Dec 31, 2010
Dec 28, 2010
Reasoning with a Rasta woman
By Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
Dr. Imani Tafari-Ama. - Winston Sill/Staff Photographer
SHE GREW up in a Seventh-Day Adventist household. Her parents were
well-known community and church leaders in Albion, Manchester. She was an
active youth leader in the congregation there. Then at age 22 she became a
Rastafarian. Dr. Imani Tafari-Ama is today a spokesperson in Jamaica and the rest
of the Caribbean on the Rastafarian worldview and lifestyle.
After graduating from Manchester High School in 1978 she later that year entered
the University of the West Indies (UWI) where she became part of the second
cohort of persons enrolled at CARIMAC (the Caribbean Institute of Media and
Communications). She did a Bachelor's degree in Communication with Language
and Literature, and along the way became involved in the Rastafarian movement.
"At UWI, I was exposed to the Twelve Tribes House of Rasta, reasonings with
Rastas, going to binghi and reading the Bible in an entirely different way. All of a
sudden, my searchings to rationalise my Africanness found congruence with a belief
system that reclaimed race as a site of struggle. In recognising the divinity of a king
who is a black person, with the whole Ethiopian history intertwined in that
personality, it seemed to me that if we are created in the image of the Almighty
then we must look like God and if God looks like us, then it makes sense. All of a
sudden, this blonde, blue-eyed Jesus Christ was out the window."
Predictably, her decision to wear locks did not go down well with her family. They
were disappointed with her decision. Their disappointment was ameliorated in large
measure by the fact that she distinguished herself in academia.
HER OPINION OF THE CHURCH
Dr. Ama, who was formerly known as Faith Morris, is employed at the National
Housing Trust (NHT) as manager of Social Developments. In her job she promotes
inner-city and urban renewal as part of social development strategy of the NHT.
She also teaches at the Centre for Gender and Development Studies and
CARIMAC on the UWI Mona Campus.
"Rasta people say 'God a man'. I would extend it to say 'God a woman'. In that
sense we create our own divinity by how we live our lives. Creation is an event of
the mind and once we make that mental shift from being people who are
custom-designed to be Christians in the sense of missionary proselytising-- to
self-defined people who say 'I will remake myself in my own image and create my
divinity in my own likeness.' So going through my early university days was a
wonderful experience of exploration reading books like The Philosophy and
Opinions of Marcus Garvey, the works of Kwame Nkrumah, Angela Davis and
others."
She is by no means bitter towards the Church. "The Church serves a purpose in
giving people a foundation, a perspective and for some, something to hold on to."
Sadly, she continues, the Church still lacks a needed degree of effectiveness, as it
often does not look keenly enough at reality through culturally relevant lenses. It
needs, she stressed, to become more critical of the colonising heritage of
Christianity and Christian Theology. It is this legacy, she said, that causes some
church folk to be so heavenly-minded that they fail to be meaningfully engaged in
struggles such as the improving the lot of persons threatened by the scourge of
HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Nevertheless, she acknowledges there are significant areas of harmony between
Adventism and Rastafarianism notably, the exalted place both belief systems give
to proper nutritional health, and the mutual attribution they give to the Pope as the
Anti-Christ of Biblical prophecy.
With the embrace of Rastafari, her critical awareness of sources of oppression
within religion has soared. This extends to her view of the Bible. She believes
strongly that there are truths to be known that are not recorded in the Bible.
"Whose history is in the Bible? Who are the Jews in the Bible? When I get to moot
questions like that I think it is safer for me to try to ask 'Where did my ancestors
really come from? What is it that they believed in? How is it that that belief system
has relevance for me now? I would like to go back to what animism is, what
ancestor worship is. Why is it we rejected these things just because colonisers said
these things are of the heathens?"
Gleaner: Do you accept the divinity of Haile Selassie?
Dr. Ama: Yes, inasmuch as you accept the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Gleaner: Do you believe Jesus was fully God and fully man?
Dr. Ama: Yes. I am fully God and fully woman. I think we should demystify this
notion of godness. Until we can do that this notion in St. John's Gospel, where it
says you are sons and daughters of the Most High, makes no sense.
"Why would you regard yourself as a son of the Most High if there wasn't the
possibility for there to be a correlation as man to be God much of the soapbox
treatment of Rastafari relates to the fact that Haile Selassie is a black man.
The Church set up this notion of Jesus Christ being God to the exclusion of all else.
That kind of arrogance of belief system, I think, is what allows the state of
intolerance of people who are deemed to be other to be perpetuated in the world
I shy away from any kind of system that would want to present a monolithic
approach that says 'I am right and you are wrong'.
Gleaner: What if the Christians are right, that Jesus is the only way?
Dr. Ama: Then respect due.
Gleaner: That means that others are lost.
Dr. Ama: Absolutely. We will just have to be languishing in hellfire.
A person's faith, she said, "is a personal thing." For this reason she frowns on
notions of proselytising. The Rasta ethos, a.k.a. 'livity', is bigger than Selassie and
so, she explained, using the words of a popular Morgan Heritage song "You don't
have to dread to be Rasta. It is not a dreadlocks thing, but a divine conception of the
heart."
She hinted that Rasta has more adherents and sympathisers than is apparent, as
many are 'internalising beliefs and livity without subscribing formally to it."
HAILE SELASISE LIVES ON
Selassie, however, has given legitimacy to Rasta, she said "and Rasta has
exponentially kept alive the person of Haile Selassie. I wouldn't go and say you can
be Rasta without seeing Haile Selassie. It is Haile Selasise that gives the raison
d'etre to Rasta--. When you see I and I you see the perpetuation of the life of Haile
Selassie so in that sense Selassie can't die. I could accept the physical passing--
but there is an indivisibility between life and death which we also know and
recognise which is beyond physical vision-- that is what gives the je ne sais quoi (a
quality that cannot be easily identified) to one's spirituality and to one's immortality.
She is by no means uncritical of Rastafari. Being an egalitarian at heart, she has
issues with its patriarchal structures as it, in her view, perpetuates a "hierarchical
system of power which privileges one set of people over another." She also has
issues with a growing individualism that is diminishing the communal spirit for which
the movement extols.
There's scope, she says, for a meeting of the minds between people of differing
faiths. In that regard she favours more dialogue between Rasta communities and
churches so that both groups can work toward social transformation. In this regard,
she said, scope for such co-operation exists to feed the hungry, clothe the naked
and house the homeless.
Dec 6, 2010
Sep 14, 2010
Aug 25, 2010
Rastafari around the world .
