Rastafari

There is so little known about the Rastafari religion in the western world, and therefore not much said about it. I want to start a small but informational series on the Religion of Jamaica. Most people have heard the name King Haile Selassie, and even More know the Name Robert Nesta Marley aka Bob Marley. But did you know that to many Rasta's Marley is revered as a Prophet. His Music carried messages of freedom and liberation thus it was called Rebel Music.

But today I do not want to focus on either of those men or the countless others who have shaped the beliefs and ideals of the Rasta.  Instead I want to focus on someone many of you may have never heard of Prince Emmanuel Charles Edwards VII. The leader of the Rastafari movement order Bobo Shanti. Prince Emmanuel established the Bobo Shanti order, the Order of Moses, based on ancient Ethiopian tradition. Here is an excerpt from One World Magazine about Prince Emmanuel.

Prince Emmanuel emerged as a Rastafari leader during the 1950s by spearheading an island wide convention of the brethren at Ackee Walk where his camp was first set up. At the end of the weeklong meeting, the participants marched on Victoria Park and there planted the red, gold, and green flag in a symbolic capture of the ciao The convention was to deal with the question of repatriation, and when this had been announced, many of those people who came in from the country had allegedly done so expecting to depart for Africa. Following the convention, Prince's followers became more sectarian. They began to attribute divinity to him and separated themselves from other Rastafarian's by wearing the turbans and the robes. The Bobo remained at Ackee Walk until 1968 when they were finally bulldozed. They then settled at Harris Street in Rose Town, were again forced out to Eighth Street in Trench Town, then to Ninth Street, and finally, to Bull Bay where they have remained ever since on the rocky government lands overlooking the town.

Because they regarded Prince Emmanuel as God, they believed each of their stopping places to have been recorded in the Bible. Ackee Walk was Nazareth, where Jesus came from; Harris Street was Galilee, where Jesus went after leaving his native home; Eighth Street, Capernaum; and Ninth Street, Bethlehem, for it was there that Jesus, Queen Rachel's son, was born. The settlement in Bull Bay they named Mount Temon, where God is supposed to have come from, according to a passage from Genesis.

Charles Edwards is said to have been born without Mother or Father and was thought to be the reincarnate of Christ, Fulfilling Revelation 5, as the Lion of Judah. Emmanuel lived like the Christ, showing love, teaching the word of his father, teaching wisdom. He was born in 1915 in saint Elizabeth and transcended in 1994 in Kingston Egypt/Jamaica.



This is just a brief introduction of Prince Emmanuel, there is much more to be learned about the Man who touched so many. There are several sights which contain information on the man. Also there are several good sights on the Bobo Shanti order.



"Jamaica is an islan', but it is not I lan'" -- Joe Ruglass

Not Me.

Today I want to talk about an issue that has been debated for many years.

Should athletes, performers, and actors be held accountable for being role models?

I think not. I do not see why because someone has a job that makes them highly visible they automatically have to be put to a higher standard than everyone else.  The reason this has come up today is because yesterday I had a all-be-it brief discussion about lil Jon and his new chain. This is a piece of that email.

I don't believe any responsible parent is letting TV and media teach their kids moral conduct. As a parent my tv is on parental lock from such stations. I believe once you are in the public light you do have a responsibility for what type of product you put out into our neighborhoods. Tell me, where do they sell crunk juice?? Most kids can't make the distinction between tv and reality. And for the record... WE AS A PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY CHILD, NOT JUST OUR OWN. That's one of the problems in our community.

This simple comment opens so many holes in the issue at hand. I do not know about the rest of the world but I doubt very seriously that I would allow my child to look to a Rapper as a role model or a pillar of what my people should be about. First and foremost they are performers and what the public sees is not necessarily the person. It is the parents responsibility to talk to their children and teach them the difference between what they see and what is real. Not to put on the Parental controls on the Television and hope that you can keep your child shielded. This is merely a lame attempt at saying I am not letting the TV raise my child. When in fact if that were true you wouldn't need the Parental Controls on the TV. But I am not here to discuss that part of the email.



The way that I see it the only people who are in the public eye that need to be held to a higher standard are those people who work in the Social Services field. The Police, Teachers, Politicians, and community leaders. Everyone else Should just govern themselves accordingly. I for one am not a role model, but I did set the example for my SON to follow. Now I may not teach what you want your child to learn but for mine I was perfect. So I think if you can't be an influential catalyst in your child's life don't sit back and blame others.



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