IN 2007, Paul “Simba” Rock had a desire to effect a level of social change in Barbados.
At that time, he was founder and president of the digital publication, Our Afrikan Heritage. The magazine was geared towards the advancement of positive and fulfilling lives through education.
However, Simba still felt there was more that could be done to influence systems and methodologies to assist with the economic empowerment of underprivileged and marginalised people.
Hence, after some reasoning and encouragement from his “queen”, Leah Clarke, he realised that the objectives of Our Afrikan Heritage could be advanced through other means such as the establishment of a non-profit organisation.
It took some time, but seven years later, that vision came to fruition when he founded the African Heritage Foundation.
The foundation is a charity that aims to bring people of various backgrounds and social standings together to work and effect great social change, he told the DAILY NATION.
Simba said that the foundation worked under the principle of reparations with a focus on self-repair. It envisioned this self-repair would begin by making opportunities for the economic benefit of people who had historically been disadvantaged by the existing social, economic and political structures.
Subsequently, the idea of the latest venture, a line of T-shirts called “Hekima: Wisdom Wear” was born.
“Hekima is a Swahili word that, when translated to English, means wisdom. Wisdom in turn is defined as the ability to apply relevant knowledge in an insightful way,” he explained.
“The line was started small with one print and a couple dozen shirts. I have a background in graphic art and as such, I conceptualised the design and a friend does the artwork and printing. His is another emerging business that is supported by this line.
“The idea here is to use a line of clothing to advance positive symbolism and messages into mainstream society. Hekima: Wisdom Wear is tagged as educational wear. The first series of Hekima: Wisdom Wear T-shirts will consist of 13 designs that feature Adinkra symbols and quotes from wise men and women who have left great messages for us to consider.”
According to Simba, Adinkra symbols were visual representations of concepts and aphorisms developed by the Akan people of Ghana. They were extensively used in fabrics, pottery, logos and advertising. They can also be found in architectural designs as well as on traditional Akan gold weights and sculptures, and stools used for traditional rituals.
He maintained that these symbols were not just decorative objects or drawings, but actual messages conveying ancient traditional wisdom relevant to aspects of life or the environment.
“Adinkra means goodbye or farewell in the Twi language of the Akan ethnic group to which the Asante belong . . . . It is for this reason that Hekima: Wisdom Wear selected the Adinkra symbol for its imaging, as we add to the other voices who, through their activism, say goodbye and farewell to corralled states of mind that hold our society hostage,” he said.
“Through the messages on the . . . brand, it is envisioned that persons coming into contact with this line of clothing will have an instant learning experience as instructed from the ancient sages.
“The sages of the ancient times have inspired and taught in ages when spirituality wasn’t a semi-common ‘household item’. They were the true revolutionaries. Anybody seeking the universal truth or truths would do well to first and foremost familiarise themselves with these thinkers and their wisdom.”
St James base
Currently operating from his Wanstead, St James base, Simba hopes the children in his family will carry on the business.
He said he created the T-shirt line to provide personal income while focusing much of his attention on the advancement of the African Heritage Foundation. It is also intended that this business, with the assistance of members of the foundation, will be a model for collective cooperation in business development. But he also hopes it earns enough to give back to society.
“Hekima: Wisdom Wear donates ten per cent of its profits to the foundation to assist with their various community empowerment and positive development programmes and with other emerging businesses. From this humble beginning, Hekima: Wisdom Wear will in time grow into a business that is expected to be owned, through shareholdings, by members of the foundation and persons working directly with the business,” he added. (KC)