BY BASIL WALTERS Observer staff reporter
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A member of the third generation of the Marley clan is discovering Rastafari not only from a personal perspective, but also its impact on countries around the world.
At the week-long Rastafari Studies Conference at the UWI (Mona), commemorating the 50th anniversary of the University Report on the Rastafari Movement in Kingston, Donisha Prendergast presented part of a documentary she is working on, looking at Rastafari around the world.
  PRENDERGAST... the documentary is about Rastafari around the world and the different expressions of Rastafari 1/1  |
It was one of three such documentaries. The others were Rastas At Home And Aboard by Susanne Moss, Coping With Babylon by Oliver Hill and Rastafari Voices by Elliott Leib.
"Basically, the documentary is about Rastafari around the world and the different expressions of Rastafari," explained the young filmmaker, who started off in acting, about her work in progress she has been labouring on for the past four years.
"Remember now," she stresses, "that Rastafari is not a religion because religions are made to keep down the people. It is a cultural expression, it is a way of life, it is a movement, it is a earth-feeling, it is an inspiration, it is a service to mankind, that is what Rastafari is and so this documentary is to show to people who we are."
Noting that one of the main ways that Rastafari was promulgated throughout the world was through music, the daughter of Sharon Marley and Peter Prendergast, said that this is her way of documenting and celebrating the cultural tradition for which her grandfather was among its main exponents.
"It is even more personal to me, because what I do know is that, one of the main ways that Rastafari was distributed through the world was through music, particularly Reggae music. Particularly that of my grandfather. And then to follow the many many great Reggae musicians who came after him," she affirmed.
"And Reggae music is a thing that you can't help but feel it, and if you can't help but feel Reggae music that mean sey you can't help but feel Rasta. And it's a real real empowering thing to go around the world and to see these different faces singing the same kind of things, you know. Rasta reached a stage now where we have to tell people who we are in a certain way because them confused," Prendergast explained.
So far, she has been to four countries, Ethiopia, South Africa, Israel and the United States. "We're here in Jamaica now and once we leave here we head for Canada, then the UK and India... the plan is, we want go all over the world, but we a go do it in stages because every place inna the world deserves to tell Rasta story, the we they tell and mi woulda like fi go see. And this is the documentary that I am working on. I know that it will stand as a historical document for many, many years to come and that mean sey we have to put in the right information in it," the Jamaican-born/Miami-based student in film and digital productions told the Sunday Observer.
Aug 23, 2010
Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council Report Millennium Council Report. The Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council was formulated and established in June 2007 at the Haile Selassie I High School as an interim Rastafari All-Mansion Government. Thirteen Rastafari Mansions/Organizations came together to manifest the command given by His Imperial Majesty that I&I must organize centralize and be one. Rastafari mansions/organizations that were represented were: (1) The Ancient Nyahbinghi Order (2) The Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress (Bobo Shanti) (3) The Twelve Tribes of Israel (4) The Haile Selassie I School of Vision (5) The Royal Ethiopian Judah Coptic Church (6) The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (7) The International Peace Makers (8) The Ethiopian World Federation (9) The Leonard P. Howell Foundation (10) The Haile Selassie I Theocracy Government (11) The Dreaded Nyahbinghi (12) Camp David and (13) The Rastafari Centralization Organization (RCO). Millennium Council Vision To speak with one voice for all those that professes the Rastafari Faith, in order to protect and preserve the sacred legacy of the Rastafari nation worldwide. Millennium Council Objectives (1) To ensure effective governance and co-operation between all the Houses and Mansions that make up the Rastafari nation in Jamaica, as well as worldwide, in order that it shall represent the Rastafari nation of the world, in a united Theocratic Government. (2)To advocate and negotiate with appropriate bodies in order to further the interests of the Rastafari communities, in matters of Repatriation, Reparations, Cultural Heritage projects, Human Rights and Welfare, Intellectual Property and the like. (3) To secure, protect and manage the intellectual property of the Rastafari community worldwide, for the benefit of the Rastafari community worldwide (4) To provide support and empowerment to all Rastafari members and Rastafari mansions and organizations in the practice and furtherance of their living faith. (5) To form productive working alliances with all organizations that are able to assist the Millennium Council with the fulfillment of its objectives. (6) To serve as a communication, resource and information centre for all Rastafari communities, in Jamaica, the Caribbean, the United States of America, Africa, Europe, worldwide. (7) To raise and manage funds in order to better achieve all the Millennium Council’s objectives and serve the Rastafari nation. The Council’s very first task was to register the Council legally in Jamaica and to invite the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), South African Lawyer Roger Chennels and other Lawyers to edify the Council on the intellectual Property Rights of Rastafari as an indigenous culture. As a result of that process in July 2007 Mr. Chennells made several recommendations as to how to structure an All-Mansion Council and how to manage Rastafari intellectual property rights enforcement. He advised the Council to implement a legal structure that would be accountable to represent the Rastafari issues in a transparent way, which was accomplished on November 21, 2007 when the Millennium Council was legally registered under the Companies Act in Jamaica. He also prepared a draft Constitution for the Council which, after much deliberation and widespread consultations within the Council membership, is in final draft now, ready for All-Mansion ratification. An Intellectual Property Committee was established to follow up with WIPO and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). Also in July 2007, the Pan Afrikan Movement held a Summit at UWI at which the Council represented Rastafari concerns. Queen Mother Moses representing the Millennium Council raised the issue of Repatriation at a special select committee on Reparations for slavery which met at Gordon House on July 18, 2007. The Council then agitated and manifested an Emancipation Rally at Emancipation Square in Spanish Town, sensitizing the community on its collective focus for the upcoming New Millennium. Further sensitizing was done for Marcus Garvey’s Earthstrong at Liberty Hall with various presentations and speeches in anticipation of the New Millennium and a march to the Emancipation Park. The Council subsequently held a press conference at the Hilton Hotel. Then for the new Ethiopian Millennium September 11, 2007 the Council organized a motorcade from Scotts Pass Nyahbinghi Center to Halfway Tree, Mandela Park for an All-Mansion presentation and celebration which was videotaped. In October 2007, on very short notice and preparation, the Council was represented in Barbados at an AU summit by the Chairman Ras Junior Manning and our International Consultant Sister Maxine Stowe. This initial AU contact requires further follow up with the South African Ambassador. The Council was subsequently informed that the Smithsonian Institute in