poets will get to share their work in Brazil.”
Rooted runs until Spring 2026 and will also include a children’s festival of Black literature, for which National Poetry Centre and Out of Many People will collaborate again.
Building on this landmark launch event, the Programme will engage with artists and audiences in both countries through performances, events and creative development opportunities for emerging writers in both the UK and Brazil:
National Poetry Centre events at FLUP, Brazil (27-30 November 2025)
- The three emerging poets (Kadish Morris, Jamila Pereira and Omari Swanston-Jeffers) will travel to Rio de Janeiro to perform at the FLUP Festival where they will collaborate with three young Brazilian poets, selected through FLUP’s national slam competition, led by Roberta Estrela D’Alva, a pioneer of spoken word and performance poetry in Brazil.
- Artist and Oscar-winning film-maker Sir Steve McQueen will present the full Small Axe film series at the FLUP festival in Rio, alongside talks and masterclasses about his work and career
- UK Writer and Academic Patricia Kingori will interview Conceição Evaristo at FLUP, whose 2025 season is celebrating the life’s work of one of Brazil’s best loved poets
- Khadijah Ibrahiim will be the DJ for one of Rio’s world-famous ‘Baile Charme’ dance parties in Madureira, a neighbourhood known as the birthplace of samba and where 70% of its residents are of African descent. 5,000 people are expected to attend the all-night party.
Creative Development Programme - The six emerging poets will develop their practice and create new cross international links through collaboration, workshops and performance opportunities.
- Creating new writing exploring identity, migration, heritage and resilience, with bilingual collaboration supported by translators and mentors. In Spring 2026, the collaboration will continue with the Brazilian poets travelling to Leeds.
The longer term impact of the programme aims to build lasting professional links, offering young poets international platforms and exposure. It is also designed to leave a legacy of creative engagement in both cities, through recorded performances, digital publications and educational resources.
Rachel Stevens, Director Literature from the British Council: “We welcome the valued relationship between FLUP and the National Poetry Centre and are pleased to support the Creative Exchange Programme within the UK–Brazil Season of Culture. This initiative opens a vital space for artistic dialogue and ensures that a multiplicity of voices will continue to influence and enrich our shared creative landscapes.”
Julio Ludemir, Director of FLUP: “This important project further develops cultural connections between FLUP and key UK institutions, the British Council and National Poetry Centre. This new collaboration will build on our previous work together and I’m certain that, especially with the inclusion of Out of Many People, we will produce new and even more transformative relationships between Brazil and the UK.”
The Creative Exchange Programme forms part of a broader two-year international collaboration exploring Black Atlantic cultural connections. Future highlights include a presentation of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe film series at the FLUP Festival in Rio, plus additional international poetry showcases across both countries.
Main image…Malika Booker, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Conceicao Evaristo, Roger Robinson @photosbydavidlindsay
