Rastafari through the Arts 2

“Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.”

 Rosaleen Dickson

“Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes, they forgive them”

 Oscar Wilde

Okay, so I may be a little bit biased.  After all, the few poems I have selected, even the artwork from the previous blog of this name, are from ones and ones that I know personally.  Though from my perspective, who better to showcase.  I'm sure they are many more artists that I could sample, even amongst my same very circle and in time I will do just that.  But right now, I present just another small sampling of poems written by an acquaintance who just so happens to be Rastafari.  Notice that the topics are as diverse as the members of the Rastafari nation are varied.

Rastafari through the arts

"To control a people, you must first control what they think about themselves and how they regard their history and culture. And when your conqueror makes you ashamed of your culture and your history, he needs no prison walls and no chains to hold you." 

Dr. John Henrik Clarke

Laura James: Black Madonna

I just wanted to take a brief moment and highlight some poetry from an associate of mine whose blog I also follow.  Though they may not be in the pantheon of great poets from time immemorial, I thought the work to be good enough to support.  Given that there have been recent calls for artistic works from all throughout the Rastafari Diaspora, for a proposed exhibit in Ethiopia in 2014, I feel secure in my doing so.