Rastafari Greetings

A personal message warrants a personal reply, but no doubt others will be watching.

I still hold my view that the other organisations are as much an obstacle to the progress of Rastafari as the West. This too has been aired by some of these so-called "Pan-Africanists." Writing in a Zimbabwean magazine, journalist-academic Thomas Deve ( ever heard of him, Djehuti?) noted that the Pan-Africanist Movement had always had problems accommodating the "creative expression of the youth and the contradictions of deiying a deposed African monarch".

No, we do not want the same thing as these other groups. We want to raise our families according to time-honoured traditions, cultivating progress and dynamism yes, but firmly rooted in ourselves. The Pan-Africanists have it for a super-state covering Africa- something which has never existed, ruled by politicians. As a Rastafarian I have nothing but contempt for politicians.

Zimbabwe, my country offers clear examples of what I am talking about. They put the red-gold-green on the flag, and tell children that they stand for the Blood shed during the struggle and so on, even though these same colours were used on Black flags thousands of years ago at a time when no blood was shed coz there was no struggle, not this one any way.

The lot of a Rastafarian in Zimbabwe is not a happy one. The President himself made a speech on TV, saying "They say it's their right. Let them go the courts,we do not care about the courts, but there will be no dreadlocked persons in our schools and colleges, either as teachers or students". Watching him on TV, I felt a cold chill. And yet this is the same regime that is on the forefront of the struggle against neo-colonialism. Mind you, when it suits these Pan-Africanists and Black nationalists, they will identify with Rasta. Many a hopeful reggae artiste will get airplay, but see how many times Rastafarians are allowed basic human rights.

Of course, we as Rastafarians have a lot of cleaning up to do in our house. But we must only do so as Rastafarians. Yes, ignorance, stubbornness, arrogance, these are to be found among our people, but so too are hope, faith and charity. So too is an ancient tradition that wrestles not against flesh and blood, but against wickedness in high places. One time it was the Philistines with their fish-god Dagon, one time it was the Romans, another time Queen Elizabitch and Ronald Ray-Gun. Today it is the Black elite who rant and rave about Black nationalism, yet Blacks suffer in their own land. It is the Black academic who has read his Senghor, Nkrumah, Garvey etc, and bans Western shows on TV because they are "cultural imperialism", yet goes home to watch Will & Grace on satellite TV.

As for notions of chosenness, why not? We are the ones who have seen the Divinity of His Imperial Majesty. Other people have refused to see, and are on their way to a different destiny. Our chosenness is another cord that binds us, although we are scattered and makes us desire to be more self-reliant not just materially, but intellectually, acdemically, spiritually etc.

When I pray, I pray for my salvation and that of all people. Your average pseudo-khemitic cult memeber wants to learn "mysteries" so he can gain occult powers over other people. This is not another jibe, I have case studies I have witnessed. I am for justice, for human dignity, progress ,these others want to push us back to a particular and static point of Pharaonic Egypt. I want to enter Paradise, they want to meet some chap with a jackal's head and have their hearts measured against a feather.

No, let's see Rastas building themselves up. Everyone else will then have to beat us or join us.