KASAMBU: Open Notice Of Intentions To Jamaican Government

The current status of the indigenous peoples of Jamaica, these being the majority African population of approximately 93%, as well as a synopsis of the history of their post-slavery experiences on the island, were part of a recent “Open Appeal To President Obama” from the proposed Republic of Kasambu (see Modern Ghana article dd. March 25,2015).

One of the longstanding challenges that we grapple with is the lack of support and/or coverage in our local media, coupled with a lack of response to communication sent to Jamaican Government members and officials; hence, we have taken the decision once again to share this deliberation with the conscience of the world.

The people of African descent in Jamaica, in the vast majority of instances, represent the ‘Man’ in Manpower and the ‘Human’ in Human Resources. Most of Jamaica’s champion athletes, cricketers, footballers, boxers and other sportspersons, as well as its renowned entertainers, cultural icons and intellectuals are/have been of African heritage, and almost all of them would have had to overcome tremendous difficulties with their sheer talent and determination in a system where the code reads, “If you white, you alright; if you brown, stick aroun’; but, if you black, STEP BACK!”

As the world knows, there’s always a relative glut of sheer Jamaican talent and determination being displayed on the international stage, especially in sports and entertainment, and it’s through these two main avenues that some of our people have been able to achieve some economic security and/or upward mobility in society. Some have been able to assist the development of others, but, the ruling, capitalist class of approximately 7%, still owns approximately 80% of the Jamaican economy, and most of our people continue to struggle as tenants, labourers and squatters in a psychological prison, for what seems an indefinite term, and, amazingly, in a land that was supposed to be rightfully ours! Those few of us blacks who have been fortunate enough to be allowed behind the glass door, have done more to prevent rather than help to accommodate other brothers and sisters.

The British had arrived in Jamaica in 1655 to find the island being controlled by the Maroons, after the Spanish had become too fearful for their security, and had left. With the Maroons preferring mainly to reside in the hills, they ‘allowed’ the British to trick them into a lease arrangement for operating their sugar plantations; a lease that has never been paid or otherwise honoured for 350 years.

In 1739 however, after 80 years of trying unsuccessfully to subdue the Maroons, Britain was forced to surrender and sign a ‘Blood Treaty’ (unbreakable), giving the Maroons their sovereignty and 150,000 acres of land.

In the years leading up to emancipation in 1838, a debate which was proposed in England to determine “compensation for the slaves”, strangely became “compensation for the loss of the slaves” by the time an award of Twenty Thousand Pounds came to be announced by the local Legislature. The same planters and Legislature who had so wickedly extracted our brothers’ and sisters’ blood, sweat and tears for 200 years up till then in building their financial dynasties, represented the same minority class that shared up all the compensation money and the land acreage of the island among themselves, while our brothers and sisters were driven off the estates with nothing, having to resort to gully banks, seasides, remote hills and urban slums in trying to eke out a survival. Maroon lands have been consistently usurped by the Jamaican Government, and is now down to only about 1500 acres. This most iniquitous and evil blue-print upon which Jamaican society has been built and maintained will not be corrected by the IMF on this earth or in this millennium. Now, with the advent of China, our Government seems hell bent in passing on authority over our people to the ‘new slave masters’, and is giving away prime watershed lands to the Chinese in “sweet deals” where the ‘real’ details are not being disclosed to our people until they are considered as “can’t be changed again”.

Whereas the indigenous peoples of Jamaica are traditionally made to stand at the back of the line, Rastafarians in particular have suffered physical beatings, destruction of their homes and even cold blooded murder by police, sometimes for just smoking a ‘spliff’. They suffer more than most from employment discrimination, and under-payment for hard labour. Yours truly had his job as Senior Mortgage Loan Supervisor at a major financial institution being made redundant in 1995 with immediate effect, coming after eighteen years of five-star service to the organization, but just two months after declaring a conviction to Rastafari. My partner Dr. Christina Sinclair PhD, MSW, DCH and myself, despite our qualifications and expertise, have been consistently refused employment, even when we offer our services to charity. Dr. Sinclair is the great-great-great grandniece of Queen Nanny and the Maroon Secretary of State.

