[cure-news] Repatriation to repair damage - Rastafarians

[Ida Hakim]

Repatriation to repair damage - Rastafarians
Jamaica Gleaner 7/18/07

The Rastafarian movement wants repatriation to be included as part of 
claims for treatment during slavery, from Britain.

The group raised the issue at a special select committee on reparation 
for slavery, which met at Gordon House yesterday.

Ambassador of the Almighty Rastafarian Kingdom, Queen Mother Moses, Dr. 
Marcia Stewart, raised the issue while addressing the Committee. She 
pointed out that more individuals and groups are reclaiming their 
African identity.

"Therefore, the committee must consider in the repairing of the damage, 
reparation and repatriation because even in the legal recourse for the 
trafficking in human beings, those human beings are restored to wherever 
they originated from," she argued.

"So, for those who want to return to their land of origin, the continent 
of Africa, we can't talk about the repairing of the damage without 
having repatriation as a primary component of the repairing of the 
damage," she added.

Committee member Mike Henry who had first brought the motion on 
reparation to the House supported Dr. Stewart's point.

"My procedure as a singular person is to demand that you (Britain) pay 
the state of Jamaica in economic proportion to what you pay to the slave 
owners, but that a reservation must be within that for repatriation," he 
said.

Critical of comments

Meanwhile, former Jamaican envoy to Nigeria, Dudley Thompson, was very 
critical of comments made in the past by the British Government that 
there was no evidence that slavery had affected the African and 
Caribbean Diaspora.

He argued that the political representatives in putting forward their 
arguments for reparation should show that there is a clear link between 
the history of slavery and Jamaica's problems.

"Our position, as a joint position of the entire Government of this 
country, should have as its first ingredient, a national position, where 
we agree to assert that there is a clear link between the history of 
slavery and many of Jamaica's problems today including crime, poverty 
(and) family break down," he said.

On Sunday, during a Pan Afrikan Movement Summit which is now on at the 
University of the West Indies, Ambassador Thompson demanded an apology 
from the former colonial power. Yesterday, he again pressed for this 
apology.

The committee is expected to make a report to Parliament ahead of its 
dissolution to accommodate the general election next month.
>From hakimida at reparationsthecure.org  Thu Jul 26 09:25:49 2007
From: hakimida at reparationsthecure.org (Ida Hakim)
Date: Thu Jul 26 08:23:39 2007
Subject: [cure-news] Tribute to Queen Mother Moore
Message-ID: <46A8BCFD.2000903 at reparationsthecure.org>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD AT 6:00PM

Friday, July 27, 2007

Contact: {212} 368-3739

queenmothercoffee at yahoo.com


Tribute to Queen Mother Moore


On Friday, July 27, 2007, Comrades in the Struggle are sponsoring a 
tribute to honor Queen Mother Audley Moore?s life and works. This event 
will be held in the Adam Clayton Powell Jr., State Office Building, Art 
Gallery, 163 West 125th Street, 2nd Floor, New York City from 7PM to 9PM.

Queen Mother Audley Moore fought for Reparations for {seventy-nine} 79 
years providing the descendants of African slaves? restitution and 
eradicating slavery. With Reparations gaining traction in the halls of 
Congress, Legal System, Academia Arena, and in the minds of 
African-Americans at the grassroots level; it is Queen Mother Moore, who 
may in the end, have the most profound and lasting impact on the 
business of enslavement that caused the "greatest atrocities ever done 
against human kind. "


Today, there is still no authoritative account on her life and the 
impact she had on advancing the movement for Reparations to descendants 
of slaves. In the spirit of Queen Mother Moore, Queen Mother Dr. Delois 
Blakely, the Community Mayor of Harlem carries her legacy and life works 
of fighting for human rights.


In celebrating Queen Mother Moore?s Earth Day, there will be an 
interview film given by Mr. Earl Pinto with Queen Mother Moore. In 
addition, an action plan is being presented at the open-mic in her 
memory for mobilizing African-American Descendants to take an active 
role for their best interest in this upcoming 2008 Presidential 
Election. Because Queen Mother Moore?s work was largely out of the civil 
rights mainstream, many disengaged from her forceful position on the 
liberation of the African People.

The event is free and the Community is invited. Invited guests and 
organizations include: The Million Woman March, Harlem Women 
International, Restitution Study Group, Congressman Charles B. Rangel, 
The People?s Attorney Alton H. Maddox, Radio Host Bob Law, Reverend Al 
Sharpton and a host of Elected Officials, Community Leaders, and other 
Dignitaries.###