Greetings Iyabingi, it is the duty of the generation before, to set execellent standards of African dignity, integrity and good knowledge, so that the following generation, will be placed in a good position of leadership and brotherhood, in order to take the baton of self determination, and carry on the struggle, for the true liberation of African people, those at home and those abroad.

I write on this International Forum of reasoning, because I am deeply concerned, about the degrading conditions under which African people are living, and have been living for more than five hundred years. My presentations may sound very controversal to some of my people, but I do not mind it, because my intention is to get people to think, and to be reasonable in their thinking. I do not think that our thinknig as African people, should be like a pool of stagnant water, instead our thinking must be live and vigorous, and continue to flow like the great River Nile as we live from day to day.

As it relates to the land grant at Shashamane, we all should expect that there must be some kind of good order, as it relates to the distribution of this land. When the land was given, it was given through the Ethiopian World Federation, for it was in that organization where it was first announced. I think I was a member of Local 31, which operated at North Street and Bond Street in Kingston Jamaica W.I. Mr Cecil Gordon, who was made the second Vice President of the EWF, had made the announcement, after returning from a EWF Covention in New York.

As far as I can recall, when that land was given, there was a promise made that more land would be given from time to time, as soon as pioneers come and develop that which is already given, from, time to time. Now 500 acres of land, is not large enough, to accomodate all of us as African in the Diaspora, so there must be an organization, that is given the responsibilty, to distribute that land, and I do think that was the arrangement which was made, and I do think that was a good arrangement. There must be some kind of good order, in carring out our administrations, in order to create and preserve tranquility among ourselves.

I do not know what took place to disrupt that order, but I do know, that it was not the best thing, for the land to be distributed, without some kind of order, and records as to who get this land, and when they get it etc. We have to learn not to disrupt the orderly manner, in which things should be done, among ourselves as a race of people, for when we disrupt good order, then we become out of order.

You are right about the police harrassment which was the order of the day in those early days, but it never really changes, back in the early and late fifties, it was very brutal. You see in those days, Jamaica was still being ruled by the British Empire, and so there were still white Governors, who would be sent from England as rulers from time to time. Most of them would probaly spend five years, and then they would be transferred to other Colonies of England, and those in other Colonies would come to Jamaica from time to time.

The Commissioner of police and the Superintendents of police, were also Europeans from England, and even the head of the Military. So in the fifties, our persecutions, prosecutions and harrassment, were led and instructed by Europeans, who were probably in Kenya, or British West Africa, or some other Colony of down pression, before they were transferred to Jamaica.

There was very serious police harrassment during the fifties and before, but this harrasment increased, after the convention, and after brother Eddie led that march, to the Queen Victoria park as it was called at that time. It became so severe, that the University of the West Indies, then decided to do a research of the Rastafari Movemant, and made a recomendation to the then Government of Norman WEashington Manley, to meet with us, in order to see if they can use reason to cool things off. And as a result, there was a Government mission to Africa, Which also involved some Rastafari Brethren, but it was a Government mission, and it was lead by a Government official.The mission was also called a unofficial mission.

The last European Governor, which was in charge of Jamaica, name was Kenneth Blackburn, I repeat Kenneth Blackburn. He did paid a visit to West Kingston, as result of how often West Kingston was in the news, as it relates to police activities, he came to ackee Walk and Back O Wall, which were shanty towns like those in Soweto, and the next day, he said in the news paper, that there was a black spot, there at Back O Wall and that it must be removed, and a few years after, they bulldozed it and made it into Tivoli Gardens until this very day.

I am just writing as I remember things which took place at that period of time, Bongo Rocky the great Elder, who has been living in Ethiopia for many years now, was walking through the Queen Victoria Park in the later part of the year 1958, when he was grabbed and taken to jail, and hold down by brute force and had is locks shaved or trimmed from his head, and then placed in jail for nothing which he had done. As usual we all got him out of jail, and went back to court at the time appointed, only to hear the judge telling him to leave the building after the case was called and that was the end ofvthe case. Under their own law, they had no right to trim him, since he was not yet tried and convicted, but that was the order of the day, Rastafari people often jailed for no reason, then trimmed and sent to prison.

We did write an article in the AFRICAN OPIONION which was a magazine, which used to be printed on Lenox Avenue in new York, but has been out of print now for many years, the title ofthe Article, was AFRICAN PATRIOTS UNDER HARRASSMENT IN JAMAICA WEST INDIES, and this came from the Little Black House of King David. If anyone come across it on their book shelf, it would be good to see it again, the year that it was published was 1959. Maybe some one like Mortimer Planner could have it, for he did read that article, at the prosperity lawn, when we had a gathering there, the same month that the article came out.

I do think that we should review the life we are living and the things which we are teaching, as we live from day to day. And then we should make the needed adjustment, so that we are realating to the circumstances, which sorounds us in this ages. I am a person who can take back my words any time, if I discover that I have made a mistake, it is quite a easy thing for me to do, for he who dodge the wrong he does, does the wrong thing still. When a person make a mistake, and he is humble enough to say I have made a mistake and I am sorry, I apologise, he or she becomes a greater person immediately, just by making his own spirit free. In concluding I must say, that when I post here it is not for individuals, although I may use a persons post to make my response, my post is really for the international audience, so that we can reason and sharpen each other's minds.
Again I send many oceans of blessings and self determination to African people everywhere
ONE BLACK LOVE ONE BLACK HEART
Baba Ras Marcus.