We have taken the timeout here to explain the pre-context out of which we will finally take a stand to say to the Jamaican Government…“No More!”!

BE THOU NOTIFIED THAT:

1. Whereas the indigenous peoples of Jamaica have become totally fed-up with the longstanding governance failures of the PNP & JLP, whereby we see them as virtually ensuring our long-term oppression within the system, and not much towards making any amends to the too top-heavy society that bears too cruelly down upon the under-privileged, poor majority.
2. Whereas the Maroon State apparatus has never been completely facilitated in accordance with gains made via the Blood Treaty of 1739, functioning as it does as a ‘token state’ within the ‘official’ Jamaican state. The Maroons are yet to “collect their winnings”!
3. Whereas we are aware of the establishment of a Reparations Commission for CARICOM, we demand that a reparation claim for the indigenous peoples of Jamaica upon the landed capitalist class be accommodated within the larger claim for CARICOM. We have no confidence whatever in either the PNP or JLP administering reparations proceeds on our behalf.
4. Whereas we are taking steps to officially adopt the name Republic of Kasambu. Kasambu is one of the names for Queen Nanny’s ancient lineage….i.e. the ‘Bambu People’.

Whereas we demand our legal right to self-determination, the freedom to worship our God in accordance with the scriptures and the LAW of the Almighty.

There also exists a body of reputable scientific literature describing the appearance of well defined and unusual circular formations in grain crops that goes back to 1880 and includes a detailed description by the late Sir Patrick Moore. One of these early descriptions, from 1932, also includes a photograph and diagram of a cluster of crop circles, in a field of grain, taken from the vantage point of a hill.

2. Whereas Ganja is the holy sacrament of Rastafari (see Mal. 1 v 11 & Rev. 8 v 3-4); one million of us will march on the Jamaican Parliament, each bearing a ganja tree. Ganja is for the people, locks or not; it is a spiritual entity, cannot be validated by flesh, and the greasy-palmed politicians of Jamaica had better back off! “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”…(Matt.16 v 18).
3. Whereas we demand our chance to build a model non-corrupt society for the world, where human life is prepared, valued, maintained and enjoyed to the Glory of God. Whereas we believe that in controlling crime, eradicating poverty, increasing production and industry, developing strategies for Cultural, Health, Sports & Entertainment Tourism, and in the raising of our children, that we can do these much better for ourselves.
4. Whereas we are anxious to positively reconnect those interminable linkages with our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora and on the African continent, and whereas the Jamaican Government, by virtue of a policy of non-response to our letters and/or queries, have acted as a deterrent to these initiatives. (Please refer to examples, vis; A. Letter dd. September 26,2011 from Queen Shebah Ra, Imperial Head of the African Continent Kingdoms Federation to Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Minister of Culture Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange & Governor General Sir Patrick Allen; B. Letter dd. October 2011to Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson-Miller from H.R.M. Baffour Gyanko Fofie I, Imperial Head of the House of Dakon; C.Letter to Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller from the Paramount Chief of the Fanti Nation, Ghana West Africa, H.R.M..Nana Kweku Egyir Gyepi III, dd. February 12, 2012. None of these letters, among others, were responded to, although we had made sure to hand-deliver. In a fit of consternation at failing to get response from any of the political directorate, we made an appeal to U.S. Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater… (see copy).

DECLARATION:
On the basis and evidence of all the foregoing therefore, please be advised that the Republic of Kasambu will be appealing to the conscience of the United Nations, and, if necessary, the corrective mechanisms of the International Court of Justice!

Bertram ‘Ras Mandito’ Johnson
Author of “The Testament of Rastafari…Unlocking the KJV”

Search at: www.lulu.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

Tel. 876 384-9625