HOMAGE TO THE ANCIENT RASTA
The ancient Rastas were proud of
their race, their colour and their hair. They were determined to stand on their
own feet and be supported by their own backbone. The ancient Rastas were
walking in Garvey’s moccasins and reaping upon their heavy dreadlocked heads,
all the chagrin, acrimony, persecution and calumny that Marcus reaped upon his
bald head. Worse, they went one step further and named a name of One whom they
worshipped as God. Even worse, this God was not from the royal white dynasty of
Windsor, England-in-Europe, but from the royal black Solomonic dynasty of
Ethiopia-in-Africa.
They didn’t like it one bit so they used
inconsequential means of incarcerating Rastas for silly reasons like possession
of a herb they considered their sacrament. In prison the Rasta man was shorn of
his locks. The law enforcers delighted in shaving the Rastaman of his locks.
Rastas of today, would you have held on to your faith if you’d been thru what
the ancient Rasta man went thru? Could you?
Ancient Rastas, you were my voice when I couldn’t speak. Even before I
was a twinkle in the eyes of my mother and father, you were speaking for me.
Even though the powers-that-be tried to gag you, you were proclaiming such
powerful sounds which the powers-that-be considered blasphemies and heresies.
Such like ‘Ethiopia, the land of our fathers’, ‘Africa is the black man’s
home!’ and ‘Jah Rastafari!’ ‘Hear the words of the Rastaman say, “Babylon, you
trone gone down”.
“Shoot first and ask questions after (later)” was the injunction of one
black national leader. The black officer at the end of the gun ‘was only
carrying out orders’ when he fired on his innocent Rasta kith and kin. That’s
what they all say – on the Judgement at Nuremberg, at The Hague, at the Truth
& Reconciliation Committee in South Africa and anywhere non-emancipated
minds cannot find the courage of a Mohammed Ali to say ‘no!’ to senseless
killings whether in war or in civil confrontation. Rasta people of today, would you have held on to your faith if
you’d been faced with what the ancient Rastas were faced? Could you?
Rastaman of today, would you have held on to your faith if you’d been
thru what the Ancient Rastaman been thru? Could you?
Let us not forget Leonard Howell and Mortimer Planno for their immense contribution to Rastafari.
By NZINGA NZINGA
To Morgan Heritage, children of Denroy Morgan
(Black Eagles). It is their song which provided the theme of this tribute to
the Ancient Rasta. Also to their father, Denroy, whom I had the honour of
meeting in Jamaica. Brother Denroy, I have enjoyed your songs tremendously.
Blessed love.
To Morgan Heritage, children of Denroy Morgan
(Black Eagles). It is their song which provided the theme of this tribute to
the Ancient Rasta. Also to their father, Denroy, whom I had the honour of
meeting in Jamaica. Brother Denroy, I have enjoyed your songs tremendously.
Blessed love.Part 5
♪♪Could you live thru what the ancient Rasta lived thru? Would you hold on to your faith
if you’d been thru what they’ve been thru? ♪♪-
Could
You Live Thru’? Morgan Heritage
The ancient Rastas were proud of
their race, their colour and their hair. They were determined to stand on their
own feet and be supported by their own backbone. The ancient Rastas were
walking in Garvey’s moccasins and reaping upon their heavy dreadlocked heads,
all the chagrin, acrimony, persecution and calumny that Marcus reaped upon his
bald head. Worse, they went one step further and named a name of One whom they
worshipped as God. Even worse, this God was not from the royal white dynasty of
Windsor, England-in-Europe, but from the royal black Solomonic dynasty of
Ethiopia-in-Africa.
Can any good thing come out of Africa? Jamaican authority, lackey of
England, didn’t think so.
Ancient Rastas, you were my voice when I couldn’t speak. Even before I
was a twinkle in the eyes of my mother and father, you were speaking for me.
Even though the powers-that-be tried to gag you, you were proclaiming such
powerful sounds which the powers-that-be considered blasphemies and heresies.
Such like ‘Ethiopia, the land of our fathers’, ‘Africa is the black man’s
home!’ and ‘Jah Rastafari!’ ‘Hear the words of the Rastaman say, “Babylon, you
trone gone down”. “Shoot first and ask questions after (later)” was the injunction of one
black national leader. The black officer at the end of the gun ‘was only
carrying out orders’ when he fired on his innocent Rasta kith and kin. That’s
what they all say – on the Judgement at Nuremberg, at The Hague, at the Truth
& Reconciliation Committee in South Africa and anywhere non-emancipated
minds cannot find the courage of a Mohammed Ali to say ‘no!’ to senseless
killings whether in war or in civil confrontation. Rasta people of today, would you have held on to your faith if
you’d been faced with what the ancient Rastas were faced? Could you?
I can hear the faithful ancients chanting:
“If we have
forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:20-21.
The fact that Rastafari has reached this far symbolises the indomitable
spirit of the ancient Rastas who held on to their struggle for the right to
their racial identity and to their chosen ‘livity’ (lifestyle). They did not
wallow in self pity. They were not disturbing the country in protests. They
were not begging, cringing, grovelling and petitioning the stone-hearted and
insensitive authority and the church for help. They were aware that in their
powerless situation they were akin to chickens in a vulpine court consisting of
vulpine judges, vulpine prosecutors and even some of their own Legal Aid
lawyers would be like foxes.
There was so much injustice meted out to the ancient Rastas. No one in
power made any overtures to them until Prime Minister Norman Manley made a
token gesture and three highly reputed non-Rasta intellectuals in the system
tendered a report on this little token which was to become the watershed and
acceptable terms of reference of all intellectual Rasta literature from academia. However, no
action came out of this entire academic and governmental hullabaloo, brouhaha,
much-ado-about-little, so it never got past the archives where it is referred
to by intellectuals ad
nauseam.
 |
| Mortimer Planno |
 |
| Leonard Howell |
Let us not forget Leonard Howell and Mortimer Planno for their immense contribution to Rastafari.
Let us salute all of you who have made the early sacrifices so that we who come after can be because you were. Selassie I Jah Rastafari!!
To be continued
To be continued
All the images were taken from the Internet and
I claim no copyright
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