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United Nations Spokesperson and Artist, AJA, Biography13-05-2007
From his emergence as a poet AJA has been focusing on many of the world’s problems such as war, peace and the abuse of women and children. This persistency was rewarded in 2003 when he was made a UNDP Spokesperson on Peace and Poverty Eradication for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.Today AJA is not only recognized as one of Barbados’ and the Caribbean’s prominent artistes, but also as a humanitarian. He is a HIV/AIDS champion for the HIV-AIDS Commission of Barbados. In addition, last October he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Caribbean Conservation Association. In 2003 AJA launched the International Foundation for Peace and Poverty Eradication (ifppe). Through ifppe, he has embarked upon an international campaign against war and poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The first phase of this campaign saw AJA visit war-torn and poverty-stricken communities across the world to document and photograph the atrocities so that he could return to the Caribbean and raise awareness of the problems as well as generate aid for the people living in these areas. The campaign began in Brazil and concluded in Israel and Palestine; taking him to Haiti, Jamaica, South Africa and Sierra Leone. The visit to Sierra Leone in
particular had a massive effect on AJA and his work. AJA first went to
Sierra Leone two years after the civil war ended and what he saw had such
an impact on him that he was motivated to immediately help the people of
this country which had been ravaged by war. AJA visited amputee camps in
Freetown where he was horrified to learn that during the war cutting off
the limbs of villagers was used as the principle form of intimidation. AJA
also visited a refugee settlement in Waterloo and the Slum area of Kroobay
in Freetown which, along with the amputee camps, motivated him into
action. For more information on AJA,
visit the website below: www.ifppe.org www.dontletmedie.com www.lettheworldunite.com |
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Adisa
Jelani Andwele (AJA) is one of the leading exponents of performance poetry
in the Caribbean. He fuses poetry with music, from jazz to various
Caribbean rhythms, to create a unique sound. In the process he has take
the non-mainstream art form of rhythm poetry from Barbados to the
international stage. He performs at prominent international jazz, world
music and literary festivals.