Maatian Ethics

Although Maatian (Kemetian) spirituo-religious practises have been derided, as has been the case with all authentic Afrikan spiritual practises, careful study can reveal parallels with Judeo-Christian practises which it (Maat) pre-dates by several centuries.
The Ethiopian church which was established circa 2nd century AD is the oldest of the established christian orthodox denominations.
Maat = Truth , Righteousness, Balance, Harmony, Reciprocity etc.
Values such as these can not be ignored, these are the basis  of universal well being and are the cornerstones, or at least perceived to be, of all establishhed religious doctrines. Even societies based on greed, i.e. capitalism, pay lip service to these core values.

What is Rastafari?

After attending the FUBOH One Heartbeat event and also Ras Daniel Babu’s health event, I have been contemplating the real meaning of culture and community.

It seems that we have a lot of work to do in order to get to that position of strength where we can be completely independent and self actuating.

It seems that even within a movement such as Rastafari, which is so fundamentally grounded in the Afrikan experience confusion about our reason for being is still prevalent.

Dr Dennis Forsythe states: “Rastafari...a mystic religion resurrected ...in the West...embodying the great Afrikan spiritual traditions in the lineage of Ausar (Osiris), Ra, Christ and the ancient prophets.” (Rastafari – Healing of the Nation, New York, 1999)

This clearly places Rastafari in the context of ancient cultural traditions and proclaims Rastafari to be something which was brought to the West when we were brought here. It is therefore not something which we have a right to play with. Dr Forsythe also said: “ It is more than a religion, it is a counter-culture, offering an opposing Afrikanist definition and vision of life and is not to be confused with “dreadlocks,” “reggae,” or “dance hall” cultural expressions.” ( Forsythe, 1999)

As a people we are now metaphorically in therapy. A great psychological damage has been done and this damage is in need of repair. It may be a truism, but you cannot love anyone until you first love yourself.

Therefore it is necessary for each and every one of us “Afrikans” to be allowed to create for ourselves sacred space, where no one else has a right to enter. This space must be both individual and collective.

So, for all of those amongst us who want to charge the healer s with the same crime as our oppressors, I ask will a psychiatrist tell their patient to carry all their friends and family to a session with them. No! Why, because that would be foolish. That space, must be a place where the person in therapy can vent fully, uninhibited by the fear that what they say or do will/may be held against them by their loved ones.

Therefore, the use of His Imperial Majesty’ speech to slap those of us that call for unification amongst Afrikans first and foremost, is both naive and disrespectful. It is my contention that His Imperial Majesty was not speaking to Afrikans particularly in his speech, but to those who have and continue to denigrate Afrikan humanity, be they black, white or any shade in-between. Blackness and Afrikanness are quite obviously not the same thing. However, melanin is a primary determinant in the makeup of an Afrikan. Therefore, as Pan-Afrikans, Nationalists, Spiritualists and Revolutionaries we call to our people to put RACE FIRST or as His Excellency Marcus Mosiah Garvey stated: “In a world of wolves one should go armed and one of the most powerful defensive weapons within the reach of Afrikan people is the practise of RACE FIRST in all parts of the world. Yes – PUT YOUR RACE FIRST like all other races do.”    (His Excellency Marcus Mosiah Garvey)

Whose History is it Anyway?

As October arrives the talk is again all about "Black History" whatever that actually means.
Local Authorities take it upon themselves, with the help of their token "blacks" to feed us
some garbage dressed up as history.
For the most part what they are trying to do is lull us all into a false sense of security.
we are being made to believe that we are an integral part of the fabric of this society.
The truth is we are not and will only become so when we have been absorbed into the host culture.
At the rate we are going it wont be very long before we are no longer a visible minority and
no more than a conversation piece, around a dinner table, as various people comment about the bit of Jamaican, Trinidadian or Grenadian that they have in them.
I am thoroughly disgusted by our lack of understanding and lack of cultural value. Anyone that smiles at
us seems to be readily accepted into the family fold. When some of us seek to have some cultural privacy,
a space to discuss family affairs we are accused of reverse racism. However, we are the same ones, I might add, that made it our duty thirty and more years ago to teach our children about their ancestors and engage ourselves in the reclamation of our birth right as Afrikans. Though many of you accused us of being stuck in the past or of being sentimental about an Afrikan Heritage, today I find myself having discussions with"white" people who now want to claim themselves as Africans and accuse me of being elitist for telling them that at this present moment in time I can not accept them as part of the Afrikan family.
I say this because they are the nett benefactors of Afrika's degradation. Their ancestors viewed the "Blacks"
they encountered in Afrika as less than human and therefore saw no need to value their god given human rights.They therefore went about the earth exterminating all those they viewed as lesser beings. They captured human and animal alike, penned them and endeavoured to break their spirit, in order to have them do their bidding.This act of brutality has thus far gone unpunished and as far as I am concerned makes any arrangement with their ancestors untenable.

The final nail in the coffin?

