A spoken word artist from East London is set to give one of his biggest performances yet, in front of Boris Johnson.

Jolade Olusanya has been selected to perform at the London Means Business dinner, where the Mayor of London will give his annual business address.

The event is also organised to support The Legacy List, a charity responsible for ensuring the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Games, by developing arts, culture and education in and around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Jolade, who recently reached the finals of the Young Poet Laureate for London competition, began writing poetry at the age of 12, shortly after he moved to the UK from Nigeria. He became involved in performance poetry while at university.

“To be honest, I just put words together,” he says, when describing his art. People have such defined ideas about poetry, and think you have to study a particular degree, come from a particular place, or construct it in a certain way, but to me it’s just about being creative.”

Hackney resident Jolade has performed and led spoken word workshops in Gambia and London as a spoken word mentor for children and teenagers. He has headlined several spoken word events in Gambia hosted by the Balafong group – a prestigious young Gambian writers’ association.

Speaking ahead of his performance, Jolade (pictured) says: “I’m completely in support of The Legacy List’s work, especially their development of arts and culture in my area of London. To have the opportunity to perform for the mayor is an honour.”