AaronJudah2003,

There is no contradiction with dealing with people on an interpersonal level according to character/integrity, and insisting on the rights of African people to take charge of their own destiny. The only hypocrisy i see is individuals trying identifying with Rasta, (which is a movement oriented towards the rights and dignity of Black people, and then casually dismissing the opinions and experiences of Black Africans.
Those that feel that calling themselves Rastas automatically elevates them above dealing with race/color issues within their own behavior are quite misguided.

Your gross inability to grasp the points at hand demonstrate the burden of white/light skin privilege that very very few are able to overcome.In this context, it is very understandable that Black Africans are distrustful of white/light skinned ones.

On this thread, you have clearly exposed yourself. After more than 500 years of those same poor attitudes, your shallow attempts at castigating Africans for insisting on self determination is not surprising. Your insistence on the legitimacy of a white person to head a Pan African Commission is insulting to the legacy of Marcus Garvey and other Pan Africans who fought for African dignity. Given your reasoning, or lack of it, it is alright to have an Israeli leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), as well as a White American heading a Native Indian Group. A White American could never be sensitive enough to the needs or concerns of the Native American people, and like wise a white person could never be sensitive enough to the issues that affect African people, even though they may have good intentions.

Furthermore, to properly understand your intentions and motivations, we can consider the factors that made Barbados appoint Ikael drector of the Pan African Commission. They certainly did not do this from a position of enlightenment or clarity. Barbados like many other countries and individuals have imbibed poor racial attitudes due to their interaction with colonialism. They are really not interested in empowering the Black masses, as their aim is to uphold the status quo of inequalities. So they are comfortable in preferring white and light skinned persons, while pledging 'colorblindness'.
Their actions reveal unaddressed colonial dramas, the same way that support for a white person to head an African Commission reveals deep unaddressed colonial dramas.

Tyehimba