Washington was about to open an exhibit on Rastafari authorized by an Advisory Committee of Rases. The Council with some assistance from the Government and the Smithsonian Institute, made its appearance with 21 delegates at the exhibit on time to declare the Intellectual Property Rights of Rastafari to which the Council is accountable for. It was agreed with the Smithsonian and the Curator of the Exhibit, Jakes Homiak, that after two years of display in the Smithsonian Museum, the exhibit will be turned over to the Millennium Council on behalf of the Rastafari nation, who will be responsible to ship and house it in Jamaica. In order to facilitate this exhibit the Council has met with the Tourism Product Development Corporation (TPDCo) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in regard to the development of Pinnacle as a Rastafari Heritage Site and Cultural Centre in Jamaica, to house the Exhibit. This has also led to the Council making representations to the Government of Jamaica to assist Rastafari to save Pinnacle from being lost through the pending Court case by the registered owners of the Pinnacle certificate of title. On March 3, 2008 the Council was ratified from an interim body to the Rastafari All-Mansion Statical Government with the following Members: Ancient Council: Bongo Tawney, Binghi Ken, Bongo Shephan, Bongo Daniel, Binghi Irie Lion, Priest George Latty, Bongo Wake I, Priest Sugar , Priest Trevor Bro. Samuel Clayton, Bro. Philbert Alvaranga, Ras Da Silva, Bro. Tim Poiser, Bongo Daws, Bongo Roy, Dawta Ma Shanty, Dawta Drummond, Dawta Yanzie Executive: Chairman………….. ………………….. Ras Junior Manning Vice Chair………………………………..Ras Jinga 2nd ViceChair……………………………..Brother Brisset General Secretary…………………………Ras Howie Assist. Secretary…………………………..Ras Jr. Negus Co Assist………………………………….Dawta Africa Thompson Treasurer………………………… ……….Bobo Greg Co Treasurer……………………………….Dawta Pat Asst. Treasurer…………………………….Priest Fagan PRO…………………………………………Ras Sangie PRO Assist…………………………………Ras Garth Admin. Executive…………………………..Ras Sela Admin. Executive…………………………..Ras Kremlin Admin. Executive………………………….Priest Allan Admin. Executive………………………….Dawta Dawn Admin. Executive………………………… Dawta Iyana International Consultant……… ……………Dawta Maxine Stowe Global International Coordinator…… ………Ras Sizzla Kalonji Team of Lawyers: Bro. Marcus Goffe, Bro. Miguel Lorne, Sis. Sandra Alcott, Ras Kwasi, Bro. George Rose Not all ones ratified in their individual posts have been active, as the Council has had financial constraints to assist ones to attend all meetings. However the activities of the Council have been organized by core Executive members and supported by the wider executive and member mansions/organizations. The work of the Millennium Council Executive has also been readily supported by the Rastafari Youth Initiative Council, formed as an affiliate youth arm of the Millennium Council. Additionally, Empress of Zion, IDOR (Iniversal Development of Rastafari) in Washington and Ras ESP McPherson of Rastafari National Council for Inity (RNCI-USA) in New York, have played important roles in the USA in support of the work of the Council. A Bank account was established for the Council at the Jamaica National account No. 10698301. Signatures to this account are Priest Dermot Fagan, Bobo Greg and and Sis. Pat; three signatures are required for any transaction. In April 2008 the Council co-hosted the visit of the President of the Ethiopian Crown Council His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias, where all mansions had a presentation with Him at the Livity Restaurant. There the Council presented a letter to Him in regards to Rastafari Intellectual Property rights and the Crown’s co-operation. This letter is still to be responded to. On June 16, 2008 the Council participated in the Leonard P. Howell Earthday celebration with the Rastafari Youth Initiative Council and assisted with the preparation of the Pinnacle grounds. The Council has attended various court sessions in regards to Pinnacle’s true ownership and the reservation of the site as a Rastafari Heritage site. The next court date will be on November 4th 2008 in Spanish Town. The Council partnered in the preparation of the Nyahbinghi Global Consultation on July 22 to 29, and Ras Jr. Negus was given the opportunity to make a presentation on behalf of the Council to the Nyahbinghi Global family on the opening day of the Consultation. The Council had planned an Expo for August 1st with a national summit right in line with the Nyahbinghi consultation, but this fell short because of the lack of Governmental and other financial support. It was therefore scaled down to an Emancipation Rally in Emancipation Square, Spanish Town. This basically brought us to the ending of the first year of the new Millennium. On September 11, 2008 the Council gathered at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Maxfield Avenue, for a unification of all Mansions in support of Priest Malekot and his congregation. Priest Malekot’s care and concern in mending any blemish the church may have instigated through bad administration towards Rastafari Family, has been noted. The Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Shanti, the Royal Judah Coptic Church, the School of Vision, EWF and everyone came together, with chant and one harmonious Millennium Unification. It marked a historic gathering, further breaking down the barriers to Rastafari Inity. REPARATIONS & REPATRIATION The Millennium Council has made submissions to the Jamaica Bicentenary Committee and the Jamaica Reparations Movement, as well as to the Government of Jamaica on the critical issue of Reparations & Repatriation, especially in light of the CARICOM negotiations with the African Union regarding the AU’s 6th Region, which will for the first time more fully seek to integrate the African diaspora into the African continent. The African Union at present is moving quickly to integrate I&I Africans in the diaspora and therefore Rastafari representation at the AU is critical to implementing a proper process of repatriation, as well as co-ordinating African claims for reparations for slavery. Follow-up meetings with the South African High Commission, which is representing the AU here in Jamaica, will continue. RECLAMATION & RESTORATION OF PINNACLE The Millennium Council has been in dialogue with several agencies of the Government of Jamaica with a view to partnering with the Government to reclaim and restore Pinnacle, the first Rastafari Village and home of the first Rasta Leonard Howell, to its historical glory as a centre of Rastafari livity, culture and community. The Restoration of Pinnacle is central to the establishment of a Rastafari Cultural Heritage Centre where the Rastafari Community will be able to house our Rastafari archives, including those presently housed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, as well as in other museums around the world. This will represent the first such Rastafari Cultural Heritage Centre in Jamaica. RASTAFARI VILLAGE CONCEPT MANAGEMENT As a result of the Millennium Council’s activism in relation to having Pinnacle recognized and protected as a Rastafari Heritage Centre and First Rastafari Village, then concept of a Rastafari Village has been recognized by the Government of Jamaica as a legitimate aspiration of Rastafari. This has manifested in several ways including the development and establishment of a ‘Rastafari Indigenous Village’ in Montego Bay by IION Station Rases. As this is a concept that potentially can accrue considerable financial benefit for the Rastafari community if managed properly by the community, as well as cause significant misunderstanding and misappropriation of Rastafari culture, the Council has initiated contact with IION Station to solidify our collaboration, so as to bring most benefit to Rastafari as a whole through the Rastafari Village concept management. This will also involve substantially the use and protection of Rastafari intellectual property strategies to authenticate the