Heartbreak: Rasta Errol’s Tale

“Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't.”
~Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis

“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart!”
~Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

My heart breaks often at least 3 times a year… that’s the way it is in Jamaica. Friends die. Yes they do, and die tragically too. Last year at this time I lost a sistren, Anieta Robinson. Her struggle was a short fight with cancer. By the time I heard and bought turmeric and noni to go look for her, she was gone. So she has been in my meditation as of late, especially since from time to time I review my role in my communities, be it the Rastafari community, my geographical space, my family or the artist community. So while these thoughts are floating about in my mind that at 4am while waiting for the Knutsford Express to go to a seminar on Monitoring and Evaluation, in Kingston on behalf of The Rastafari Coral Garden Benevolent Society, that a breddrin and member who is going to Kingston as well says, Yannick, yuh hear wah happen to Rasta Errol? Oh how I have grown to hate that question… the answer when I say no, is never him win Lotto! Nope; the answer 9 time out of ten is “him dead”. This occasion was scarcely different. When I said “no” the answer was, “Them stab him up a Arcade”. And as I feel the old familiar jolt of shock, all I can think is AGAIN!

So now as I am supposed to be having the time of my life watching Putin’s World Cup, my mind is a constant kaleidoscope of emotion, racing back and forth from planning the future, to grief to, happy as Ronaldo and Mbappi blazes the score sheets, celebrating Senegal, weeping for Germany, remembering Errol, Anieta, Likkle Dread, Chrissy, the army of fallen soldiers, writing proposals, chasing paper, being there for my daughter, considering the future of the nation, the future of the race, the future of my family, am I hovering close to St. James Infirmary, is there a pension for me, will I escape poverty, what is the future for me when I become an elder??? As all this is churning in my mind, my heartbreaks for myself, it breaks for Errol, it breaks when I consider the existential plight of Rastafari. Yet from this I reaffirm, why it is I am a community activist, why I am a member of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society!

The purpose of the organization is to alleviate the distress of the vulnerable Rastafari community. We provide relief and care to those who to varying degree have been excluded from society, disenfranchised or have been rendered voiceless – the elderly, neglected and victims of the 1963 atrocity. As a result of the actions of a few persons in Coral Gardens in 1963, the entire Rastafari community was officially targeted by the State of newly-independent Jamaica. This led to extreme brutality, imprisonment and death of many Rastafari sons and daughters across Jamaica by the police, army and other citizens of Jamaica. The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society was registered under the Friendly Societies Act to keep alive the memory of the Coral Gardens atrocities and the denial of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of members of the Rastafari community.

Rasta Errol at 60 years old was a member of the RCGBS. At his age he was more than qualified to be a beneficiary. The last two times I saw Errol was at UWI out by the airport, we had been at a seminar for Capacity Building by Mona Social Services (MSS). The last time would be Sunday June 10, 2018 at The People’s Arcade at an RCGBS meeting. There he handed me some herb and a bottle of Spurlina. He showed me his MSS certificate which he had gotten framed. I was thankful as someone who ought to be getting was still giving… I didn't know it would be the last time I would see him.

As I perused the INTERNET to possibly understand what the media may know I found this meager report of a mighty man. “Reports from the Barrett Town Police are that, about 9am [on Tuesday, June 12], Cooke was walking in the People’s Arcade when he was pounced on by a group of men armed with knives, who attacked him and inflicted several wounds to his upper body.” The JCF stated that Cooke was taken to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Investigations are continuing. Sometimes people wonder within the Rastafari community and outside it… if our collective efforts are necessary or valid… it is lives like Errol’s, life lived exceptionally is why we must organize and central. It is to prevent the ending of lives in such tragedies and tragic manner is why we must organize to secure the future of Jamaica's pan African heart. SELAH.

The Criminalization of African Spirituality: Part 1

"Democracy means that people can say what they want to. All the people. It means that they can vote as they wish. All the people. It means that they can worship God in any way they feel right, and that includes Christians and Jews and voodoo doctors as well."

~Dalton Trumbo

 

For most of my life Obeah in Jamaica has been a taboo. Scoffed at by academics and intellectuals rooted deep in empiricism and cynicism. The Church associates Obeah with spiritual wickedness and evil, skeptics tend to think it is used to defraud vulnerable people like the snake oil man to swindle and bamboozle. In my family it was the butt of jokes and was the stuff of old time superstition.For me the stuff Obeah was like the mythos of slavery... a literature populated with Rolling Calves, Black Heart men, Ananse, masks, Pocomania, Kumina, Revival, Jonkunnu, Bats(what Jamaican call moths), owls, D. Lawrence, Bible and Key and Maccabees Bibles.

