Sulaiman Masomi is an author, slam poet, rapper, stand-up comedian, cabaret artist and word acrobat born in Kabul in 1979. A year after the outbreak of the war against the Soviet Union, his family left Afghanistan and sought refuge in Germany. He has become one of the best-known representatives of the slam movement, which he analyses as a literary critic in his book Poetry Slam -eine orale Kultur zwischen Tradition und Moderne. The winner of numerous prizes, he regularly presents his texts on German television.  (Photo credit: Marvin Ruppert, 2022).

Mona Monasar, born in 1998, is a poet and writer who grew up in Tensta, a suburb of Stockholm known for its high density of immigrants. She discovered her passion for poetry at a young age and began to write at the age of 16. Tensta played a significant role in her artistic development, hosting slam poetry competitions organized by Förenade förorter, a group that emerged in response to the frequently exclusive environments of traditional literary scenes. This movement allowed Mona Monasar to participate in spoken word competitions, where she reached the finals, and helped her refine her writing style, which remains closely tied to spoken word even today. In 2019, Mona Monasar published the book Modersmål with the Swedish publishing house Natur & Kultur, aimed at young adult literature and illustrated by Tove Jertfelt. In her writings, she addresses deep and personal themes, such as the growth of a black Muslim girl in contemporary Sweden, the prejudices she encounters, mental illness, the African diaspora, identity, and the sense of not fully belonging to any place. Her works offer powerful reflections on these experiences, making her a significant voice in the literary landscape. In addition to poetry, Mona Monasar also writes prose and has received a literary award for her writings, a testament to her talent and her commitment to representing her experiences and her community through words.

Seckou Ouologuem (1985) is a slam poet, rap artist, writer, director and event organiser. He has won several awards. In 2017, he won the Belgian rap championship; in 2020 he was appointed city poet of Antwerp, and in 2023 poet of the Bruges museum. Seckou is one of the founding fathers of the slam scene in Flanders. Social commitment is an important feature of a good slam, and Seckou also draws inspiration from the everyday reality of the city.  By running poetry platforms such as ‘iedereenstadsdichter’, he aims at bringing poetry closer to the people, to make it more relevant, but it's also one of the few tools he has to express himself unrestrained and to make the voices of the city and of the less privileged, heard on the streets, in institutions and in the media. Seckou runs workshops, performs in schools, prisons and institutions, and is a member of several decolonisation groups in Flanders.