goods and services being displayed and sold, with part proceeds reverting to the Rastafari collective through a Rastafari Trust Fund. RASTAFARI INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & CULTURAL HERITAGE In August 2008 the Council met with Jakes Homiak in a forum at UWI to discuss the options of moving the Exhibit from the Smithsonian on time, so as to prevent the Smithsonian from closing it down in storage, if we are unable to move it on time. He proposed to assist the Council write a proposal to UNESCO for funding to facilitate the transporting and maintenance of the Exhibit. Additionally, the Council is spearheading a microfilm project proposed by Jakes Homiak whereby several original and out-of-print early Rastafari magazines and publications are to be digitized, compiled and sold, with all profits reverting to a Rastafari Trust Fund to be administered by the Millennium Council for the benefit of all Rastafari. Presently the Council is recognized and registered with WIPO and will be attending biannual meetings starting next year. The Council will be facilitated by WIPO to attend these forums to defend and stake a claim that will be beneficial to all Rastafari. This year from the 13th to the 17th of October, the Council’s legal advisor (Ras Marcus) as well as another member of the Intellectual Property Committee, Queen Mother Moses (International Rastafari Ambassador and President of Empress of Zion), will be attending a WIPO Forum in Geneva at their own expense, to represent the Council and Rastafari towards co-ordinating efforts to halt the unauthorized use and exploitation of Rastafari imagery and cultural symbols internationally. In the first phase, this initiative will see the actualization of Rastafari trade and collective marks through JIPO in Jamaica, which will be able to be applied to genuine Rastafari products and services, thereby boosting the market for such genuine products and decreasing the instances of fake Rastafari products being proliferated in local and international market places. Further WIPO and JIPO co-operation in Jamaica will sensitize ones that they cannot just use Rastafari words and images without authorization from the Rastafari collective and appropriate agreements in place to ensure the wider Rastafari community benefits economically from any such authorized commercial use of Rastafari words and imagery. CONSTITUTION The Constitution proposed by the Millennium Council for the Rastafari Nation, and its by-laws is to guarantee effective, orderly, accountable, transparent and the responsible functioning of the Council. This constitution will be introduced to all Rastafari Mansions/Organizations for ratification, to be signed by the founding members of the Millennium Council. Once the Constitution and By-laws are ratified, which we hope to complete by January 2009, the nominations and elections process as laid down in those founding documents can be begun, to pave the way for Executive Elections in March 2009 to further broaden the participation and involvement of the mansions/organizations in the several tasks at hand which at present are being executed by the few core active Executive members. INDIGENOUS RIGHTS NGO One of the fundamental aims of the administration of the first Executive 2008-09, is to implement the recommendation of the South African indigenous rights lawyer Roger Chennells, to establish an Indigenous Rights NGO, separate from the Millennium Council, to support the Millennium Council as well as the Maroon Federation, to defend our intellectual property and indigenous people’s rights, by preparing proposals to various national and international funding agencies to acquire the necessary financing to fund the administration and the several projects being focused. Additionally the NGO will undertake vigorous lobbying of the Government of Jamaica and other national governments and international organizations to change and/or amend laws to protect indigenous rights and cultural heritage. This we hope to have registered and operational by January 2009. THE INTERNATIONAL RASTAFARI LEGAL TEAM The International Rastafari Legal Team initially convened by the Millennium Council has been having regular teleconferences and will also be formalized into a specialized legal international NGO both in Jamaica and in the USA and will act as legal experts for the Rastafari nation in all areas requiring legal representation, including human rights, representation in court, prison rights, constitutional matters, reparations and repatriation and intellectual property. This will further strengthen the Rastafari nation to achieve its objectives with legal expertise and the enforcement of the rule of law for the benefit of Rastafari globally. WHAT WE ASK THE MEMBER MANSIONS/ORGANIZATIONS TO DO (1) As the Millennium Council is the only registered All-Mansion Rastafari Council that is in existence, we need the Mansions to send representatives regularly to meetings, so that the wider Rastafari communities, in Jamaica and internationally, can be kept informed as to the ongoing progress of the several initiatives. (2) The Mansions should ratify the Constitution and By-laws as soon as possible, as these will guide the functioning and operations of the Council, ensuring accountability and transparency in the best interest of the community, and hopefully reduce the tension and occasional skepticism which has plagued the Rastafari nation in the past and prevented urgently needed Inity to move the Rastafari nation forward. (3) In relation to Reparations & Repatriation, several initiatives have been organized by the individual Mansions, resulting in there being a considerable-sized All-Mansion community in Shashamane which needs to be integrated and supported by the Mansions and the Council. The lessons learned from individual Mansions’ experiences of repatriation need to be collected and studied by the Millennium Council so as to formulate a cohesive and sustainable policy to put forward to the AU for their financial and logistical support. (4) Each of the mansions that have communities overseas, in the Caribbean, USA, Europe and Africa, should provide contact details for those communities, so that the Council can make contact and learn about their experiences and needs, as well as keep them informed of Council activities. This is needed to integrate Rastafari globally and expand the Council to a Global All-Mansion Rastafari Council. (5) As it relates to intellectual property rights, the process requires each member Mansion/Organization to present their particular symbols and logos for which they require protection, including flags, signs, emblems and designs. In this way those flags and symbols will only be able to be used commercially with the consent of the Mansion/Organization and/or the Millennium Council. This includes their use in Rastafari Villages. Additionally, the Council will need help in sensitizing and registering Rastafari artists, sculptors and craftmakers to use the Rastafari genuine trademarks, once they are registered. It is only by truly ORGANIZING & CENTRALIZING that I&I can ever really expect to achieve I&I goals. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. United we stand, divided we fall. There is nothing to be gained by undermining or shying away from the All-Mansion process. The fragmentation of Rastafari has been one of the main reasons the Rastafari nation has not been able to enforce its rights in Jamaica and internationally. We need to learn from our past, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future. One Rastafari, One Aim, One Destiny!!! EADUMC Secretariat October 1, 2008 Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council Jamaica Afro-Centric Commission 121 Windward Road Kingston 2, Jamaica W.I. 876-498-5818 EthioAfricaMillennium2000@gmail.com Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council Report Millennium Council Report. The Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council was formulated and established in June 2007 at the Haile Selassie I High School as an interim Rastafari All-Mansion Government. Thirteen Rastafari Mansions/Organizations came together to manifest the command given by His Imperial Majesty that I&I must organize centralize and be one. Rastafari mansions/organizations that were represented were: (1) The Ancient Nyahbinghi Order (2) The Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress (Bobo Shanti) (3) The Twelve Tribes of Israel (4) The Haile Selassie I School of Vision (5) The Royal Ethiopian Judah Coptic Church (6) The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (7) The International Peace Makers (8) The Ethiopian World Federation (9) The Leonard P. Howell Foundation (10) The Haile Selassie I Theocracy Government (11) The Dreaded Nyahbinghi (12) Camp David and (13) The Rastafari Centralization Organization (RCO). Millennium Council Vision To speak with one voice for all those that professes the Rastafari Faith, in order to protect and preserve the sacred legacy of the Rastafari nation worldwide. Millennium Council Objectives (1) To ensure effective governance and co-operation between all the Houses and Mansions that make up the Rastafari nation in Jamaica, as well as worldwide, in order that it shall represent the Rastafari nation of the world, in a united Theocratic Government. (2)To advocate and negotiate with appropriate bodies in order to further the interests of the Rastafari communities, in matters of Repatriation, Reparations, Cultural Heritage projects, Human Rights and Welfare, Intellectual Property and the like. (3) To secure, protect and manage the intellectual property of the Rastafari community worldwide, for the benefit of the Rastafari community worldwide (4) To provide support and empowerment to all Rastafari members and Rastafari mansions and organizations in the practice and furtherance of their living faith. (5) To form productive working alliances with all organizations that are able to assist the Millennium Council with the fulfillment of its objectives. (6) To serve as a communication, resource and information centre for all Rastafari communities, in Jamaica, the Caribbean, the United States of America, Africa, Europe, worldwide. (7) To raise and manage funds in order to better achieve all the Millennium Council’s objectives and serve the Rastafari nation. The Council’s very first task was to register the Council legally in Jamaica and to invite the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), South African Lawyer Roger Chennels and other Lawyers to edify the Council on the intellectual Property Rights of Rastafari as an indigenous culture. As a result of that process in July 2007 Mr. Chennells made several recommendations as to how to structure an All-Mansion Council and how to manage Rastafari intellectual property rights enforcement. He advised the Council to implement a legal structure that would be accountable to represent the Rastafari issues in a transparent way, which was accomplished on November 21, 2007 when the Millennium Council was legally registered under the Companies Act in Jamaica. He also prepared a draft Constitution for the Council which, after much deliberation and widespread consultations within the Council membership, is in final draft now, ready for All-Mansion ratification. An Intellectual Property Committee was established to follow up with WIPO and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO). Also in July 2007, the Pan Afrikan Movement held a Summit at UWI at which the Council represented Rastafari concerns. Queen Mother Moses representing the Millennium Council raised the issue of Repatriation at a special select committee on Reparations for slavery which met at Gordon House on July 18, 2007. The Council then agitated and manifested an Emancipation Rally at Emancipation Square in Spanish Town, sensitizing the community on its collective focus for the upcoming New Millennium. Further sensitizing was done for Marcus Garvey’s Earthstrong at Liberty Hall with various presentations and speeches in anticipation of the New Millennium and a march to the Emancipation Park. The Council subsequently held a press conference at the Hilton Hotel. Then for the new Ethiopian Millennium September 11, 2007 the Council organized a motorcade from Scotts Pass Nyahbinghi Center to Halfway Tree, Mandela Park for an All-Mansion presentation and celebration which was videotaped. In October 2007, on very short notice and preparation, the Council was represented in Barbados at an AU summit by the Chairman Ras Junior Manning and our International Consultant Sister Maxine Stowe. This initial AU contact requires further follow up with the South African Ambassador. The Council was subsequently informed that the Smithsonian Institute in Washington was about to open an exhibit on Rastafari authorized by an Advisory Committee of Rases. The Council with some assistance from the Government and the Smithsonian Institute, made its appearance with 21 delegates at the exhibit on time to declare the Intellectual Property Rights of Rastafari to which the Council is accountable for. It was agreed with the Smithsonian and the Curator of the Exhibit, Jakes Homiak, that after two years of display in the Smithsonian Museum, the exhibit will be turned over to the Millennium Council on behalf of the Rastafari nation, who will be responsible to ship and house it in Jamaica. In order to facilitate this exhibit the Council has met with the Tourism Product Development Corporation (TPDCo) and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in regard to the development of Pinnacle as a Rastafari Heritage Site and Cultural Centre in Jamaica, to house the Exhibit. This has also led to the Council making representations to the Government of Jamaica to assist Rastafari to save Pinnacle from being lost through the pending Court case by the registered owners of the Pinnacle certificate of title. On March 3, 2008 the Council was ratified from an interim body to the Rastafari All-Mansion Statical Government with the following Members: Ancient Council: Bongo Tawney, Binghi Ken, Bongo Shephan, Bongo Daniel, Binghi Irie Lion, Priest George Latty, Bongo Wake I, Priest Sugar , Priest Trevor Bro. Samuel Clayton, Bro. Philbert Alvaranga, Ras Da Silva, Bro. Tim Poiser, Bongo Daws, Bongo Roy, Dawta Ma Shanty, Dawta Drummond, Dawta Yanzie Executive: Chairman………….. ………………….. Ras Junior Manning Vice Chair………………………………..Ras Jinga 2nd ViceChair……………………………..Brother Brisset General Secretary…………………………Ras Howie Assist. Secretary…………………………..Ras Jr. Negus Co Assist………………………………….Dawta Africa Thompson Treasurer………………………… ……….Bobo Greg Co Treasurer……………………………….Dawta Pat Asst. Treasurer…………………………….Priest Fagan PRO…………………………………………Ras Sangie PRO Assist…………………………………Ras Garth Admin. Executive…………………………..Ras Sela Admin. Executive…………………………..Ras Kremlin Admin. Executive………………………….Priest Allan Admin. Executive………………………….Dawta Dawn Admin. Executive………………………… Dawta Iyana International Consultant……… ……………Dawta Maxine Stowe Global International Coordinator…… ………Ras Sizzla Kalonji Team of Lawyers: Bro. Marcus Goffe, Bro. Miguel Lorne, Sis. Sandra Alcott, Ras Kwasi, Bro. George Rose Not all ones ratified in their individual posts have been active, as the Council has had financial constraints to assist ones to attend all meetings. However the activities of the Council have been organized by core Executive members and supported by the wider executive and member mansions/organizations. The work of the Millennium Council Executive has also been readily supported by the Rastafari Youth Initiative Council, formed as an affiliate youth arm of the Millennium Council. Additionally, Empress of Zion, IDOR (Iniversal Development of Rastafari) in Washington and Ras ESP McPherson of Rastafari National Council for Inity (RNCI-USA) in New York, have played important roles in the USA in support of the work of the Council. A Bank account was established for the Council at the Jamaica National account No. 10698301. Signatures to this account are Priest Dermot Fagan, Bobo