The past couple of weeks have seen an increasingly volatile war of words amongst Jamaican and other dancehall/reggae recording artists. With Beenie Man apologising for songs he has produced in the past, the debate about the ramifications of money over principle has raged. Also, the fact that Natural Black has decided to trim off his locks, in order to identify more closely with the non-Rastafarian elements of dancehall, sparked a debate about the idea that some artists were only using Rastafari as a vehicle to popularity.
It is clear that a significant proportion of the reggae listening public are sympathetic to the Rastafari Livity. Many though not professing to be Rasta, have a high respect for the truly upful Rasses in their community. They also value the contribution of the Rastafarian to the overall growth of the Reggae genre.
This having been said, it is saddening to view the unholy war that has now broken out between artists who have long been associated with the Rastafari movement. Sizzla in particular has embroiled himself in a clash of words with a young locked artist, named Khago. It should be noted that Khago has recently stated that he is not a Rastafarian.
This outpouring which started as a clash between Khago and Assassin over a Khago song entitled "Threesome" has deteriated into a nasty unentertaining trading of insults. Worst of all is the fact that Sizzla appears to have run out of anything meaningful to say and therefore came up with a derogatory statement, aimed at Khago and his mamma. This is, in my opinion, a most unacceptable use of language for a man who professes to be a heartical man.
I must admit that I have not been overly impressed by Sizzla' output of late, but this is a significant low point in his career. He should now bow out of this contest with the grace becoming of an older head. I also feel that he should consider an apology for at least one of the tunes he voiced in this clash.
Can this music which uplifted an entire generation ever regain the respect of its children?
Where too now for the Rastafari element?
Is this the final nail in the coffin for reggae music?
If you have something constructive to add

Sizzla Kalonji - Genius?

Tune in to
Rastory - Each One! Teach One!
Friday 10pm - 12midnight BST
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Who is really responsible?

Thursday 29 March 6252 (2012)

While it is clear that we must all feel sympathy for the “innocent” victims of criminal activity, it is also necessary for us to examine the conditions that produce criminals. Some may and do say that young people that become involved with criminal activity have only themselves to blame and on the face of it this seems to be a reasonable evaluation of the situation. However for those of us that grew up on these streets, it is all too clear to us that, “there, but for the grace of Jah, go I”.

Our life experiences shape us. We carry baggage, some our own and far too much which is generational. Those who seem to have escaped their families past, will have little sympathy for these words of mine. They will instead continue to point fingers at the young lost souls in our communities and brand them thugs and call for them to be locked away. Yet, it seems to many of us that this same gusto is lacking when the criminals are rich, powerful and/or famous. There is also a very clear racial element still present in the general evaluation. This week we have seen three young Afrikans rightly punished for an armed robbery which left a young girl, Thusha Kamaleswaran aged 5, paralysed. The young men, Nathaniel Grant, 21, resident in Camberwell, Kazeem Kolawole, 19, from Kennington and Anthony McCalla, 20, from Streatham, apparently linked to a gang known as OS/GAS (Guns and Shanks) were allegedly looking for members of a rival gang ABM (All 'Bout Money) in a shop last March when they began firing their guns resulting in the young girl being shot in the chest. This is and must be seen as a callous act. However, the questions that have reverberated in our communities since the early eighties still remain unanswered. How, are these guns getting into, the hands of children in, our communities? How come the police that seem to have such wonderful intelligence regarding the activities of foolish children on our housing estates, though not wonderful enough to stop them from killing each other, can not stop the guns and drugs from arriving on these same estates?

Crossing the pond for a moment. This week we have seen the outrage brought about by the fact that a young Afrikan male Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed by a “neighbourhood watchman” (vigilante), who felt that the young man was acting suspiciously (sound familiar), whilst wearing a “hoodie”. For this reason he shot and killed this young man. He has escaped incarceration, because Miami laws uphold his right to fire his weapon in self defence. It has been widely reported that Trayvon had gone to the shop and was returning home, when confronted. Whatever happened next, the ultimate outcome was another Afrikan male dead and no one culpable. 

 

One year on from the deaths of David Emanuel (Smiley Culture), Kingsley Burrell, Mark Duggan the various Afrikans communities which reside in Britain are again left awaiting answers.

In my opinion, we now need to change our MO (modus operand um). The victimised do not need to continue to be victims.

The powers that be know exactly how we are going to react to any given situation, let's face it they have been studying us for over five hundred years. As a matter of fact they instigated the training programme which has culminated in the type of people that most of us are. They know that we are not proactive, they have conditioned us to be reactive. Induce us with the correct stimuli and we will hop up and down, making all the right revolutionary noises, “No Justice, No Peace!” Nevertheless, once we have shouted, sung, cursed, accused etc. they also know that we will return to doing what we do best, singing, dancing, drinking, cursing and treating each other, as badly, if not worse than the people we have accused of disrespecting us.

This is a very sad state of affairs, which is in urgent need of repair. Do we have what it takes to carry out the intricate surgery that will make us well again?

Ras Kwadwo

SOST

Libation

Spirit of Kwanzaa and Genna Celebration 07/01/2012 & 08/01/2012

Give thanks one and all for allowing me/us (InI) to share this moment with you.
It is both an honour and a pleasure, however before I/We (InI) proceed I/We (InI) would like to ask permission to speak from an elder in the congregation,
this is in keeping with the traditions of our ancestors.
I/We (InI) greet you all in the names of the King of Kings, H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie the first and H.I.M. Empress Menen.

I/We (InI) also greet you in the name of the dieties of Mama Afrika (Alkebulan) known by many names, some of which are:

1. Ngai (Massai)
2. Mwari (Shona)
3. Nyadenga (Shona)
4. Musikavanhu (Shona)
5. Amlak (Ethiopia)
6. Igzabieher (Ethiopia)
7. Nyame (Ashanti)
8. Asase Ya (Ashanti)
9. Nana Buluku (Dahomey)
10. Chukwu (Igbo)
11. Anyanwu (Igbo)

What is Libation?

Traditionally veneration of the ancestors is an important part of Afrikan life. This was a way of reminding all
members of the community that, no matter how great you may be,
others that came before prepared the way and must therefore be honoured for so doing.
Thus the Afrikan maxim is "I am, because we are and since we are therefore I am."
This form of value system makes us each and every one of us responsible for each other and asks us to make our personal life choices with this in mind.