Yes me brudda, blessed, OK, check this now:
A bredren of mine who I could call me 'uncle' since he went out with me aunty for nuff years and is still her and my artikal idren, had this to say to me years ago;
He pointed at one of the several pictures of Kedamawe Haile Selassie I displayed on the small wall-space afforded by a Bed-Stuy apartment. He said "You gat to know that Selassie I is nah de messiah, YOU ah de messiah."
Haile Selassie come to show IanI that IanI is de messiah of IanI own selves.
So now, if I was ever put in a position, where someone was to come view ME [de same bannah who just drunk two guinness along with me spliffs at de reggae night me jus preside over, bigging up DESMOND DEKKER and GUYANA (cos de one jus forward into de I-cestral realm and de odda jus celebrate she fortieth bu'tday)]... as some kinda messiah for DEM... then I would sho'ly hope that I would feel highly uncomfortable with it and say "naaaah... wait a minute... y'all could articulate y'all sufferings and joys fuh y'all selves, without de need of me, who happens to be relatively privileged in several ways other than my cafe-au-lait skin color and bulbous welsh nose.
Anytime I try to speak FOR "dark skin kinky hair African people" or whatever phrase you waan use, I would be implicitly denying dem the space to speak for demselves. If I have, through no merit or fault of my own, ended up in more "priviliged" circumstances in the babylonian shystem that is based on privilege (falsity), raada than merit (honesty)... then the best ting I could do would be to encourage those who didn't go to no so call 'good school', who actually have gone two or more days in a row without eating and it wasn't nothing to do with ramadan or a cleansing new age fast, who are darker skin, who incubate the next generation for nine months and go through tings that I couldn't say I ovastand... who live the traditional lifeways of IanI Icestors from hundreds of thousands of years ago, the few who remain.... etc. etc., the best thing to do is to encourage DEM fuh come speak up and lead up de ting now.
It ain like I gettin my rights restricted. I don't want a leadership position anyway.
Unless is a leadership position over I own self, with humbleness to know that I got plenty tings to learn still.
Anyway, look nuh, I been up all night chatting pon de mic and de sun is rising and it's time I cook breakfast and then SLEEP. So P.E.A.C.E. me brudda... could continue the icussion a next time.
Blessed.
Bigging Up Mr. Desmond Dekker! Who fus' bring reggae music worldwide.