In a more academic light... Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices developed among West African slaves, specifically of Igbo origin. Obeah's history is similar to that of other Afro-American religions including Palo, Vodou, Santería, and Hoodoo. Obeah is practiced in Suriname, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Belize, The Bahamas, and other Caribbean nations. Enslaved Africans brought spiritual practices to the Caribbean that included folk healing and a belief in magic for good and for evil to opposition.

Vodun means spirit in the Fon and Ewe languages, pronounced [vodṹ] with a nasal high-tone u; also spelled Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, Voudou, Voodoo, etc. is practiced by the Ewe people of eastern and southern Ghana, and southern and central Togo; and the Kabye people, Mina people, and Fon people of southern and central Togo, southern and central Benin. It is also practiced by some Gun (Gbe) people of Lagos and Ogun in southwest Nigeria.

It is distinct from the various African traditional religions in the interiors of these countries and is the main source of religions with similar names found among the African Diaspora in the western hemisphere such as Haitian Vodou; Puerto Rican Vodú; Cuban Vodú; Dominican Vudú; Brazilian Vodum; and Louisiana Voodoo. All of these closely related faiths are syncretized with Christianity to various degrees and with the traditional beliefs of the Kongo people and Indigenous American traditions.

Now the term 'Obeah' is first found in documents from the early 18th century, as in its connection to Nanny of the Maroons, but discussion of it becomes more frequent when it was made illegal in Jamaica after Tacky's War, in which an Obeah-man provided advice to the rebels. In 1787 a letter to an English newspaper referred to "Obiu-women" interpreting the wishes of the dead at the funeral of a murdered slave in Jamaica: a footnote explained the term as meaning "Wise-women".

A continuing source of white anxiety related to Obeah was the belief that practitioners were skilled in using poisons, as mentioned in Matthew Lewis's Journal of a West India Proprietor. The European world had equated Black and African Spirituality with their own history of wizards and witchcraft and necromancy. Thousands of people in the Caribbean have been subject to prosecution for their religious and spiritual healing practice, since the first law against Obeah was passed in Jamaica in 1760 then in the anti-Obeah law passed in Barbados in 1818 there was the specific forbidding of the possession of "any poison, or any noxious or destructive substance"during slavery, until the recent past.

A doctor who examined the medicine chest of an Obeah man arrested in Jamaica in 1866 identified white arsenic as one of the powders in it, but could not identify the others. The unnamed correspondent reporting this affirmed "The Jamaica herbal is an extensive one, and comprises some highly poisonous juices, of which the Obeah men have a perfect knowledge."


During the mid 19th century the appearance of a comet in the sky became the focal point of an outbreak of religious fanatical millennialism among the Myal men of Jamaica. Spiritualism was at that time sweeping the English-speaking nations as well, and it readily appealed to those in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, as spirit contact, especially with the dead, is an essential part of many African religions. During the conflict between Myal and Obeah, the Myal men positioned themselves as the "good" opponents to "evil" Obeah. They claimed that Obeah men stole people's shadows, and they set themselves up as the helpers of those who wished to have their shadows restored.

Myal men contacted spirits in order to expose the evil works they ascribed to the Obeah men, and led public parades which resulted in crowd-hysteria that engendered violent antagonism against Obeah men. The public "discovery" of buried Obeah charms, presumed to be of evil intent, led on more than one occasion to violence against the rival Obeah men. Laws were passed that limited both Obeah and Myal traditions but due to the outrages perpetrated by the mobs of Myalists, the British government of Jamaica sent many Myal men to prison, and this, along with the failure of their millennialist prophecies. 

Obeah laws, which still exist in many Caribbean countries, there have also been laws against specific religious groups, including the Spiritual Baptist faith, which was outlawed for a substantial part of the twentieth century in Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent, and Grenada. Other people faced prosecution for independent religious and healing work under laws against practicing medicine without a license, vagrancy, and ‘night noises’, among others.

• 1760: In response to a major slave rebellion, the colonial government outlaws Obeah for the first time in the Caribbean, with the Act to Remedy the Evils arising from Irregular Assemblies of Slaves, defining Obeah as: "The wicked Art of Negroes... pretending to have Communication with the Devil and other evil spirits"
• 1898: Under the Obeah Law practitioners face 12 months in jail and flogging. An Obeah practitioner is defined as: "Any person who, to effect any fraudulent or unlawful purpose, or for gain, or for the purpose of frightening any person, uses, or pretends to use any occult means, or pretends to possess any supernatural power or knowledge"
  
• 1908: Parliament passes the Medical Law, which was intended to regulate medical practice, but was also used frequently in cases to define difference between medicine and Obeah

53rd Commemoration of "Bad Friday": The Coral Gardens Atrocity of 1963

The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society

Hosts

 

Our 53rd Commemoration of "Bad Friday"

The Coral Gardens Atrocity of 1963

25th of March 2016
Jarrett Park, Montego Bay, St. James.

