Tell me a little bit more
about . . .you're talking about going to
Africa, what trips have you made to
Africa and how has that [affected your
views]?
Is years we been talking about
Africa. We write about Africa. Talk
to people about Africa, but we have
never been to Africa until recently.
Well, not recently, 1982 was the
first trip we go -- went to Nigeria.
[When] we went to Ethiopia, that I
think changed my whole concept of
nuff ting even within Rasta -- just
going there.
Did you go on that 82 trip, also to
Ethiopia?
No, I went to Ethiopia two years
ago. That trip to me revolutionize
my whole thinking. It is almost like
Malcolm X going to Mecca. Come
back and say, bwai, him whole
concept of Muslim change. Well to
me, that is what that trip do to me.
Going to Ethiopia, my whole
concept of Rastafari and me attitude
towards certain concepts change
totally.
Give me an example of where you
were and where you are after.
For instance, I could a see clearly
how Rome influence my belief, even
though I was a Rasta. Because there
is a lot of Roman concepts that is
embedded in us that we really
believe say is an African concept.
And when you go to Ethiopia, you
see it clear. Because when you look
into Ethiopia, you see the Roman
influence, even in the orthodox
religion. And that is very hard for a
man inna Jamaica to stomach. Fe
say, Rome really influence Ethiopia
religiously. When I go to Ethiopia, I
go to Ethiopia and look and I go to
all of the famous places that them
say you must go. Lalibela, Axum
and ting. My whole concept of Rasta
change. My whole perception of
'what is dis ting me a say fe years?'
This Rastafari concept. And when
me hear certain people talk about
Rasta and wey me do. As I said
before, that is [like] when I read
and hear say Malcolm X go a Mecca
and come back and him start to
look pon tings different. Well, the
same way it happen to me when I
got to Ethiopia. Me start to see
Rasta in a different light. Me start
to examine me beliefs. Me start to
examine this Ethiopian ting, dis
Roman ting, dis Jesus ting, dis God
concept, dis Haile Selassie. Wha me
a say when me say Haile Selassie?
And I feel say, it mek me stronger.
Cause now, even though me could a
did talk, like Mutabaruka can talk,
but now, me can talk more about
me understanding of Rasta. And
that is now what we project pon de
program that it cause a whole heap
of conflict. And that, as you say
now, it make a whole heap of
things change through that one
program, seen? That trip to me, as
I said, is one of the main influences
on mi life. Wey change turn round
everything inna mi mind. Bout
Rastafari, the struggle of Jesus and
Rome, and Haile Selassie and ting.
Then now, we go Senegal, and then
me go, Ghana. We go Ghana twice
inna two weeks too. So Ghana now.
Me see certain things inna Ghana,
never have no spiritual effect pon
me. It have a physical effect. Is like
Ethiopia is the spiritual and Ghana
is the physical. In other words, if I
did want to search for mi inner self,
I wouldn't go a Ghana. But if I want
to materialistically, be an African,
I'd a go a Ghana. So Ghana is like a
gateway to me, to Africa. If you
want to call it a certain way, Ghana
is like the gate to heaven, but
Ethiopia is really heaven. But we
nah look pon it as heaven as how
people would say, utopian kind of
Heaven. Ghana seem to be a place
where you can go deh and go mek
life. Like inna Jamaica. It more
Jamaica. Like a Jamaican who go
deh a feel out a place. Ghana to me
is a place weh, if tomorrow
morning me have certain portion of
money, and we should really do it,
me a just go deh. Go set up mi
business and do certain ting. But in
the spirit now, if ya a search fi that
awakening, you couldn't go a
Ghana. Ya haffe go a Ethiopia. Even
within Ethiopia, me could a analyze
within myself, say Rome influence
Ethiopia, even the church, which is
the main influence in the whole of
Ethiopia. Rome have it gripping
deh, that you, as a Rasta haffe wake
up. Even you, even though you say
you conscious, but Rome embed
something inna you to a level
where, is almost like you haffe go
just scrape off yourself, your mind,
and start over again. When you see
and when you think pon all the
thing them, weh Rome do. Because
here you are inna de oldest empire
pon Earth, but when you look you
say, 'But bloodclot! A Roman ting
dis!' Virgin Mary and dis and dat.
