Rastaman Vibration

For the past two days, we have been at the University of the West Indies (UWI) attending the RastafariConference. http://myspot.mona.uwi.edu/proffice/uwinotebook/entry/3878

Knife, our colleague has played a major part in this event, and has been apart of several panels and lectures.

The opening day began and ended with a Nyabinghi Chant, which was amazing. Drumming, singing, dancing...these chants are a way for the Rastas to gather and share in a sacred space.

During the conference, I learned a lot about the history of Rastafarians, the brutality and oppression that they faced in Jamaica, and the role that Rastafarians play in the country's history, culture and economy. Ironic that the Jamaican ministry of tourism promotes the smiling Rastaman on the beach, while the reality is so different, while the history was so brutal.

One major theme of the lectures was to promote political and economic freedom by living a life that is similar to how the 'ancients' did years ago. The idea is to go back to the land, to grow the food, to save the environment and to live a life that is more sustainable.

This is something that we are also pushing in the states. For example, we in the states are reminding ourselves to eat what our grandparents ate. We are encouraging our schoolchildren to read labels, to eat better and to move their bodies. We are trying to turn NYC spaces into greenspaces, and more and more people are growing their own food, and reducing the carbon foodprint, and waste.

One lecture was about making agriculture into a pop culture, where even the teens and youth in Jamaica will do it because it is promoted as a part of theri every pop culture.

I wonder why we had to get so far away from nature and its simplicity and beauty to go back to it. I hope more and more people can eat better, to live better...just like our 'elders' did.

The idea of self sustainability ties directly into what Youth Crime Watch is promoting to the youth. YCWJ is encouraging the youth to start their own businesses, often through agricultural production since Jamaica is such a fertile and rich place to grow things. Plants grow on the tree stems and branches here!

YCWJ urges the youth to start businesses, to then link up and form companies, and to employ the people in the communities. In addition, the message to these youth groups is not to depend on charity and contributions that may or may not be consistent, but to earn money to support themselves, the members of the community, and their organizations too.

At the end of the evening, representatives from the Burgher Progressive Youth Club came to UWI's campus to meet Knife. BPYC is already a registered part of YCWJ, but the President and Vice President of the Youth Group wanted the opportunity to meet Knife, and to invite him to a future meeting.

We had a chance to check in with Randy and Fitzroy. They have decided to proceed with the Miss Burgher and Mr. Burgher fundraiser, and the date will be in the middle of September, after classes have started.

Everton will be attending the meeting at BPYC this Saturday.

I will be visiting a youth club that is financed by UNICEF and the Jamaican government in Portland this week.

The trip ends in a week, and so much needs to be done.

We are already planning to return next summer. Our goal is to spend two weeks in Kingston, with a larger group of teachers from NYC who can volunteer their services/talents/skills and time to youth groups.

Interested?

Stay tuned.