February 6, 2005
ARTICLE: Protests cloud Marley celebration
Here's an article from Scotland on Sunday on some of the underlying grievances in the Rasta community here in Ethiopia.
Protests cloud Marley celebrationANDREW HEAVENS
IN ADDIS ABABAETHIOPIA’S tiny Rastafarian community launched a string of bitter protests against the country’s government yesterday, casting a shadow over huge celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the birth of their Reggae icon Bob Marley.
A list of long-standing grievances, calling for full Ethiopian citizenship and the return of acres of land they claim were given to them by Haile Selassie, their spiritual leader and Ethiopia’s last emperor, was aired by Rastafarian leaders.
The calls struck a jarring note ahead of a huge Bob Marley concert due to take place in the capital Addis Ababa today, part of a month’s worth of "Africa Unite" exhibitions, performances and conferences organised in the Rasta legend’s memory.
Ambrose King, deputy resident country representative of the Ethiopian World Federation, an Addis-based Rastafarian group, said: "With the backdrop of the ongoing ‘Africa Unite’ Bob Marley Foundation Musical Extravaganza in Ethiopia, one would have thought that every thing is OK with the RasTafarI Community. Nothing could be further from the truth."
Thousands of Reggae fans are expected to cram into Addis Ababa’s central Meskel Square today to watch a free nine-hour concert featuring five of Bob Marley’s sons, his widow Rita Marley and a host of World music stars. Federation members are hoping to take advantage of the world’s attention to raise their grievances.
The Ethiopian World Federation, which claims to speak for a range of Rastafarian organisations and splinter groups, said it had sent letters to Ethiopia’s prime minister, Meles Zenawi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government departments, asking for face to face meetings.
BJ Moody, the federation’s chief resident, said: "As the words of Bob Marley’s music ring out over Ethiopia to ‘Get Up, Stand Up, and don’t give up the fight’ the federation is determined to halt this encroachment upon its heritage and is prepared to do whatever is necessary for its protection."
The main controversy is focused on three hectares of land in the dusty town of Shashemene, around 150 miles south of Addis Ababa, where most of Ethiopia’s Rastafarians live today. The three hectares were part of a 200-hectare parcel of land set aside by Haile Selassie for black settlers from the West in the 1950s.
The land was quickly taken up by Rastafarians and other people from the West Indies, North America and Europe caught up in the "Back to Africa" movement of the 1950s and 1960s. But large parts of the fertile acreage were taken back again during the repressive Marxist regime which ruled over Ethiopia over the next two decades.
The World Federation claimed the region’s local Oromia authority had allowed outside developers to move on to its last few plots.
King said: "We have three main issues. First we want the right to commercially develop front pieces of our land on the main road through Sashamene. Secondly we want the return of the full 200 hectares of land that was given to us. And thirdly there is the issue of citizenship. It is a scandal that we have second or third generation children here in their twenties who are still seen as foreigners."
A spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the issue of the nationality of Ethiopia’s resident Rastafarians would be raised in parliament in the next two months. "This has not been debated before because no one has brought this up before," he added. "It is complicated because there are so many groups of Rastafarians - there are the Twelve Tribes, the Nyahbinghi, the Bobo Ashanti."
He said the disagreement over the land was a matter for the local Oromia planning authority. No one from the authority was available for comment.
While the controversy bubbles under the surface, excitement over the concert and its surrounding celebrations has continued to build in Addis Ababa.
Over the past week, flights into the city’s gleaming new airport have been packed with Rastafarians from as far afield as New York, London and Japan.
Ranking Miss P, the British radio DJ and Rita Marley’s sister arrived earlier last week. She said: "I’m here because it is a historical occasion. It is my first time in Ethiopia - I’m grinning and brimming with excitement. You hear so many Rastafarians talk about Ethiopia. But not many make it out here. It’s a spiritual place. It’s the place where we aspire to be. It’s a place that we consider to be the centre of the earth."
Addis Ababa’s small businesses have also been doing their best to make the new arrivals feel at home.
Rasta-friendly hotels are already packed. Leah’s Guesthouse is a two-storey villa, with its red, yellow and green walls covered in portraits of Marley and his beloved Emperor. "We’ve got eight bedrooms and they are full," said Leah Issachar, a red-haired, 65-year-old Rastafarian woman originally from Mosside, Manchester, who re-settled in Ethiopia a year ago.
The city’s host of CD stalls which normally blare Ethiopian pop music have changed their tunes to ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ and ‘I Shot The Sheriff’. Taxis and nightclubs are plastered with Bob Marley posters.
And worries over the land has not stopped bus loads of Rastafarians heading north to Addis Ababa from their rural retreat of Shashemene.
Desmond Martin, known as Dessie and chairman of the Jamaican Rastafarian Development Committee, said he was also concerned about the land issue. "I support them in this fight." But he said the concert gave grounds for hope.
"You have to be optimistic. Bob Marley was a person who brought everyone together, white and black, rich and poor. I have been here for 29 years now and our relations with people living here are getting better. They will get better."
Posted by aheavens at February 6, 2005 3:35 AM
Comments
After reading about the grievances of these Rastas, my immediate reaction was not one of compassion--which is unusual for me. Instead, I was struck by the feeling that the Ethiopian government has much more important issues to concern itself with: famine, AIDS, inadequate healthcare, Nile underdevelopment, etc. I hope these Rasta issues will remain at the local level.
