AFI… the force behind POETHON

TODAY on Poetry in motion, we have a guest. Asuelimen Favour Isi, popularly known as AFI. As a Poetry enthusiast, she is the brain behind the WhatsApp poetry concert, POETHON.

AFI is not only a poet/spoken word artist, she is also concerned about curating creative content that connects with the human mind, soul, and spirit.

As a published poet, her poem, “While you Waited” was published in the Muse UNN Magazine, while four of her poems were published in the Otherwise Engaged Literature and Arts Journal of Mexico. Also, her poem, “In the Face of Failure” was published in AceWorld Beauty of Failure anthology.

Please, welcome AFI to Archive of Memories

Hi, can we please meet you?

Hi, I’m Asuelimen Favour Isi, popularly known as AFI. I’m a great creative thinker, strategist, and professional content designer.

What does Poetry mean to you?

To me, poetry is mind in motion searching for the right words to reach the depth of man. It is a figurative expression of imagination.

Do you think poetry is in motion?

Most definitely! Poetry is on the go. So far,  it has penetrated the entertainment industry through collaborations with other forms of art in the industry. Though, not widely recognised yet, it is gradually creating a niche in the industry. Soon enough, it will become a household genre.

What inspired the birth of Poethon, and when?

If I say, ‘it was inspired by the lockdown’, will it be out of place? During the lockdown period, I noticed that poetry lovers were starved of good poetry performances — this audience had an active online presence as well. After zooming in on the situation, I realised I could leverage it and cop an opportunity from the crisis. Right there in the middle of deep thinking, the idea was birthed — to create a system where poetry performances will be aired on my WHATSAPP STATUS like a television poetry show. We launched the idea in April 2020 and attracted 250 audiences from three different countries. As a monthly concert, we just concluded the 7th season with over 600 audiences in attendance from five countries.

What challenges would you say you have faced since the birth of Poethon?

Oh! WhatsApp has been our major challenge. The technical issues got in the way from the third to the fifth season of POETHON. We noticed that videos were not uploading at the time scheduled. As a result, we had terrible delays in introducing some scheduled sessions. The implication was extending the days from three to four days, sometimes, five. Thankfully, we didn’t experience such in the last two seasons.

Since Poethon started, would you say it has connected and reached a wide audience? If yes, how was this possible?

As earlier noted, we increased from 250 to over 600 audiences from five different countries. Interestingly, we usually have up to 400 active viewers who intimately connect to the performances every season. This was possible through publicity. POETHON viewers go all out to publicise every season of POETHON on all interactive media platforms. Through the hyperlink created, people have easy access to register for the concert. Publicity goes a long way in getting a good number of persons every season.

What is the inspiring factor that has kept Poethon going?

We just concluded season seven, yay! Sincerely, POETHON is one project I never believed would have survived till this moment after season three. The HolySpirit who is the one in charge of the concert is the reason why we won’t stop POETHON. It appears that each season comes with a special kind of energy sufficient to pull through. It’s crazy how it works but He’s always there. The POETHON viewers are an inspiration indeed; their active participation and testimonies are part of the push.

In addition to this, consistency is one word that has also kept us pushing POETHON. Sincerely, we wouldn’t have had the third season cause I lost the energy to do it. However, quitting was not and will never be part of the plan until we are finally done.

Do you have any big plans regarding this concert that you can’t achieve because it is an online concert?

We have plans to get widely influential poets who are at the zenith of their career on the show. However, some of them are not on WhatsApp; some use their WhatsApp platforms for private purposes. Regardless, we will advance and spread till poetry is the face mask on the world’s map.

What would you say has been the best and the hardest thing about organising this concert every season?

The best thing is ‘impacting a wide majority of people’ — that in itself is a major drive. The testimonies are always amazing! The hardest thing is getting to organise both the old and new viewers to participate in every step of the way every season. That can be very hectic and draining!

Do you think poetry is in motion through Poethon?

Oh yeah! Poetry is very much in motion. POETHON audience is open to learning from the endless possibilities our guest poets offer. Through observation, most POETHON audience discovered how better their poetry can be. We’ve raised a good number of poets who are taking poetry to an advanced level. Through POETHON, poetry is always on the move.