Chapter 1
Politics
Many a Rastaman say, “I man doh deal wid politics.” Even the mention
of the word breeds contention. And based on our experiences, it smells
of corruption. To be “anti-political” is part of the everyday life
of I-n-I. Yet everyday we face the same challenges of employment
discrimination, housing inequalities and lack of basic medical
attention. In short, we face the same woes on a physical level as the
rest of the poor, under-developed and oppressed people from Africa to
the Caribbean. For the Rastafari Nation to not be politically involved
with its day to day survival and existence is an act of denial of its
basic human necessities.
Every act of rebellion on the plantation was an act of political
resistance. It matters not that it happened over 400 years ago. It was
nonetheless an act of economic resistance for freedom and for better
living conditions. Today’s modern “plantations” are no less guilty
of using the same types of political tactics to maintain the status quo.
The survival needs of “plantation” workers have grown alongside the
growth of technology. However, living conditions in some areas have
remained virtually the same based on the percentage of industrial and
technological development.
If we are to argue the point that European slavery and indentured
servitude is used as an economic tool, then we must come to the
conclusion that we are engaged in the political act of demanding better
living and working conditions while we remain on the “plantation.”
One need simply consider that asking for a raise is a direct response to
the lack of one’s economic stability. Thus, to argue that Rastas
should not be engaged in “politics” would be to deny I-n-I the most
basic of rights: the right to a better quality of living.
In its growth as a spiritual movement, the Rastafari Nation has also
developed the need for a better and more centralized politically aware,
active movement. Because I-n-I hold to the fact and divinity of His
Imperial Majesty—who was undeniably one of the world’s greatest
politicians—we tend to dwell on a more spiritual path toward achieving
economic freedom and equality. But if we choose to engage in a continued
daily “hustle” for economic stability (while we wait on our desired
Reparation and Repatriation plans to develop), we most certainly will
also remain in the state of continued plantation dependence. We should,
therefore, take the time while we wait to engage in more stable programs
of economic development that will become necessary upon Repatriation.
This would be in keeping with the political and economic development of
Africa as described by His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie in His
speeches.
"Today, we also accept as an undenied and undeniable part of modern
Ethiopian life the principle that a man's ultimate worth is determined
by his ability and his achievements. Let us, from the greatest to the
least, take pride in the performance of the tasks and duties assigned to
us, whether or not we believe them worthy of our talents, whether we
labor silent and alone, or in the crowd and illuminated by the glaring
light of public opinion. The reward for the job well done is not in the
recognition of others, nor in public praise. Neither is it to be
measured solely by the monetary return earned by the workman. It comes,
rather, in the inner satisfaction that accompanies the knowledge that
the work accomplished represents the best of which we are capable.”
-Haile Selassie, Throne Speech 1965.
It is necessary that we become engaged with political development as we
are developing spiritually.
"You here today will, We are confident, serve the nation to the
best of your abilities in bringing to the Ethiopian people the fullest
possible measure of prosperity and individual freedom and personal
dignity. You must not fail, for to do so would be to fail in the trust
which We and the Ethiopian people have reposed in you. You have an
important role to fulfill in the task of national development which has
been Our life's work and which is now the hope and the task of every
forward looking Ethiopian. May Almighty God bless you in your labor.
-Haile Selassie, Throne Speech, 1965.
Today, it has become vitally important for the Rastafari nation to
rethink its positions on global development. Rastafari needs to be more
politically and legally aware of the enslaver’s global political
strategy. We also have to realize that our history has been relegated to
antiquity and has become “prehistory.” It is vital that we
“relearn ancient wisdom.”
To begin to consider such a mass exodus as Repatriation without proper
justice would be a move to relocate oneself to the very same conditions
as the one being left. Merely asking for transportation and a census to
gather information on personal assets does not begin to satisfy the 500
years of plantation brutality, loss of identity and the myriad other
assets stolen from Africa.
The educational “brain drain” taking place in Africa is a result of
years of exploitation, and traitors who have given up their African
independence to grovel at the feet of their European masters.