GATES OPEN 10:00 am
~Health Fair
~Children's Funday
~Banquet for the Elders
~Testimonies of the Victims and Witnesses
~Certificate of Recognition to Matriarchs and Patriarchs
~Observation of the 50th Anniversary Visit of H.I.M. to Jamaica
~SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC DEFENDER'S REPORT
~Cultural Presetations

ADMISSION: $700
Food, Refreshment and Craft On Sale!
‪#‎badfriday‬ ‪#‎rastafari‬ ‪#‎coralgardens‬ ‪#‎mobay‬ ‪#‎montegobay‬ ‪#‎humanrights‬ #1963 ‪#‎jarrettpark‬

PRESS RELEASE: The Rastafari Coral Gardens Committee (RCGC) is now The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society (RCGBS)

PRESS RELEASE:

Yannick Pessoa (RCGBS- PRO) · June 30, 2015

The Rastafari Coral Gardens Committee (RCGC) isnow The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society (RCGBS).

As our world becomes smaller, indigenous communities are gaining increasing international awareness. Local groups and societies are evolving to serve their members, and communities, and in doing so, have come to reconsider their roles,their images, their identities, their “branding,” and, consequently, their names. This is such an occasion for The RastafariCoral Gardens Benevolent Society (RCGBS) as it embarks on its continuing journey.

The Rastafari Coral Gardens Committee’s primary role has been to spread awareness of the Coral Gardens atrocities of 1963, to foster dialogueon the subject and prevent any further atrocity from taking place by implementing proactive administration for the preservation of the Rastafari community. In light of this broad aim, the activities of the Committee included the following:

1. Give cash, donate food items, purchase furniture and equipment for needy elders who are victims of the Coral Gardens atrocities
   
   
2. Organise health clinics and transport sick elders to the doctor
   
   
3. Assist with funeral expenses of elders
   
   
4. Develop a scholarship program in partnership with the Western Jamaica Campus of the University of the West Indies for youth from the Rastafari community.
   
   
5. Produce a newsletter called “Chimurenga” which means “Revolutionary Struggle”

As the RCGC's role evolved into socio-economic directions, the Committee began to face challenges because of the magnitude ofassistance needed and the small amount of human and financialresources at its disposal. The Executive bodyconsequently recommended to its members that they seekregistration as a Benevolent Society. This move is intended to garnerthe support of the Jamaican State and society, target local and international agencies that are established to assist the needy, andstrengthen the efforts of the organisation at improving transparencyand accountability. 

The Society was registered as a Legal Entity under the Friendly SocietiesAct on April 23, 2015. On Sunday, June 21, 2015, the InauguralGeneral Meeting was convened at the University of the West IndiesOpen Campus in Montego Bay. The new name and status simply reflect current reality and remove previous limitations. The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society can now move forward to become a self sustaining entity in a global environment.

Save Pinnacle for RasTafari

The planned eviction of I and I Rastafari family from Pinnacle -- the first self-sufficient Rastafari community on the island, located on lands purchased by Leonard P Howell -- seems to be manifesting as Babylon would will it. Already set to give away Goat Islands the Government now intends to take Rastafari lands.

So I and I would like to know, while Jamaica works out with its neighbours sanctions against the Dominican Republic for disinheriting Haitians in that country, our own courts do the same to Rastas?

As far as I and I comprehend, the Jamaican State has made the site a national heritage site, and wishes to evict whoever lives on it. Hence this is firstly a case about land title -- who "owns" the land?

Many of the revolutions of history were fought on grounds of land and property, the Coral Gardens incident of 1963 had similar issues of land ownership to the dispute and ensuing tragedy. So, for public clarity I and I would like to know whose land is it?

If the Rastafarianism is a recognised religious group in Jamaica, and by this I mean in law -- which I believe they are -- and seeing that Jamaica has recently adopted its own Bill of Rights, then there is no denying that Rastafari is a legitimate with regard to religious freedom as recognised in Jamaica, Great Britain, the United States, and other countries. I and I believe one of the arguments against this heinous act of the state, is based on freedom of religion.(ie by evicting off the land and interfering with Rastafari's freedom of religion). Thus this makes the case a constitutional one as well. Does the public defender have anything to say?

