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| Performance poet, humanitarian and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador AJA advised the Caribbeans youth to be proud of their heritage. |
Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 14, 2006: Barbadian performance poet, humanitarian and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador AJA advised the Caribbean's youth to be proud of their heritage.
He cited this as one means of their staying grounded and motivated in order to resist the temptation to succumb to negative behavior. This advice was given during an exclusive with the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service.
AJA, whose birth name was Adisa Jelani Andwele, is an ambassador who speaks out against war, poverty and HIV/AIDS. In his travels he visited Brazil, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Jamaica, Palestine and Israel in order to observe the effects of war, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
He said that in speaking to youth he often shows them pictures of children in these countries who are the victims of war, live in abject poverty or are dying of HIV/AIDS. This he said enables them to realize that the Caribbean is not one of the hotspots of the world where the issues that he speaks out against are rampant.
AJA said that he encourages them to accept that people outside of the Caribbean want to live like us, thus showing them that there is no need to adopt negative lifestyles from the glorified ghettos of the United States and Europe. He says that he asks them if they would like the Caribbean to go into a state of civil war or abject poverty such as certain places in Africa or become a consumer society like the United States.
~~Adz:Right~~The Goodwill Ambassador explained that the negative behaviour that affects our youth is the result of external negative forces. Pertaining to materialism, he said that youth fight in schools over cell phones and brand name clothes. He said that young girls are enticed into sexual favours in exchange for money to buy clothes and cell phones. He added that instead of fighting over foreign brand name clothing, Caribbean youth should be creating and promoting their own clothing lines. Fellow artistes were also encouraged to wear local brands while performing.
AJA noted that his Sierra Leone trip impacted him the most because he was able to sit and talk with people living in acute poverty which was one legacy of war. The other result of war was camps of amputees living without hands and feet.
The performance poet therefore encouraged youth to look at what they have and safeguard the Caribbean. He said that despite the fact that there are descendants of all races in the Caribbean, more often than not there is peace. He emphasized that the Caribbean has much to teach the world.
AJA should be in St. Kitts and Nevis from June 19 to 21 as part of the OECS 25th Anniversary Celebrations as well as to assist the Ministry of Health with their National HIV/AIDS Testing Day which takes place June 21st, 2006.
AJA's travels and poetry are documented in his ebook which can be obtained via his website www.dontletmedie.com (don't let me die).