Posted by: Marta at February 8, 2005 4:44 PM
Fair point. Although, I suppose it wouldn't take much time to make the resident Rastas officially Ethiopian. The government would still be able to focus the vast bulk of its attention on "famine, AIDS, inadequate healthcare, Nile underdevelopment, etc."
Posted by: Andrew at February 9, 2005 4:23 AM
Andrew Heavens appears to feel the need to bellitle the integrity of Rasta, with his comments about hoping Rasta issues remain at local level.
Since the begining of time until now, land remains a serious issue.
I am sure that if he inherited land that was later systematically stolen from 200 hectres to 3 hectres he would not express his current views.
Rastas are heros for being the only set of peole in the history of mankind that have not reacted by means of war to rectify the unjust situation, and it is yet another example of genuine peace within Rasta hearts that sets us different.
So I&I reject as ridiculous and uncivilised the comments of Andrew Heavens.
Posted by: Geoffrey at April 14, 2005 11:17 PM
The Comments made by I referred to comments made by Martha and not Andrew Heavens.
Posted by: Geoffrey at April 14, 2005 11:22 PM
When that land is rightfully given back to the Rastas we will most likely see those issues ("famine, AIDS, inadequate healthcare, Nile underdevelopment, etc.") brought up above disappear on a 'local level'. You see the Rastas are very productive in a healthy, vital way. They raise happy healthy families by living in accordance with natural ital ways. The issues brought up above are problems that corrupt goveernments create and perpetuate. These issues start local and grow from there, so we need to cut the base of the problem out locally and go from there. When Rasta lead prosperity follows along with health. Also, historically, before slavery destroyed the African people activities, the Nile was a very productive place - we don't need concreate pollution emitting factories there to consider it 'developed'.
Posted by: Moz at July 18, 2005 1:29 AM
The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated
Registered Office:
26 Court Street
Suite, 1902
Brooklyn, New York, 11242 U.S.A.
US-ETHIOPIA
Tel. (800) 303-4085 • Fax (718) 573-0723 •
Fax (718) 246-9186 Www.EthiopianWorldFederation.Org • E-mail: EWF1937@aol.com
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Re: The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated's Commemorates its 68th Anniversary
To Whom It May Concern:
Selamta, (Greetings)
TenaYisTilin, (May God Grant You Health on Our Behalf “How are you?”)
Annual Convention for July 16, 2005 is Postponed For further information please click on this link!
EWF US Entity Information
EWF NYS Charities Bureau Information
EWF NYS Dun & Bradstreet Information
EWF FRAUD ALERT WARNING!!!
STATE OF THE FEDERATION
COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES CMTE
Melaku Emmanuel Bayen & His Role in The EWF, Inc.
Ethiopian Emissary to Black America 1936-1941 & EWF, Inc.
Melaku Emmanuel Bayen Featured in Tadias Magazine
Ethiopian-American LifeStyle & Business Magazine
Membership Information
Application for Membership
Application for Charter
Download EWF Hand-Out
EWF Constitution & By-Laws
Preamble
Name, Aims and Objects
We thank you in advance for your attention in this very urgent matter.
Respectfully submitted,
The Ethiopian World Federation, Incorporated
Legal Executive Council
http://EthiopianWorldFederation.org/
EWF FRAUD ALERT WARNING!!!
STATE OF THE FEDERATION
Read First COMPLAINTS AND GRIEVANCES CMTE
Posted by: Tehetena Girma at August 26, 2005 11:55 PM
Every thing good is worth fighting for by a means necessary.It's such a paradox that we boast and exalt ehtiopia and it's people but we are sometimes debase and insulted.The irony of this situation is tha we are not going nowhere and this proves who actually is the true ethiopian.The land belongs to us as care takers proprietors and producers so we would have to fight at all levels.
Message to the RASTA NATION,,we need to emerce ourselves in to strong economic development and commerce,at sometime or the other we would have to bring more that we have to the reasoning table.RASTAMAN UNITE ALL HOUSES AND MANSIONS, as tha article states the ethiopian government has already labeled us in to different groups despite we are one....WE know We shal win cause we are confident in the victory.
Posted by: Ras Idid at June 16, 2006 10:12 PM
RASTAFARI represent truths,rights and a I-vine sense of belonging to the garden of Eden in this I-wah!"I-thiopia stretch forth her hands"(and nuff heathen and sinners will try grab on JAH,JAH life boat and turn RASTA against RASTA and confuse the real issues at hand and that is I-tiopia is I and I physical and spiritual home and I and I beloved MAJESTY granted I and I RASTAFARI children land)to all mankind.Jealousy mek people turn against spiritually enlightened people.BABYLON shall fall and the meek shall i-herit JAH earth!Respect the settlers wicked man because the hour is at hand!!!JAH RASTAFARI!!!
Posted by: Ras Niels Zebulun McQueen at May 2, 2007 2:26 PM
Just got back from ethiopia for the millinium 2000 my firts time in ethiopia, being a sistah, and child of jah, its was a pleasure to see people greeting rasta with the most respect In the state USA you don't get that respect. to coment on all who worry about the land given by his most high "lion of Juda and that to shall pass what is for you will be given may be not this generation but we can't stop here we must continue to build ethiopia and help as much as we can we need people to b e more aware of what is going on.
Posted by: dianne at September 27, 2007 4:01 PM