I and I cannot be sure what the State intends to do with the site. If the idea is to keep it as State property, as an important part of Jamaican history, it may seem hard to argue against that. After all, the State may argue that they are taking care of the place by doing this, and making sure its historical significance is well known by everyone. This is a controversial notion and forces the question, who have the stakeholders consulted? Could not an initiative that engenders a community and communal heritage trust be set up to navigate the dual existence of a heritage site and the Rastafarian community?

Bearing this in mind, I ask, is it time for some Rastafari agencies and groups, artistes, and lawyers to find a way to take this case to the Privy Council or the Caribbean Court of Justice? There needs to be good advocacy and help in raising international awareness for this undoubted human rights travesty.

I encourage both the Rastafari community, as well as the State, to examine the Saramaka People v Suriname case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. In this case, descendants of self-liberated African slaves were held to be "indigenous peoples" and to enjoy the rights recognised to these categories of people under international law. A similar case can be made for the communities at Pinnacle as well. Using that line of argument, if the land if sold no project will be able to start unless the consent of the local communities has been secured by the company. (See the International Finance Corporation Performance Standard number 5 and 7). This is a powerful tool. I hope you understand, this does not change anything with regards to the title to the land, but at least it could prevent the land from being destroyed by logging, mining, tourist resorts, or whatever their plans are.

Ultimately, whilst seeing that Jamaica has not joined the appellate jurisdiction of the Caribbean Court of Justice, it would appear that no case can be brought there. The final Court of Appeal of Jamaica is still the London-based Privy Council. They apply the same law so it ought not to matter much for your case. These are issues representatives of the RasTafari community and its lawyers if there are any must be aware of.

This injustice cannot be allowed!

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/letters/Save-Pinnacle-for-RasTafari_15580078#ixzz2moS7571i

p.s. Thanks to Nadia Bernaz of RightsAsUsual for her expertise on the matters of rights and point of law!

The Debacle at Pinnacle: RasTafari Robbed of The Promised Key - Babylon's New Assault!

#Rastafari robbed!!!
So what of OUR PROMISED KEY?

The planned eviction of InI RasTafari Family from Pinnacle: the first self-sufficient RasTafari Community on the island located on lands purchased by Hon. Leonard P Howell, seem to be manifesting as Babylon would will it!

IS THIS A CASE FOR THE #CCJ???
The Caribbean Court of Justice is a shared final court of appeal for currently three Commonwealth Caribbean countries: Barbados, Guyana and Belize. Jamaica is probably the next country of the region that will stop sending their appeals to the London-based Privy Council and switch to the CCJ as well. A human rights assessment of the Court and concluded that its very creation constitutes a positive step towards better access to justice in the region and shows once again the key role superior courts can play in protecting the rights of vulnerable groups.

Bearing this in mind again I ask is it time for some RasTafari agencies and groups artistes and lawyers, to find a way to take this case to the CCJ???

Time for #Rasta to find the #CaribbeanCourtofJustice!

Land reform and revolution reaching to ahead... THIS CAN'T WORK!

Whapp'm to "adverse possession"???

Gi weh GOAT ISLAND and tief RASTA LAND! (Having given away the Goat Islands the Government now intends to steal RasTafari lands!)

So InI would like to know, while #Jamaica works out with its neighbours sanctions against the Dominican Republic for disinheriting #Haitians in that country our own courts do the same to Rastas????

Why this situation wasn't blasted over the #media ages and ages ago? This case has been in court for a while now! Where are the artistes to chant on this issue???

Leonard Howell, his seed and scions, the early Howellites all suffered for this. InI cannot leave History to repeat itself. InI will not allow Mr. Lake and his friends at the National Heritage Trust to deceive us into believing they care to preserve RasTafari legacy.

Never forget the atrocities of CORAL GARDENS, when many RasTafari bredda and sista were abused and massacred.

As a member of the Rastafari community in Montego Bay and growing up in the aftermath of the Coral Garden atrocity and having gleaned 2nd hand knowledge of it, heard first person accounts, InI cannot sit by whilst InI bredda and sista are being dealt another modern day injustice and atrocity, no matter the civility of the apparent legal process, this is a violation of a vulnerable sector of society by the state, guised as civil law and legal prociess, it is vile and unethical, a violation of culture!

#ancestoral land theft, Rasta #oppressed in the 21st century, SUBDIVISION... robbery...

http://lphfoundation.org/rastafari-ordered-to-vacate-pinnacle-by-january-31-2014-resident-magistrate-vashti-chatoor-131113/

#Rastafarian #digitalactivism #socialactivism #IandI #Selassie#Haile #EqualRights #Justice