Marva Lord is organising the first black cultural festival in mid Wales

Understood to be the first of its type in Powys, it will aim to raise awareness of black people's history.

Poetry, workshops, music and story-telling will feature during the day-long event at Clyro, near Hay-on-Wye.

The headlining act during an evening of concerts will be Dennis Bovell - a legend of the Dub scene.

The brainchild of Jamaican/Canadian Marva Jackson Lord, the festival will kick off a month of celebrations throughout the UK for Black History Month which starts in October.

Mrs Jackson Lord, who lives with her family at Llanigon, near Hay-on-Wye, said Black History Month Fest will be held on 30 September from 1300 (BST).

It's not an area where ethnic minorities are commonplace, but I'm expecting a lot of interest from people in the area and from many other places Marva Lord

According to the 2001 census, 1,139 people of ethnic origin live in Powys (0.9% of the population), but Mrs Jackson Lord said she was expecting many people to attend the event.

"Since moving to mid Wales last Christmas, I've found the people in the region welcoming and supportive," she said.

"It's not an area where ethnic minorities are commonplace, but I'm expecting a lot of interest in the festival from people in the area and from many other places in Britain.

"There will be something for everyone at the festival and it won't matter if you're black or white.

"The event aims to provide opportunities for learning about the contributions of black artists in various disciplines, thereby eradicating stereotypes.

"Our overall goal is to promote community harmony and understanding through the dissemination of information and by encouraging young people to develop positive attitudes of themselves and other people in the community.

"I'm so pleased that Dennis Bovell has agreed to appear, he's such a huge star in UK music scene."

The festival includes acts from Wales

Other acts due to appear at the festival include Atinuke - a storyteller from Nigeria when lives in Pembrokeshire; Roots, a female jazz trio, from Swansea, who will speak about the history of black music in Wales; Zein Simone - cutting edge British singer/songwriter and DJ Asif, an Asian hip-hop DJ who will perform during the evening.

Mrs Jackson Lord added: "A major part of our initiative is to provide unique opportunities for young people to meet and work with artists.

"The artists featured in our evening concerts will be leading the daytime workshops.

"I am doing this event without much financial support, but the Canadian High Commission is helping with the costs for bringing staging Canadian films on show and paying toward the travel costs of Michael St. George - the dub poet.

"I wouldn't be able to do this without the volunteer help I am receiving from just regular people living in Brecon, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford, Cardiff and even London.

"There's been a groundswell of support that has bolstered us in our efforts."

The event will be staged at Baskerville Hall Hotel, in Clyro.