Message To The African Diaspora

"If God lives in you, then you have the obligation to walk the earth as a God .  Everything that touches your life must be an instrument of your liberation, or you must throw it into the trash can of history."

Dr. John Henrik Clarke


"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
 

Steve Biko: Speech in Cape Town, 1971

I received the following letter in my inbox several days ago and wanted to share it with my family.  It was already shared with many ones and ones throughout the African Diaspora and it has received a great deal of attention and congratulatory praises from many.   I had already been writing a brief piece myself when it reached my desk, in regards something very similar but the author hit the mark much stronger than I.

The letter, 14 pages long and I understand that it was whittled down from over 20 pages, is a history lesson of sorts, inasmuch as it is an introduction, or further introduction for Diasporan Africans both continentally and abroad.  There are too many salient points for me to address in these few lines, so I attach here for your viewing and edification.  It is rather long but it well worth the read.  Feel free to comment and help the conversation continue.  The only way we are ever going to get to the point that we are truly family once more, is through open honest communication.

"God is love, so let us love."

Follow me on Twitter @JahKwasiAbahu

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On Rastafari And Relationships: One Viewpoint

"It is not easy to identify readily the gender of a bird or what is inside a man’s heart." 
Ethiopia

"So many little things make a man love a woman in a big way."
Ghana

The following is an exert from a conversation/reasoning in a Facebook group.  The entire thread was much too long to copy here and the group is closed so no link is available.  But I wanted to post this to offer one view on romantic love within Rastafari because it seems a very important issue to many adherents, though one not often spoken of openly.  Please bear with me as I have stated, it picks up in the middle of the conversation.
Kwasi Abahu

Coronation of King Alpha and Queen Omega

The Blackman Version

" Last Sunday, a great ceremony took place at Addis Abbaba [Ababa], the capital of Abyssinia. It was the coronation of the new Emperor of Ethiopia - Ras Tafari.
From reports and expectations, the scene was one of great splendour, and will long be remembered by those who were present.

"Several of the leading nations of Europe sent representatives to the coronation, thereby paying their respects to a rising Negro nation that is destined to play a great part in the fiiture history of the world.

"Abyssinia is the land of the blacks and we are glad to learn that even though Europeans have been trying to impress the Abyssinians that they are not belonging to the Negro Race, they have returned the retort that they are, and that they are proud to be so.

"Ras Tafari has travelled to Europe and America and is therefore no stranger to European hypocrisy and methods; he, therefore, must be regarded as a kind of a modern Emperor, and from what we understand and know of him, he intends to introduce modern methods and systems into his country. Already he has started to recruit from different sections of the world competent men in different branches of science to help to develop his country to the position that she should occupy among the other nations of the world.

"We do hope that Ras Tafari will live long to carry out his wonderful intentions. From what we have heard and what we do know, he is ready and willing to extend the hand of invitation to any Negro who desires to settle in his kingdom. We know of many who are gone to Abyssinia and who have given good report of the great possibilities there, which they are striving to take advantage of.

" The Psalmist prophesied that Princes would come out of Egypt and Ethiopia would stretch forth her hands unto God. We have no doubt that the time is now come. Ethiopia is now really stretching forth her hands. This great kingdom of the East has been hidden for many centuries, but gradually she is rising to take a leading place in the world and it is for us of the Negro race to assist in every way to hold up the hand of Emperor Ras Tafari.”

Words of Marcus Garvey printed in the “Blackman”
Kingston, November 8th 1930.