"Africa has accepted the challenges of the modern world and with it come grave responsabilities. Many discouraging hours will arise before the rainbow of accomplished goals will appear on the horizon. African civilization in its potential magnitude must be able to command fortitude, patience, tolerance and diligence. To substain us in all our tasks WE COUNT ON THE WOMEN OF AFRICA. Without their RELENTLESS VIGILANCE NO ASPECT OF OUR RESPONSABILITES CAN BE ATTAINED. Women's role has NEVER BEEN SO DEMANDING, and you CAN BE PROUD TO ANSWER THIS CALL FOR THE BETTERMENT AND FUTURE OF MANKIND. ETHIOPIA WELCOMES YOU and wished you GOD-SPEED IN YOUR DELIBERATIONS."

By His Imperial Majesy Haile I Selassie I (Dec 14th, 1960)

"This is but a mere feeble effort in saying: Without you, African/Black mother, there would have been no us--African/Black fathers, sons and daughters. Do we need to say any more African/Black mothers, our own true goddesses! Let us praise you to the highest, telling the world about your righteousness. Let us tell the entire universe about your sacredness African/Black woman." --Yosef A.A. ben-Jochannan

"Highly placed Ethiopian women, who combined worldliness, politics and religion are seen again and again in Ethiopian history. Women have been as important and influential as any man."

"In Ethiopia it was considered quite natural that a woman should have held supreme power. Here was a woman to whom courage and endurance were attributed, who had intellectual and spiritual interests, and was willing to endure hardship in search of knowledge."

Two thousand years later, probably in the 10th century AD another legendary queen took the stage in Ethiopia. Although something of the Aksumite Empire she overthrew is known, from the inscriptions and monuments left behind, and from observations of foreign traders, there little more authentic information about her than about Makeda. There is evidence only that a rebellious queen led the forces which destroyed the old (western) Christian order. Variously referred to as Gudit, Gwedit, Yodit, Judith, and as "Isat" - Amharic for fire - she was believed to be the founder of the Zagwe dynasty which ruled for several hundred years."

"We could therefore say that every mother contains her daughter in herself, and every daughter her mother, and every woman extends backwards into her mother and forward into her daughter. This participation and intermingling give rise to that particular uncertainty as regards to time...which brings with it a feeling of immortality!"

"In Yoruba cosmology, when we speak about the Great Triad, we are most often referring to collective wisdom divinities called the Ancient Mothers, a collective force also known as the "dark mothers," who "weave the web of life and spin the thread of fate." These dark mothers are the feminine principal of energy that vibrate the negative so that it has movement. It is this movement in the darkness that opens the way to recieve the light and is the beginning of the creative process. "

"The female is the door into this World. No man enters this World except he come through the womb of a Woman. It's been that way for a long time. The female is the first and most important teacher of children. Show me an ignorant female that has children and I'll show you some ignorant children."

"The female must be educated and uplifted to her rightful position as the mother of civilization, the way into this World and since most things are full circle there is most likely a connection to the female in getting out of this World. The female is not to be played with."

DA: Capelton, though you sing a lot about the fire principle, you are also well versed in singing about woman:

Capelton: Well, the woman is the Mother of the Earth and it's dem "respon-civilization" even though in the teachings, dem never really teach we about the Goddess of the Earth. They always teach us about the God, but even the God himself 'have to born 'pon a Goddess which is a woman. So, if it weren't for the woman to give birth, then what would be the earth today? It would be nothing. Because there would be no birth, understand? Therefore, we have to uplift the woman dem. Show dem they are the Mother of the Earth, dem are the Queen of civilization. Dem "respon-civilization." Give dem certain power, strengthen dem...words of upliftment."

"Maryam was the vessel of the Living One as the Ark itself is the vessel of the Almighty. The Ethiopians say, "Who knows the heart of Iyasus better than his mother, Queen Maryam?" Check dis out. I man don't check say Dreadlocks giving de I horrors for transcending religious masks and learning science. Is because de I is a WOMAN. I man realize from trodding the Caribbean and Nyabhinghi Ises from Jamaica to Trinidad is that the woman is the strength of Rastafari. And she must get oppress fe dat! Since man can't control himself ultimately inside de poom poom, then him must control everything outside de poom poom. Simple. Bredrin trying to apply Western Judeo-Christian and Arabic Islamic values over an essentially West African matriarchal cultural force. Culture bigga than de man anyday, anywhere.

I mother is I first teacher.

Most West Indians come up Protestant, which recognizes no female divine power. I did come up Catholic, which, Fire pon Rome, sad to say, is the only repository of this belief in the West. I does dream 'bout Maryam enough times. In South India, they make it clear that she is Black and has locks. Even the Poles, Czechs, all a dem say she Black. If black people are animals, then why everybody want Black nanny, concubine, midwife, herbalist, "scientist", lover, housekeeper, maid and wetnurse? I preachin' to the converterd, eh?!!"

The Royal Daughters of Selasse I in Barbados shamed the Barbadian brethren at the International Rastafari Conference. The brethren basically sabatoged and destroyed spiritually and materially a Saturday morning roots and culture, African History, Amharic and Ital Cooking classes for the youths. Brethren used domestic responsibility as an excuse to prevent the Sistren dem from maintaining the Saturday classes. I perception is that many of the brethren was jealous? Them man get up and storm out of meeting hall while de sistren did speak? All a we brethren from the outside Barbados laugh up some big laugh pon dem man as dem mouse out de room! On de serious side, was quite a few sistren afraid, even teenage sistren, to speak dem mind. For some a dem, one gets the impression no one ever asks dey opinion on much of anything. Sistren talkin' bout takin' licks fe asking she Kingman why him dealin' with balhead sistren, licks fe putting ketchup on dey own Ital, licks fe eatin' fish. Licks fe minor things while the brethren a get away with all kinda bacchanal themselves. I man can say from the Conference to Nyahbhingi Ises all over de Caribbean: The Sistren Dem a the Strength of Rastafari!

If brethren turn dey backs on reggae, white woman, tourists and cocaine use, dealing or money, and embrace the Rasta family, then Repatriation is at hand. Otherwise, ism and schism a bring disaster."

ROOTS