Maybe in the1950’s you would have found him on a ‘soapbox’ in the middle of Bridgetown, giving a voice to the working class, or picketing for the rights of labourers. In 2011 however, the face of public speaking has changed drastically to incorporate the new era of social media, and video blogging or ‘vlogging’ has become the ‘soapbox’ of the new millennia.
Kirk ‘Bajan Fari’ Phillips was born in St. Peter, Barbados on August 20th 1969, but moved to the city of Bridgetown after the passing of his mother. Not one for being ‘coup up in a house’ he was very active from young, from stunting on BMX bicycles to boogie boarding to ‘thiefing de occasional mango’ –all events characteristic of a Bajan upbringing.
But when life started to brew every trouble imaginable for Fari, he decided it was time for a change of scenery, and this prompted his move to the city that never sleeps – New York. Leaving Bimshire over a decade ago, he has witnessed the changes taking place from the outside looking in – both good and bad. One negative change, in his opinion, is the adoption of the American culture by the younger generation, who are quickly losing the authenticity of being Bajan.
Kirk ‘Bajan Fari’ Phillips was born in St. Peter, Barbados on August 20th 1969, but moved to the city of Bridgetown after the passing of his mother. Not one for being ‘coup up in a house’ he was very active from young, from stunting on BMX bicycles to boogie boarding to ‘thiefing de occasional mango’ –all events characteristic of a Bajan upbringing.
But when life started to brew every trouble imaginable for Fari, he decided it was time for a change of scenery, and this prompted his move to the city that never sleeps – New York. Leaving Bimshire over a decade ago, he has witnessed the changes taking place from the outside looking in – both good and bad. One negative change, in his opinion, is the adoption of the American culture by the younger generation, who are quickly losing the authenticity of being Bajan.
This is not the case for ‘Fari’ – as one living abroad he relishes in celebrating Barbadiana in every way possible. From his videos, you will always see the massive flag in the background and the music accompanying it is usually from Bajan underground artistes, who he promotes. His love for country and culture is among the reasons he credits for his smooth transition from Barbados to NYC. He notes that staying grounded is an important factor which allowed him to function in the new environment. This doesn’t mean his heart won’t long for home every once in a while, but he is prepared to make that sacrifice for now so that when the time is right, and he is in a position to return home to help his country.
After watching his vlogs you might think he had a master plan, to create controversy and ‘skin up people apple cart’, but as he tells it this was a case of pure fate and proper timing. After doing a video recapping the events that unfolded at a friend’s party, he was encouraged by Joy `boss lady ` D`Avilar to continue making the videos. Fari decided to take on the issues which we see and choose to ignore or are just too embarrassed to talk about. This has resulted in backlash from some, but “it comes with being the person I am and the truth hurts”.
Aside from the negative persons here and there, Fari was shocked and appreciative of the swarm of support and the huge following he has gotten since doing the vlogs. He is one of the topical persons to watch for in your news feed, with his videos being circulated like wildfire.
Throughout all of his videos, there is one message he repeats time and time again especially to his younger viewers “looking on to de future and never forgetting de past, always know where ever yuh go yuh will always be a bajan. Make your country proud cause I know I gine try muh best to do de same”
