Africa is alive and well in Panama. That was evident during the opening ceremony of the Hispanic Rastafari Diaspora Conference that is winding down as I write to you on the evening of Anguilla Day. One of the persons honoured during the opening ceremony was the Congo Queen of Colon and the degree of honour and regard shown by all present was certainly not just ceremonial but a reflection of the psychological necessity to protect and preserve the Congo culture that has been handed down from generation to generation.

Ijahnya Christian

The Rastafarians also paid homage to her and recognised the significance of her being born in 1930, the same year as the coronation of Haile Selassie I. The Queen appeared a bit tired and her daughter who will shortly inherit her crown, explained that she was unwell. All signs of tiredness and sickness disappeared however, once a group of children began the Congo dance. At one point in the performance, she joined them with an energy that belied her age and condition and for an all too brief moment, we were all transported to the Congo.

Last time I wrote to you from Panama, I lamented having to miss Anguilla Day but as I sit in an Internet Café somewhere in Colon, reflecting on the events of the day, I am thinking that I could not have spent May 30, 2005 in a better fashion. All the tiredness and sleepiness of the long bus ride and of too many late nights in a row, disappeared when we entered Colon on that special day that we have in common. Colon is where Athlyi Rogers´ Holy Piby took root among the Canal workers and so this city is included in the history of Rastafari. I could feel his and the other ancestral spirits as we entered the main part of the town and could not help noticing the poverty that let us know that neither Athlyi´s nor Marcus Garvey´s work in Colon has even begun properly in spite of the history. All that changed when we entered the auditorium where the Black Africa Day ceremony was taking place. Once again the Congo and all things African loomed large and it was clear that this was an occasion in which everyone ensured they had an African garment ready for wear. Well almost everyone for among the many officials present, there were a few in Western wear. It was no surprise though, that once the Congo drums started and the dance began, those jackets came off and the Africans came out, holding nothing back in the dance. It is not the kind of experience I have ever had in Anguilla but that is only because we keep the culture suppressed, not because it is not there. You cannot imagine the joy of being among people who look like you and me and who are so very proud of their African heritage.

There is a stage show taking place outside the Café and I want to go out and enjoy some of the performers. Headliner for the show is David Hinds from Steel Pulse and over the last few days I think I managed to convince him of why it is absolutely necessary for the Pulse to be on the Moonsplash stage next year. I hope Bankie is ready with his dates and his money and it would have been such a pleasure to have had him on this lineup of stars from the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Some of the participants from the Conference have already begun to leave and only on departure did I learn that one of the young sistren was the sole delegate from Uruguay. Yesterday after a teleconference with the Director of the Government of Barbados´ Commission for PanAfrican Affairs, followed by an exhibition and trade fair, the group was taken on a tour of the Panama Canal´s locking system in Miraflores. Pardon my ignorance but if that engineering feat is not yet listed among the wonders of the world, it should be. The loss of Caribbean life during the building of the canal was remembered by us all and more so by the Jamaicans whose countrymen were among the first victims of its construction.

Having witness the process of the ships passing through the Canal and then out to the Pacific brought home anew the age old vision of repatriation. This was reinforced even earlier during a presentation by a ship´s captain and his legal counsel, who brought for our consideration a proposal to either lease or purchase a ship for the restoration of Marcus Garvey´s Black Star Line. This is not a pipe dream people. Next step is the feasibility study and you will be sure to hear more about that once it is conducted.

We have been experiencing some water woes at the camp but since I am from Anguilla, that was just taken in stride as showers became bucket baths. What I am enjoying most about Panama, apart from the family gathering is how cheap everything is. I am paying only fifty cents for this hour of Internet time and have not paid more than three dollars for well balanced meals if we needed to eat off camp.

There is a lot more to say and do before I leave in the next day or two and a ton of work to follow-up on recommendations made here. However, as we marched through the streets of Colon, with the Lion of Judah standard heading the Black Day parade, all that I can think of is that predetermined destiny of our return to the Motherland. And when I get there, I will be sending you letters from there too. I can already anticipate the joy.

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