Greg and and Sis. Pat; three signatures are required for any transaction. In April 2008 the Council co-hosted the visit of the President of the Ethiopian Crown Council His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias, where all mansions had a presentation with Him at the Livity Restaurant. There the Council presented a letter to Him in regards to Rastafari Intellectual Property rights and the Crown’s co-operation. This letter is still to be responded to. On June 16, 2008 the Council participated in the Leonard P. Howell Earthday celebration with the Rastafari Youth Initiative Council and assisted with the preparation of the Pinnacle grounds. The Council has attended various court sessions in regards to Pinnacle’s true ownership and the reservation of the site as a Rastafari Heritage site. The next court date will be on November 4th 2008 in Spanish Town. The Council partnered in the preparation of the Nyahbinghi Global Consultation on July 22 to 29, and Ras Jr. Negus was given the opportunity to make a presentation on behalf of the Council to the Nyahbinghi Global family on the opening day of the Consultation. The Council had planned an Expo for August 1st with a national summit right in line with the Nyahbinghi consultation, but this fell short because of the lack of Governmental and other financial support. It was therefore scaled down to an Emancipation Rally in Emancipation Square, Spanish Town. This basically brought us to the ending of the first year of the new Millennium. On September 11, 2008 the Council gathered at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Maxfield Avenue, for a unification of all Mansions in support of Priest Malekot and his congregation. Priest Malekot’s care and concern in mending any blemish the church may have instigated through bad administration towards Rastafari Family, has been noted. The Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Shanti, the Royal Judah Coptic Church, the School of Vision, EWF and everyone came together, with chant and one harmonious Millennium Unification. It marked a historic gathering, further breaking down the barriers to Rastafari Inity. REPARATIONS & REPATRIATION The Millennium Council has made submissions to the Jamaica Bicentenary Committee and the Jamaica Reparations Movement, as well as to the Government of Jamaica on the critical issue of Reparations & Repatriation, especially in light of the CARICOM negotiations with the African Union regarding the AU’s 6th Region, which will for the first time more fully seek to integrate the African diaspora into the African continent. The African Union at present is moving quickly to integrate I&I Africans in the diaspora and therefore Rastafari representation at the AU is critical to implementing a proper process of repatriation, as well as co-ordinating African claims for reparations for slavery. Follow-up meetings with the South African High Commission, which is representing the AU here in Jamaica, will continue. RECLAMATION & RESTORATION OF PINNACLE The Millennium Council has been in dialogue with several agencies of the Government of Jamaica with a view to partnering with the Government to reclaim and restore Pinnacle, the first Rastafari Village and home of the first Rasta Leonard Howell, to its historical glory as a centre of Rastafari livity, culture and community. The Restoration of Pinnacle is central to the establishment of a Rastafari Cultural Heritage Centre where the Rastafari Community will be able to house our Rastafari archives, including those presently housed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, as well as in other museums around the world. This will represent the first such Rastafari Cultural Heritage Centre in Jamaica. RASTAFARI VILLAGE CONCEPT MANAGEMENT As a result of the Millennium Council’s activism in relation to having Pinnacle recognized and protected as a Rastafari Heritage Centre and First Rastafari Village, then concept of a Rastafari Village has been recognized by the Government of Jamaica as a legitimate aspiration of Rastafari. This has manifested in several ways including the development and establishment of a ‘Rastafari Indigenous Village’ in Montego Bay by IION Station Rases. As this is a concept that potentially can accrue considerable financial benefit for the Rastafari community if managed properly by the community, as well as cause significant misunderstanding and misappropriation of Rastafari culture, the Council has initiated contact with IION Station to solidify our collaboration, so as to bring most benefit to Rastafari as a whole through the Rastafari Village concept management. This will also involve substantially the use and protection of Rastafari intellectual property strategies to authenticate the goods and services being displayed and sold, with part proceeds reverting to the Rastafari collective through a Rastafari Trust Fund. RASTAFARI INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & CULTURAL HERITAGE In August 2008 the Council met with Jakes Homiak in a forum at UWI to discuss the options of moving the Exhibit from the Smithsonian on time, so as to prevent the Smithsonian from closing it down in storage, if we are unable to move it on time. He proposed to assist the Council write a proposal to UNESCO for funding to facilitate the transporting and maintenance of the Exhibit. Additionally, the Council is spearheading a microfilm project proposed by Jakes Homiak whereby several original and out-of-print early Rastafari magazines and publications are to be digitized, compiled and sold, with all profits reverting to a Rastafari Trust Fund to be administered by the Millennium Council for the benefit of all Rastafari. Presently the Council is recognized and registered with WIPO and will be attending biannual meetings starting next year. The Council will be facilitated by WIPO to attend these forums to defend and stake a claim that will be beneficial to all Rastafari. This year from the 13th to the 17th of October, the Council’s legal advisor (Ras Marcus) as well as another member of the Intellectual Property Committee, Queen Mother Moses (International Rastafari Ambassador and President of Empress of Zion), will be attending a WIPO Forum in Geneva at their own expense, to represent the Council and Rastafari towards co-ordinating efforts to halt the unauthorized use and exploitation of Rastafari imagery and cultural symbols internationally. In the first phase, this initiative will see the actualization of Rastafari trade and collective marks through JIPO in Jamaica, which will be able to be applied to genuine Rastafari products and services, thereby boosting the market for such genuine products and decreasing the instances of fake Rastafari products being proliferated in local and international market places. Further WIPO and JIPO co-operation in Jamaica will sensitize ones that they cannot just use Rastafari words and images without authorization from the Rastafari collective and appropriate agreements in place to ensure the wider Rastafari community benefits economically from any such authorized commercial use of Rastafari words and imagery. CONSTITUTION The Constitution proposed by the Millennium Council for the Rastafari Nation, and its by-laws is to guarantee effective, orderly, accountable, transparent and the responsible functioning of the Council. This constitution will be introduced to all Rastafari Mansions/Organizations for ratification, to be signed by the founding members of the Millennium Council. Once the Constitution and By-laws are ratified, which we hope to complete by January 2009, the nominations and elections process as laid down in those founding documents can be begun, to pave the way for Executive Elections in March 2009 to further broaden the participation and involvement of the mansions/organizations in the several tasks at hand which at present are being executed by the few core active Executive members. INDIGENOUS RIGHTS NGO One of the fundamental aims of the administration of the first Executive 2008-09, is to