 The Afrikan Poetry Theatre Ensemble, the progenitor to the theater, was co-founded by the late Yusef Waliyaya and the late John Watusi Branch, in 1976 as a collection of poets, singers and musicians focused on jazz, funk, African rhythms and poetry.The Afrikan Poetry Theatre was incorporated in 1977 and found a home on Merrick Boulevard the following year.It moved to its current location, at 176-03 Jamaica Ave., in 1979.