Poetry slam in Fiji kicked off in 2007 ten years after the Pacific Writing Forum was established and for the last two years has moved to greater heights.
The likes of writers have contributed so much to Pacific literature are Albert Wendt, Sia Figiel, the late Raymond Pillai, late Epeli Hau’ofa, and Konai-Helu Thaman to name a few. All of them have had residency or mentoring relationships with PWF. It is in their wake that the PWF aims to keep alive literary legacies.
Poetry slams have proved to be very popular in taking poetry to the people. The popularity of this form of public performance of poetry has spread across the whole of the Pacific, with very polished SLAM’s in Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Slam is an interactive mode of competitive poetry with the audience as well as keeping in mind the oral aspects of poetry. Slam adds to poetry as to compare the poetry slam to straight readings is not the right way of looking at each of the forms. Slams with their competitive performance and the game show kind of environment of the slam makes it instantly accessible to people.
The poetry slams in the past has been taken outside USP with performances at Traps nightclub, The Fiji Museum and Albert Park as part of the Wasawasa Festival and South Pacific Pageant in 2008, and 2009 respectively. It also featured at the second Pacific Youth Festival that attracted around 600 participants from 7 neighboring Pacific island countries like the Marshall islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Solomons, Cook Islands, Nauru, and Kiribati.
PWF Director Dr Mohit Prasad is part of a very enthusiastic SLAM organizing team that includes Bhavna Vithal, Hugh Fasher, Dave Lavaki, Apete Marayawa, and Anurag Subramani. Other staff and student have added with their help in organization and in judging contest. The 2009 SLAM Finales at the Wasawasa Festival during the South Pacific Pageant featured new and innovative voices, including rappers and performers from across the Pacific.