How this reach clear up on the
highest mountain and ting. You go
to Jamaica and you tell a Rastaman
and dem vex with you. So when we
look now and we start to say, the
revolution and the evolution of a
man like me now, who a search and
carry certain consciousness, belief
system. You really wan go tell a
man is make him seh, but bloodclot
Muta, how you a tink dat? How you
a change? And ya say, but change
is inevitable. And is not even just
change, evolution. Because we still
see Haile Selassie, but we a evolve
it to the level now where Haile
Selassie is even higher now than
God, because God is something inna
your mind and Haile Selassie is
more real than just your mind.
Haile Selassie is both mind and
body. You haffe relate to Haile
Selassie not just a mind, but what
has he done to the African
continent. He's the most respected
head of state ever in Africa. All
European nations bow to Haile
Selassie.
You're saying you find that respect
everywhere in Africa?
No, not what people think of Haile
Selassie, is what I
What you know that Haile Selassie
did?
No, I don't know that.
Okay, I'm sorry, keep explaining . . .
I a say, what I see Haile Selassie do
in Earth to me is what I would a
think say, this is Christ. So just like
when a man relate and say Jesus,
look what Jesus do, him is the
Christ, I a say, what Haile Selassie
do, he is the Christ. A Christ is not
a man. Christ is a way. Is an idea.
Right? And men can manifest, just
like how Buddha, dem say Buddha
manifest the Christ, but him don't
say Christ. Dem say Buddha, or
Hare Krishna, but you don't say
Christ, cause you're not in the
English speaking world. In the
English speaking world, you refer
to that spirituality as the Christ. I a
seh now, the Christ to I, I can see it
in the works of Haile Selassie. So
now, I am not now dealing with an
object as God, cause that is what we
were taught. We were taught to
say that we emphasize the object. I
am now saying now. The way. And
the way now manifest in man. But
because I am not The Man, I would
have to link now, a man with my
past and my present. And when I
study Haile Selassie, that is where
is see the link. Because I couldn't
study Jesus, because there is no
record of Jesus past and link, more
than them was coming from a
virgin. If you have a virgin birth,
there is no link with the past.
Because you must haffe have a man
and woman fe link your past. If you
don't have a man and a woman fe
link you're past, you cyaan study
the past. You don't have no present.
There is no presence of Jesus in my
lifetime. Is only here I hear about
this mon. And I can tink bout many
tings about dis mon. Now Haile
Selassie is to me definite. I don't
have to tink anything. I can look on
videos. I can read. I can hear people
who have experienced him. I can do
all of these things. And then I can
go into myself and evaluate what is
what and what is not. And separate
the myth from the reality and come
to a conclusion. And that is what
we do.
On the level of your diet, you're a
vegetarian, you don't eat dairy
products . . .
No animal products, me don't cook
neither.
How is that part of the way?
The part of the way now is after
you experiencing. You start to
develop other things. We go up
inna de hills and we live fe years
inna de hills and we start to
experience thing. And we start to
experience how dis thing can work.
Is not just saying it. I never see
Rasta through reggae. I was not a
reggae artist when I become a
Rasta. I was a Rasta first. Reggae
come late, late, late dung [down]
inna my Rasta life. Is not like Bob
Marley change me concept of life. I
never see Rasta through Bob Marley
music. I never start to write poems
because of Bob Marley.
Can not the way be seen through the
music?
Yea, of course. I'm just trying to
show you how I come to. . . I just
show you now how I experience
like, even not eating [meat]. I did
have to experience certain things.
And I experience now seh, the
killing ting fe survive, when
nothing don't harm you, is
ridiculous. I haffe go evaluate that
now inna myself. I say but wait,
stop and think, why eat meat?
If you don't eat it, you don't die(!)
Why you a eat it? It a ridiculous
concept. Eating meat to me, is a
ridiculous concept. Just like
smoking cigarettes is a ridiculous
concept. For me, for a man to put a
ting inna him mouth and a (makes
a smoke puffing/blowing
sound) . . . is ridiculous. I mean,
animals don't do them ridiculous
thing. I don't see animals do
nothing that is not conducive to
them way of life. Everything an
animal do is to survive. And to keep
it in context of his way of life.
Cigarettes have nothing to do with
[man's] way of life, other
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