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Rastafari is a movement of Black people who know Africa as the birthplace of Mankind and the throne of Emperor Haile Selassie I — a 20th Century Manifestation of God who has lighted our pathway towards righteousness, and is therefore worthy of reverence.

The Rastafari movement grew out of the darkest depression that the descendants of African slaves in Jamaica have ever lived in — the stink and crumbling shacks of zinc and cardboard that the tattered remnants of humanity built on the rotting garbage of the dreadful Dungle on Kingston’s waterfront. Out of this filth and slime arose a sentiment so pure, so without anger, so full of love, the Philosophy of the Rastafari faith.

Freedom of Spirit, Freedom from Slavery, and Freedom of Africa, was its cry.

Religions always reflect the social and geographical environment out of which they emerge, and Jamaican Rastafarianism is no exception: for example, the use of marijuana as a sacrament and aid to meditation is logical in a country where a particularly strain of ‘herb’ grows freely. Emerging out of the island of Jamaica in the later half of this century, the religious/political movement known as Rastafarianism has gained widespread exposure in the Western world.

Rasta, as it is more commonly called, has its roots in the teachings of Jamaican black nationalist Marcus Garvey, who in the 1930s preached a message of black self empowerment, and initiated the “Back to Africa” movement. Which called for all blacks to return to their ancestral home, and more specifically Ethiopia. He taught self reliance “at home and abroad” and advocated a “back to Africa” consciousness, awakening black pride and denouncing the white man�s eurocentric woldview, colonial indoctrination that caused blacks to feel shame for their African heritage. “Look to Africa”, said Marcus Garvey in 1920, “when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand”. Many thought the prophecy was fulfilled when in 1930, Ras Tafari, was crowned emperor Haile Selassie 1 of Ethiopia and proclaimed “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the conquering lion of the Tribe of Judah”. Haile Selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of King David, the 225th ruler in an unbroken line of Ethiopian Kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba. He and his followers took great pride in being black and wanted to regain the black heritage that was lost by loosing faith and straying from the holy ways.

Rastafarians live a peaceful life, needing little material possessions and devote much time to contemplating the scriptures. They reject the white man’s world, as the new age Babylon of greed and dishonesty. Proud and confident Rastas even though they are humble will stand up for their rights. Rastas let their hair grow natually into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of Judah. Six out of ten Jamaicans are believed to be Rastafarians or Rastafarian sympathizers. The total following is believed to be over 1000 000 worldwide. 1975 to the present has been the period of the most phenomenal growth for the Rastafarian Movement. This growth is largely attributed to Bob Marley, reggae artist, and the worldwide acceptance of reggae as an avenue of Rastafarian self-expression. Marley became a prophet of Rastafarianism in 1975. The movement spread quickly in the Caribbean and was hugely attractive to the local black youths, many of whom saw it as an extension of their adolescent rebellion from school and parental authority. With it came some undesirable elements, but all true Rastas signify peace and pride and righteousness…Read More

BLACKFACEBOOK: College students in Texas, Connecticut, and South Carolina have previously posted similar racially charged images on Facebook.

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Zapatista Army of National Liberation

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) is an armed revolutionary group based in Chiapas, one of the poorest states of Mexico. Their social base is mostly indigenous but they have supporters in urban areas as well as an international web of support. Their spokesperson and military commander, although not their leader, is Subcomandante Marcos (currently a.k.a. Delegate Zero in relation to the “Other Campaign”). Unlike other Zapatista comandantes, Subcomandante Marcos is not an indigenous Mayan. The group takes its name from Emiliano Zapata, the most progressive proponent of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920); The Zapatistas see themselves as his ideological heirs, and heirs to five hundred years of indigenous resistance against imperialism. Some consider the Zapatista movement the first “post-modern” revolution: an armed revolutionary group that has abstained from using their weapons since their 1994 uprising was countered by the overpowering military might of the Mexican Army. The Zapatistas have survived because they were quick to adopt a new strategy and garner the support of Mexican and international civil society. They managed to achieve this by making use of the internet to disseminate their communiqués and to enlist the support of NGOs and solidarity groups. Outwardly, they portray themselves as part of the wider anti-globalization, anti-neoliberalism social movement while for their indigenous base the Zapatista struggle is all about control over their own resources, particularly the land they live on, the right to govern themselves according to their own customs and a dignified peace without government interference…Read More

A Place Called Chiapas

Documentary about the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico.

Links:
EZLN official site of the EZLN
Chiapas Indymedia
ZNet Chiapas Watch/Zapatista Crisis page with English translations of EZLN documents

Memories of my lil homies:
Everything Gonna Be Alright-Naughty By Nature

“I SUSPECT WE COULD CHARACTERIZE THIS FILM AS THE ENEMY BREAKING DOWN THE ENEMY, BUT I OFFER IT TO FURTHER FACILITATE THE “FUTURE OF MANKIND” PRESENTATION. PLEASE BE CAUTIONED REGARDING OUR PRESENTATION OF IDEOLOGICAL/POSITION PIECES VS THINK PIECES.” SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO GO INTO THE ENEMY CAMP TO DRAW LESSONS, NOT SWALLOWING EVERYTHING–HOOK, LINE AND SINKER.

This is an old, but nonetheless interesting video adaptation of a documentary filmstrip written and narrated by G. Edward Griffin tracing the history of a small group of white elites who control the money systems of the world. It shows how this monopoly is protected by governments and how the group’s vast wealth is derived from creating money out of nothing. We see how this group wields power through government, foundations, education, and the mass media.

For Further Reading:
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and The New World Order