implement the recommendation of the South African indigenous rights lawyer Roger Chennells, to establish an Indigenous Rights NGO, separate from the Millennium Council, to support the Millennium Council as well as the Maroon Federation, to defend our intellectual property and indigenous people’s rights, by preparing proposals to various national and international funding agencies to acquire the necessary financing to fund the administration and the several projects being focused. Additionally the NGO will undertake vigorous lobbying of the Government of Jamaica and other national governments and international organizations to change and/or amend laws to protect indigenous rights and cultural heritage. This we hope to have registered and operational by January 2009. THE INTERNATIONAL RASTAFARI LEGAL TEAM The International Rastafari Legal Team initially convened by the Millennium Council has been having regular teleconferences and will also be formalized into a specialized legal international NGO both in Jamaica and in the USA and will act as legal experts for the Rastafari nation in all areas requiring legal representation, including human rights, representation in court, prison rights, constitutional matters, reparations and repatriation and intellectual property. This will further strengthen the Rastafari nation to achieve its objectives with legal expertise and the enforcement of the rule of law for the benefit of Rastafari globally. WHAT WE ASK THE MEMBER MANSIONS/ORGANIZATIONS TO DO (1) As the Millennium Council is the only registered All-Mansion Rastafari Council that is in existence, we need the Mansions to send representatives regularly to meetings, so that the wider Rastafari communities, in Jamaica and internationally, can be kept informed as to the ongoing progress of the several initiatives. (2) The Mansions should ratify the Constitution and By-laws as soon as possible, as these will guide the functioning and operations of the Council, ensuring accountability and transparency in the best interest of the community, and hopefully reduce the tension and occasional skepticism which has plagued the Rastafari nation in the past and prevented urgently needed Inity to move the Rastafari nation forward. (3) In relation to Reparations & Repatriation, several initiatives have been organized by the individual Mansions, resulting in there being a considerable-sized All-Mansion community in Shashamane which needs to be integrated and supported by the Mansions and the Council. The lessons learned from individual Mansions’ experiences of repatriation need to be collected and studied by the Millennium Council so as to formulate a cohesive and sustainable policy to put forward to the AU for their financial and logistical support. (4) Each of the mansions that have communities overseas, in the Caribbean, USA, Europe and Africa, should provide contact details for those communities, so that the Council can make contact and learn about their experiences and needs, as well as keep them informed of Council activities. This is needed to integrate Rastafari globally and expand the Council to a Global All-Mansion Rastafari Council. (5) As it relates to intellectual property rights, the process requires each member Mansion/Organization to present their particular symbols and logos for which they require protection, including flags, signs, emblems and designs. In this way those flags and symbols will only be able to be used commercially with the consent of the Mansion/Organization and/or the Millennium Council. This includes their use in Rastafari Villages. Additionally, the Council will need help in sensitizing and registering Rastafari artists, sculptors and craftmakers to use the Rastafari genuine trademarks, once they are registered. It is only by truly ORGANIZING & CENTRALIZING that I&I can ever really expect to achieve I&I goals. A chain is as strong as its weakest link. United we stand, divided we fall. There is nothing to be gained by undermining or shying away from the All-Mansion process. The fragmentation of Rastafari has been one of the main reasons the Rastafari nation has not been able to enforce its rights in Jamaica and internationally. We need to learn from our past, so as not to make the same mistakes in the future. One Rastafari, One Aim, One Destiny!!! EADUMC Secretariat October 1, 2008 Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council Jamaica Afro-Centric Commission 121 Windward Road Kingston 2, Jamaica W.I. 876-498-5818 EthioAfricaMillennium2000@gmail.com
Jun 29, 2010
Rastafarian Miss Jamaica Beauty.
Dreadlocked Miss Jamaica puts Rastas in new light
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - With dreadlocks down to below her buttocks, the first Rastafarian to compete for the Miss Universe title is out to smash the stereotype that Rastas are only interested in reggae and marijuana.
Zahra Redwood, 25 and the first Miss Jamaica to be crowned from the country's minority Rastafarian faith, is also shaking up a years-old view among many Rastas that beauty pageants should be shunned as degrading to women.
"Not all Rastafarians smoke" marijuana, Redwood, a classically beautiful Jamaican with a degree in biotechnology and zoology, told Reuters.
"People criticize what they don't know or understand and develop preconceptions, and so given that, I have gone against what they've developed as a stereotype," said Redwood, who is in Mexico for the Miss Universe final on May 28 in Mexico City.
Rastafarians -- who worship the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie as a God they call "Jah" -- stress peace, love, spiritual goals and natural living, Redwood said, denying a clash between Rasta culture and being a beauty queen.
"The Rastafarian culture and beauty pageants have a great deal in common because they both promote decorum in the attitude of the female and the female as a role model in society. You're looking at beauty of the mind, body and soul," she said.
Rather than discrimination, the main reason for a dearth of Rasta beauty queens on the international circuit is the movement's rejection of the more corrupt or gaudy facets of modern society, which they call "Babylon," Redwood said.
MADE FAMOUS BY BOB MARLEY
Made famous around the world by Bob Marley's reggae songs, the Rasta culture emphasizes human dignity and self-respect.
"Rastafarians have been a very conservative group so modelling and pageants have been considered Babylonian to some extent," Redwood said.
But the reaction from fellow Rastafarians to her competing to be Miss Universe against women from some 75 other countries has been overwhelmingly positive, partly because black women with dreadlocks are so rarely seen in beauty contests, she said.
"They've been very, very happy for what they consider a psychological breakthrough. For them it's a huge thing," Redwood said.
The Rastafari movement was born in Jamaica in the 1930s after Haile Selassie's coronation in Ethiopia. Followers started to worship Haile Selassie, who died in 1975, as a type of messiah, in light of a 1920 prophecy by Jamaican civil rights leader Marcus Garvey that a black man would be crowned king in Africa.
Roughly a 10th of Jamaicans are Rastafarians, many of whom also take literally a biblical verse in the book of Leviticus that instructs against taking a razor to one's head.
In the Miss Universe 2007 line-ups, Redwood's twisty black dreadlocks, often massed into a huge bun, stand out from the lacquered manes of the other contestants.
"For the final I'm still not sure what style I will go with. But of course the locks have to show," she said.
Smoking marijuana, known in Jamaica as ganja, is a sacred rite for many Rastas, but Redwood said she does not smoke it.
Rasta in Shashemene .
Jamaican Rastas bring cultural diversity to 'Promised Land'
Published: Friday | June 18, 2010 16 Comments and 0 ReactionsPatrina Pink, Gleaner Intern
Rastafarians who have repatriated to the Shashemene province in southern Ethiopia are reportedly having a monumental impact upon the youth of the area.
