- Sunday 22, August-2004 by DONNA SEALY

RHYTHM POET AJA is bringing his international campaign against war, poverty and HIV/AIDS home to Barbados.

At the launch of his CD Deceptions Thursday at the National HIV/AIDS Commission offices on Roebuck Street, The City, he announced that his charity, The International Foundation for Peace & Poverty Eradication, will be helping orphans and the National Food Bank.

This will be done through proceeds from the sale of the ten-poem CD, which will be distributed locally by Acute Vision.

But AJA is going places and doing more things.

“I want to wake up the world,” he told the audience.

The poet and musician has secured an international distribution contract with Jetstar Phonographics, for the CD he launched in London on July 15 at the Barbados High Commission.

His international public relations manager Angie Allison told the audience that he is unique and the public relations campaign in Britain will show people just how much while phase two will establish him as a humanitarian.

And when his world tour continues in September he will be stopping in Israel and Palestine, the first time he will be in conflict-torn countries.

He spoke of his trip to war-torn and poverty-stricken countries such as Brazil, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Haiti and Jamaica, and related how AIDS had ravaged those communities.

“It is unfortunate that children are suffering from the mistakes of adults,” he said, adding that the youth were not being protected.

Through generous donations of food and clothing from Barbadians, he assisted thousands of impoverished people in Sierra Leone, West Africa, earlier this year.

His journeys will be documented and shown on the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation’s Channel 8 as part of their programming, revealed programme manager Thom Cross.

Additionally, a new poetry series will run from September to December.

Aja will also publish a book of poetry entitled Don’t Let Me Die.

Compliments of the Nation News

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