Colonization is the strategy used by the Europeans to keep the labor of
Africans and other non-white peoples at their disposal. The political
education that non-white people receive is all geared toward European
domination and survival.
How can we deny the direct political ramifications that the Europeans
have imposed on us? They have set the tone for the global political
playing field by ensuring that they own and control the world’s
wealth, and this can only be insured by their continued stranglehold on
the world’s non-white population.
The Rastafari Nation needs to put “our house” in order to combat the
growing and detrimental threat to our very existence. Failure to do so
would result in prolonged non-productive “conferences” and
“discussions” that would in the end keep the European global
political and economic plan in place. Even as we discuss and confer
about Repatriation and Reparations, they are also planning on how not to
“pay back” the trillions of dollars accrued over the course of the
past 500 years. History has recorded this unpaid European debt, so it
would seem obvious that they would design and implement their global
economic plan as we have seen with the G8 conferences and their AID
packages that are geared toward “reinvestment” in Africa. How can we
deny the fact that when we are hungry, that this is not a political ploy
that would keep us just short of global starvation? If we look at the
giant food conglomerates and the chemical mega companies who dominate
the world’s food market with genetically modified and chemically
induced food production, their plan is to reduce the production of
naturally grown food and replace it with mass produced chemically
processed food. These are the same people who all have vested interests
in drug producing companies, companies that have already conducted tests
on the chemical “fallout” from these modified foods. They expect all
of the “common” diseases to come on stream in a given time period
and let it run rampant for a time and then “produce” drugs to combat
these new diseases that pop up everyday. All these are political
actions, planned and executed according to a specified timetable.
With all of the economic and political control of our lives out of our
hands, one would think that we would see the devastation and want to do
something about it. The conclusion would be to regain control of our own
lives. As Bob Marley stated, “Every man have a right to decide his own
destiny.” The Rastafari nation has as its priority the option to get
involved with its political and economic development or face continued
tribalism and chaos.
The continued demand for better living conditions while we are still on
the plantation will be just that: a demand. If we don’t address the
situation from a political and economic stand point, we will remain in a
state of animated poverty.
We are not addressing individual people; we are addressing the needs of
a nation. As we build our spiritual base, so too must we build our
economic and political bases.
Chapter 2
Representation:
Political representation within the halls of the world’s governments
is imperative in the development of the Rastafari Nation as a sovereign
entity. We must be engaged in political activity, and to achieve any
measure of success our representatives must be politically aware.
Haile Selassie as a Leader and Statesman was very political in his
approach to the development of Ethiopia and its people. As he stressed
the need for education, he also stressed the need for political and
economical development of the African continent as a whole. He traveled
throughout the Diaspora and urged Africans to prepare contingency plans
for the development of Africa, thus the land grant of Shashamane was
born.
Rastafarian Movement is about addressing Black issues, and to date, none
of these issues has been resolved. Moreover, one of the most important
questions that arise, is why? If we just deal with dreadlocks, ganja and
preach one love, we are not dealing with the economic and political
development of the Rastafari Nation, we are more or less dealing with
spirituality while not addressing the issues of racism, health care and
poverty that exists in our communities.
If we push only for the development of our spirituality, we will most
definitely end up on the dung heap of religion. Like so many of the
“new houses of Rastafari” who are spreading their message of revised
Christianity in a continued effort to displace the economic and
political development of our people.
Marcus Garvey, being a prophet of Rastafari was very political in his
approach to African development in the Diaspora. In addition, he did
this while holding on to his belief in God. He represented the social
development of the African people globally.
The rise of Pan-Africanism during the 20th century gave birth to the
social and political movements toward the development of the African
people. As we moved to separate ourselves from the Eurocentric mindset,
we began to replace it with that Africa and its global presence. The
contributions of Africans of the past to global development began to
surface and we became aware of the African social, economic and
political developments that were the blueprint of the civilized world.
The Rastafari Nation has to have representation on the world’s
political stage. In today’s highly developed information theater, we
cannot deny our involvement in political and social uprisings for better
living conditions. These are all political actions that need
representing properly by politically active Rastafari people.
My
name is Empress Rasia, My king man is Ras Jah Terms.