From embracing vegetarianism, Jamaican names and the infamous 'rude boy' mannerisms, to speaking Jamaican, young Ethiopians in Shashemene have abandoned the 'Babylon' language of the past and have embraced the new 'livity' of their Rastafari brethren and sistren.
Nicknamed 'Little Jamaica', the Shashemene area has been inhabited by Jamaicans since the 1960s. In 1968, Haile Selassie I legitimised the use of property in what has come to be known as the Shashemene Land Grant.
Since then, the land has been available to members of the diaspora wishing to return 'home'. Jamaicans living in Shashemene have since developed relations with Ethiopian women and men. The offsprings of these relations are considered Jamaican under Ethiopia's strict anti-migrant laws, despite being born in Shashemene.
It is this first generation of children, commonly referred to as the 'free-born' generation, that has been critical to much of the cultural exchange between young Jamaicans and Ethiopians. Yet, with almost 500 Rastafarians settled in Shashemene, how did this radical group build its foundation in Ethiopia?
"Rastafari sees Ethiopia as the 'Promised Land'. It's really been about 50 years now that West Indians have been trying to settle there. The most substantial efforts have been made by the Twelve Tribes of Israel," said Dr Jalani Niaah, a lecturer in the Department of Cultural and Reggae Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.
"Twelve Tribes is the largest numerical group among the Jamaicans there, but the Ethiopian Federation has a presence that predates that of Twelve Tribes," he added.
Niaah accounts that it was the scientific use of fact-finding missions organised by the Twelve Tribes group, prior to settling, that was largely responsible for Rastafari success in Ethiopia. After the missions, the group sent individuals and their families, in different rounds, to settle.
Fundamental exchange
In a presentation at UWI titled 'Ethiopia speaks Jamaican Creole: Voices from Shashemene', Renato Tomei, a linguistics researcher at the University for Foreigners Perujio, reflected on the impact of Jamaican patois on Ethiopian youth.
"The exchange between Jamaicans, particularly Rastafarians in Shashemene and young Ethiopians, is very fundamental and important. The local youths greet Rastafari in Jamaican patois. They have a lot of respect for Rasta and Jamaicans, especially."
Tomei has worked as an instructor at the Jamaica Rastafari Development Community (JRDC) School in Shashemene and said his class had several Caribbean nationals as well as Ethiopian children.
"The diversity that Rasta is helping to bring to Shashemene is amazing.
"It is truly something special. I had two Trinidadians in my class sitting beside Bajans and Jamaicans, as well as local children. The cultural mix and exchange is wonderful."
The local children of Shashemene are not just speaking Jamaican, some consider themselves to be Jamaican.
One young man, who Tomei showed a video of, was living in Addis Ababa, the capital, but through his early interaction with Rastafarians, particularly at the JRDC school, he had abandoned what he said one of his teachers referred to as 'Babylon English'.
"Jamaicans are Africans. They are Ethiopians, we are one Africa," said the youngster.
In a country where social mobility is often a fancy term in a social-studies textbook, relatively few will ever get the chance to read. The Rastas provide schools for children, and work on their many farming and hotel projects for many local parents.
Recently, the JRDC funded the construction of a police post. This has done wonders for community relations and Shashemene policemen are said to be tolerant of Rastas' use of marijuana.
"Rasta has done well in Shashemene. I see the relationship growing and getting stronger and stronger.
"The next concern must be the nationality of children born in Ethiopia," said Tomei.
Rastafari group get the go ahead to build Secretariat and Tabernacle.
Members of the Haile Selassie I Theocracy Reign Ivine Order of Nyahbinghi said after a successful meeting with President Bharrat Jagdeo they now plan to apply for legal documentation to build their secretariat and tabernacle.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release, I-elect of Treasury Ras Binghi Trug Ras Addis Asher and five other members sought the President’s intervention in obtaining permission to construct the buildings and to inform him about their awareness programme. The meeting was held at State House.
Jagdeo committed to providing support for the lighting project for the tabernacle in the Linden Central Tabernacle ground and assured the group that land will be made available to establish its secretariat in Georgetown. “This (the Secretariat) is very important to us building our community and social life,” the treasurer said
The group said its awareness programme will target an audience of law enforcement agencies, schools, private and public sectors and all religious and cultural groups as it hopes to foster mutual trust and confidence from the government and wider society towards the Rastafari community in Guyana. It said too it hopes to contribute to the boosting of youth’s self-confidence.
GINA said the group also used the occasion to distance itself from the comments one of its members made regarding the failed ganja march on Monday. It said it disagrees with what it considers “prejudicial utterances expressed by Vice President of the Guyana Rastafari Council Ras Simeon Selassie last Tuesday at the Square of the Revolution. It noted that though the proposal for a march was brought to the Rastafari community, it was never given unanimous approval by the elders. “The attempt to stage a march was purely from an individualistic perspective,” the group said, adding that it regretted any ill feelings that it may have caused.
By Marcus Garvey
Last Sunday, a great ceremony took place at Addis Ababa, the capital of Abyssinia. It was the coronation of the new Emperor of Ethiopia — Ras Tafari. From reports and expectations, the scene was one of great splendor, and will long be remembered by those who were present. Several of the leading nations of Europe sent representatives to the coronation, thereby paying their respects to a rising Negro nation that is destined to play a great part in the future history of the world. Abyssinia is the land of the blacks and we are glad to learn that even though Europeans have been trying to impress the Abyssinians that they are not belonging to the Negro Race, they have learned the retort that they are, and they are proud to be so.
Ras Tafari has traveled to Europe and America and is therefore no stranger to European hypocrisy and methods; he, therefore, must be regarded as a kind of a modern Emperor, and from what we understand and know of him, he intends to introduce modern methods and systems into his country. Already he has started to recruit from different sections of the world competent men in different branches of science to help to develop his country to the position that she should occupy among the other nations of the world.
We do hope that Ras Tafari will live long to carry out his wonderful intentions. From what we have heard and what we do know, he is ready and willing to extend the hand of invitation to any Negro who desires to settle in his kingdom. We know of many who are gone to Abyssinia and who have given good report of the great possibilities there, which they are striving to take advantage of.
The Psalmist prophesied that Princes would come out of Egypt and Ethiopia would stretch forth her hands unto God. We have no doubt that the time is now come. Ethiopia is now really stretching forth her hands. This great kingdom of the East has been hidden for many centuries, but gradually she is rising to take a leading place in the world and it is for us of the Negro race to assist in every way to hold up the hand of Emperor Ras Tafari.