Paul “Ras Simba Akoma” Rock.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados--The Rastafari community in Barbados has launched its very own newspaper, The Rastafari Vision (TRV) – a bi-monthly family-oriented publication available both in print and digital versions.
Identified as a “socially conscious” publication, TRV focuses on an historical perspective of Rastafari and African culture and is targeted at those interested in gaining a deeper knowledge about the Rastafari movement.
Now at its fourth edition, TRV is being hailed as a positive step in the right direction towards open culture sharing and education in Barbados and abroad.
The publication has drawn significant interest from the Caribbean Rastafari Union (CRU) that possesses a vast regional and international network of Rastafari organisations via which TRV can be distributed, positioning TRV to become one of the leading Rastafari publications in the world.
TRV Editor-in-Chief Ras Simba Akoma made it clear the newspaper has no intention of competing against any of the mainstream media houses, rather it is to be viewed as a complementary voice within the national, regional and international community dialogue.
“As a child my bookshelf contained literature that told of Greek history, some
told of American history, others of the mighty Chinese dynasties and,
of course, Caribbean people,” he said.
“I enjoyed learning of various cultures and people through the pages of my storybooks, and it is my profound wish that Barbados and beyond enjoy learning more about the Rastafari culture, and its relations to Africa, her heritage and culture, through the pages of TRV.”
In another bold and forward-thinking movement for the Rastafari community,
TRV recently published a new “Donor Prospectus” aimed at potential donors, investors and supporters.
The document outlines new opportunities for businesses to support TRV through paid advertising packages, as well as one-off individual/private donations and advertorial/feature pieces.
Financial contributions will assist TRV to expand into an established Rastafari Media Cooperation (RMC) as well to increase TRV printing capacity and invest in creating additional institutions that are essential to the continued development of the Rastafari community as a progressive and upstanding entity in Barbadian society.
Ras Simba Akoma is a well-known member of the Rastafari community who operates his own African-centred charitable organisation The African Heritage Foundation (AHF), which also oversees the daily operations of TRV, while members of a newly-created Rastafari collective Rastafari Progressive Movements assist with the distribution of the paper.
TRV has printed versions available at To The Root Health and Culture Shop on Bank Hall Cross Road, Bongo Lights Culture Place on Suttle Street in Bridgetown, Temple Yard at Cheapside Bridgetown, and Rastafari Delight Ital Food Cafe at Rice’s St. Phillip.
The digital version of TRV can be paid for at To The Root Health and Culture Shop using a method similar to that of purchasing top-ups for cell-phones.
For more information, visit
http://rastafarivision.com or contact Ras Simba Akoma at tel. +1(246)260-4795. ~ Barbados Today ~
