His Majesty's speaks - 3rd September 1961
"We must, by force of circumstances, look to the United Nations, however
imperfect, however deficient, to preserve the peace and lend Us its
support in Our endeavors to secure a better life for Our peoples, and We
must concentrate Our efforts, little or great, to the achievement of its
stated ends, for only thus can We secure Our free and continued
existence." -
Haile Selassie I On The UN, Sept. 3rd 1961
Black Economics through the eyes of Marcus Garvey
By: Ras Dumi
“Without Commerce and industry, a people perish economically. The Negro is perishing because he has no economic system” - Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. (17 August 1887 – 10 June 1940), born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica to Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr., a builder, and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic worker, was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was a staunch advocate for Black Nationalism and Pan-African movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). Founding the Black Star Line Steamship Corporation was part and parcel of his Back-to-Africa movement, which promoted the return of the African Diaspora to their ancestral land. 1
Garvey was unique in advancing a Pan-African philosophy to inspire a global mass movement and economic empowerment focusing on Africa. His stance on black self sufficiency and his identification of a black God for a black man provided a sense of identity for the black man in a time where God was pronounced white and said to be oblivious to the cries of the Afrikan. His ideology paved a new picture, one that presented the black man as a force to be reckoned with. He saw entrepreneurship and financial prominence as tools to “elevate” the black man into the “all powerful” white league. Through his eloquence he convinced black investors to fund his business ventures, in the same way; he garnered support for the United Negro Improvement Association to establish a co-operative black economic system.
One on One with Azania’s Reggae Ambassador
By: Ras Dumi
Vosloorus, in the East of Johannesburg, is a bustling local metropolis. New malls are being built; the youth are privy to modern techno secrets and, sport the latest fashion trends. I always feel an overwhelming sense of home sickness when I drive through Vosloo, I guess it’s because I used to live there for sometime. My mission, was not a social one, I was scheduled to link up with Jah Crucial, a man whose reggae career spans over 32 years, for an interview. Jah Crucial was one of the first elders to select reggae music in the dub sessions and together with three bredrens; Gladdy Wailer, Ras Fanosi and Mighty Gossy, started a sound system called “Cutting Edge Sound System” which ignited the sound system industry in Mzantsi back in the 80’s. He is a Reggae promoter, distributor and a sound system selektah.
Rastafari Sisters Newsletter 2011