Moqapi Selassie
Two of Moqapi's poems Click Here 
Hailing from Birmingham, England, a son of Jamaican parents, Moqapi has been performing poetry and conducting workshops since the 1980s. Over the years he has performed at a number of venues and events.
Errol Dunkley once sang that “every man do his thing a little way different,” and so it is with Moqapi Selassie’s brand of dub poetry.
Some of the events he has performed at are: ‘Four de hard way’ (1994); Birmingham Readers and Writers Festival, Live and Loud 1 (1996); Live and Loud 2 (1998); Birmingham International Carnival 1986, 1987, 1988; Artsfest (1998; 1999; 2000 2002 2003 2004, 2009), Bob Marley Memorial 1984 and 1999; the Round Festival (1992, 1993, 1995, 2001); the Nuyorican Poets Café New York (1996); Brooklyn Moon Café New York (1996); Ledbury Festival (2000, 2001); the Akwaaba Poetry Café New York (2000); Burning Spear/Johnny Clarke Haile Selassie I Celebration, Birmingham Academy (2003). Word Temple (2005, 2006) SumBrumpoets Video (2007) Roots Cause Jamaica (2007, 2008, 2010, ed2013)
In 2009 and 2010 he toured his one man show ‘Blackheart Man;’ in 2012, as part of the 50 year celebration of Jamaican Independence, he wrote and performed ‘Jamaica to Rastafari;’ as well as performing at Simmer Down Festival. In 2010 he teamed up with Deci4life (Ras Auden Allen) and co-wrote and performed the intergenerational lyrical clash ‘The Spiral’ which was directed by Dr Martin Glynn. The Spiral toured the UK in 2013 directed by James Pogson. In 2015 Moqapi played the ‘Griot’ in Dub Qalandar a musical fusion of Roots Rock Reggae, Sufi music and Poetry. In 2018 he performed in Ethiopia at the All African Rastafari (AARG) and also, at the AARG held in South Africa, in 2019.
He has performed at virtual events such as Simmer Down Festival July 2020, Simmer Down Lounge September 2020 and Birmingham Black History Month Launch October 2020. Moqapi put out his long-awaited debut album ‘Lyric Man’ in 2019 and is presently working on the follow-up.
Since arriving in Tanzania in January 2021 Moqapi has formed a Nyahbinghi chanting group, that ‘performed’ every Sunday at Rastaland , Ununio Beach for ten months. Moqapi has performed at the monthly open mike event held at Rastaland.
Examples of Moqapi's work
Five Birmingham Poets BBC Your Community
https://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2006/09/29/five_birmingham_poets_feature.shtml#:~:text=Leon%20Blades%2C%20Sue%20Brown%2C%20Martin%20Glynn%2C%20Roi%20Kwabena,poets%20perform%20regularly%20in%20the%20West%20Midlands%20area.
Kunapipi Volume 30 Issue 2 Article 13 2008
Moqapi Selassie: Dub poetry in Birmingham Eric Doumerc
https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1325&context=kunapipi
Poetry Places Moqapi Selassie – The Poetry Society
http://archive.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/archives/places/birmlib/
One Man Show Blackheart Man
back to backs-Sequence 1-H.264 300Kbps Streaming.mov
67 views Sep 16, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep1LOU46K0E
Show Adverts
The Spiral ( OFFICIAL VIDEO ) DECI4LIFE AND MOQAPI SELASSIE
684 views Sep 15, 2011
Advert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpgglVyCCNE
SimmerLock Down Festival 18th and 19th July 2020
2,761 views Jul 13, 2020
Advert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWFZeXtnW1I
Dub Qalandar Moqapi
Advert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-jt6DEs2Zw
Interview
Moqapi Salessie interveiw UKCETV
80 views Aug 18, 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSktPz3XAKM&t=3s
Performances
New Day Dubpoetry
Confidence I and Kokumo on 74 bus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M29HUloLK_4
Simmer Lock Down Festival 2020 (SUNDAY)
27,145 views Streamed live on Jul 19, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RAHsRtAFA&t=16700s
Time Stamp
4:19:12 Compere’s intro Moqapi Selassie
4:19:41 Moqapi intro
4:20:07 – 4:26:37 2020 Lockdown
4:26:54 – 4:29:21 Confidence
4:29:47 – 4:33:31 Concrete Jungle
4:33:45 - 4:39:45 Bad Bwoy Merika
4:40:00 – 4:40:25 Comperes outro
BIRMINGHAM 2020 VIRTUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH LAUNCH
3,068 views Streamed live on Sep 26, 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un0khGCDoPw&t=5665s
Time Stamp
1:21:35 – 1:21:49 Compere Intro Moqapi Selassie
1:21:53 – 1:22:54 Moqapi Intro
1:22:56 -1:25:49 Confidence
1:26:12 - 1:33:59 2020 Lockdown
1:34:04 Compere Outro
