Recently I attended two weddings that made me feel like a proud mother of the Groom, even though in neither instance had I given birth to the young man in question. In the first instance, the ceremony was a Christian one held in the Anglican Church. I had promised not to cry but the Bride was so beautiful and the Groom seemed so ready, while I was having all these flashbacks of seeing him grow into the proud, serious Rastaman he had become – so much like his father.

He confidently stood for his bride, looking crisp and confident in his western style suit with his Ites, gold and green scarf reminding everyone of his cultural identity. In my mind that wedding also made a statement about love overcoming any differences in religion and culture that sometimes cause nations to go to war. I really appreciated Bishop Brooks’ exhortation about love and know that the young couple will be armed with the values of their upbringing as the bedrock of their family foundation.

The second wedding was a Nyabinghi Rastafari wedding in Antigua and Barbuda and it was my first. This was a much more colourful affair with many of the guests decked out in splendid African regalia. In a way it was like a wedding of the Caribbean Rastafari Organisation (CRO) because the groom, Ras Kiyode Straker, is just ending his stint as the Secretary of the organization and the bride, Dr. Adama Francis-Straker, is the daughter of the Treasurer. This couple chose as their honeymoon destination, the island of Nevis in camp style accommodation at the Lewis Community Centre located on Hanley’s Road so that they could fullticipate in the 13th Summit of the CRO. That was another first.

Nevis is a special place and one in which sweet memories of my early childhood come to the fore at every visit. It is a powerful place in which ancestral guardianship is obvious to those of I and I who see with the Far Eye. That special quality emerged on arrival where the services provided by Immigration and Customs officers reflected their recognition of the VIPs arriving under the banner of the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Nevisian hospitality is legendary and I have forgotten that I do not like mangoes. Nevis is very beautiful and I can see the mist-covered Nevis Peak looming majestically from one window and another lush scenic view from the other window. Nevis is a family place and relatives and friends and relationships with deep, deep roots, some of them in Anguilla. As I sat at the waiting area in St. Kitts, waiting to take the ferry to Nevis, I heard a young woman with a Nevisian accent, exclaim with an Anguillian accent, “Awya look a me wuk.” I asked her where she was from and she said Nevis. I then asked her who she fuh and she let me know that she is Frankie Claxton’s daughter who was raised by and lives with her Anguillian grandmother in Nevis. Nuff said.

The 13th Summit was blessed by the presence of representatives from nine Eastern Caribbean countries who convened to consider the theme, “Mobilising Our Resources for the Common Good and for the Good of the Great Continent.” Meeting times took a little longer than usual because of the need for translation for the representatives from Guadeloupe and Martinique and the Summit accepted the invitation from the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress and the Ethiopian World Federation to join them in Martinique for the African Liberation Day observance in May 2010.

At the Opening Ceremony of the Summit on Thursday, the CRO was long and loud in its commendations of the Nevis Island Administration for the level of support provided to the host organization, The One Love Rastafari Movement. Honourable Acting Premier, Hensley Daniel, appealed to the Rastafarians to assist the government in responding to the social situation confronting Nevis as it is the rest of the Caribbean Region. This was reminiscent of the appeal made by Jamaican politician Sister Sharon Hay Webster and it is a view shared by the Rastafari community that we can contribute significantly to alternative ways of development. This exhortation was followed by a meeting, not yet held at the time of writing, but the CRO is offering its programme His Majesty’s. We also intend to raise several human rights issues including the decriminalization of Cannabis sativa and the requirement of vaccination for admission of children in schools.

One of the special guests at the meeting was Rastafari Edutainer Yasus Afari whose lively inputs propelled the organization to come up with a business model that involves product development and distribution. Brother Yasus, who is a dub/performance poet, author and educator/entertainer, as well Ras Bobby Olivacce, who is a healer and herbalist, both used their own self-generated businesses as a model for the organization. The Rastafari Health Trade and Culture Circle in Barbados is a CRO initiative that is being regarded as a model in small business enterprise.
All in all the CRO seems to be surviving and even progressing, albeit slowly. Anguilla has definitely made its contribution though I believe great attention is needed to the State of the Nation in Anguilla. Thankfully, every now and again, I and I can convene and, if nothing else happens, there is unanimity in the view that we all come away with our batteries charged and our irons sharpened.

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