Sunday Herald - Pure Class

By Mark Thompson
Staff reporter

It was a night filled with bright flashes of lightning and the deep roll of thunder in the early 1960s that welcomed dub poet, author, philosopher and reggae artiste, Yasus Afari into the world.

In a one-room mud house in the rural parish of St. Elizabeth, he gasped his first breath and was given the name John Sinclair. However, there was some confusion surrounding the date of his birth, since the house was devoid of any communications or timekeeping device.

Now, decades later, there is no element of confusion about the substance and conviction of this self-actualised man who has emerged as one of the Rastafarian movement’s most eloquent, articulate and erudite members. Much like the natural forces that dominated the moment of his arrival on earth, he is at once bold and brilliant.

A strident proponent of the power of Rastafarianism to bring together peoples from many backgrounds, his commitment to using the principles of the movement to cross barriers is unwavering.

Last week, Yasus sat down with Pure Class for a heady discourse on his personal beliefs and efforts to release positive Rastafarian vibrations through overseas tours, his latest book Overstanding Rastafari — Jamaica’s Gift to the World and CD Revolution Chapter 1. He also gave insight into his future activities geared towards contributing to the harmonization of the family of humanity.

Gift to the world’
Yasus explained that the consciousness that we are one family and we need to co-exist harmoniously is the gift of Rastafari to the world.

“Where there are people who have been crucified by slavery and colonialism, Rastafari brings to that people self-awareness, self-confidence, identity, hope and direction. Jamaica is the birthplace of the movement, and while we may be microscopic in terms of size and population, our impact is certainly not microscopic. We think that Rastafari is at the core of that impact and influence and that is something positive.”

In describing Rastafarianism as a pivotal aspect of Jamaica’s national character and personality, he stated that there was greater need to sustain and nurture it as a “gift” that the island has given to the international community. His book represents the first such effort by a Rastafarian to present the entire spectrum of the concept and awareness of the movement, which Yasus asserts is being embraced the world over.

“The world even more than ‘appreciate’ Rastafari, the world ‘appreci-love’ Rastafari. Recently, I was the poet in residence at City College in Birmingham in the United Kingdom…we have never been poet in residence anywhere in the world except home in Jamaica.

“That’s on a personal level, but certainly the works of luminaries like Bob Marley and other reggae and cultural icons that belong to the community speak volumes to the impact, embrace and influence of Rastafari.”

He noted that because the movement is an advocate for continental Africa, there is great love for Rastafari and Jamaica there. This came across to him very clearly during his visit to The Gambia recently, where reggae music dominated the airwaves. He stated that Rastafari also received much love in other countries.

“The message of hope, liberation, universality of man, support for the downtrodden, dispossessed and the have-nots resonate with people of different ilk, nationality and ethnicity.”

Misrepresented
In the face of the positive works of Rastafari, Yasus expressed disappointment that agents and forces remain at work, especially on the medium of dancehall, in an effort to subvert the morality the message of hope and liberation that is organic in the country’s cultural expressions.
“They are trying to disaffect people’s perception of I and I as a people and subvert the character of I and I nation,” he stated.

He also expressed a degree of empathy for the members of the local social establishment, who are unable to accept the movement because of ignorance.

He underscored the relevance of Overstanding Rastafari, which attempts to address the gross misrepresentation of the movement and broker a harmonious common ground. He stated that in certain circles, very limited stereotypical images are imposed on Rastafarianism.

“It is for us, as members of the community, to define ourselves by sharing the thoughts and articulating the thoughts in an authentic and responsible, legitimate way.”

He has been largely successful in his efforts, presenting his opus at the grassroots level as well as in the parliaments of Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago and Ethiopia. It has also been presented in the presidential palace in The Gambia and the Joint EU-ACP parliamentary assembly in Germany last year.

In its sweeping exploration of the movement, the book delves into the idea of Emperor Haile Selassie I being central to the awareness of Rastafari, gender dynamics and the balance of man and woman, locks as a covenant and the notion that persons of all races can be a member of the movement. On the latter point, he noted:

“Locks and ganja are some of the stereotypical images used to brand and confine Rastafari, but Rastafari is global…we done already declare that Haile Selassie is the father of the family of humanity. The covenant keepers [wearers of locks] are the heart and soul of Rastafari…but once you subscribe to the principles and the law and order then you are part of the family of Rastafari.”

Influences
A graduate of the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), Yasus explored sociology, anthropology, archaeology and history on his way to shaping his current worldview and spiritual “groundation”. Also influenced by the church, he embraced the idea of the family of humanity. After a stint at the Jamaica Telephone Company, he earned a scholarship to study engineering at the College of Arts, Science and Technology (CAST), now the University of Technology (UTECH).

At CAST, his vision became more global and Afrocentric. He started to grow locks and came to discover his gift for music, poetry and writing.

“The gift of music is a tool of liberation…it helps us evolve and fulfil our mandate and purpose. We can do more than just simply entertain. We can stir positive growth.”

In tandem with Overstanding Rastafari, which is his second book after Eye Pen, is his fifth album titled Revolution Chapter 1. According to Yasus, the book and CD represent “the audiovisual twins, which symbolise and reflect the moment of my birth…I was born in a lightning and thunder storm…so sight and sound is consistent.”

Hands full
This year will be a particularly busy one for Yasus, following up on a busy 2007, which saw him embarking on a promotional tour of the United Kingdom. He is off to Miami this week to launch his book. The next stop is New York, before moving on to Las Vegas and Canada. He will also be visiting the UK and Africa, and negotiations are underway to visit Australia, New Zealand and possibly other countries.
In addition to his hectic travel schedule, he is completing another book titled Up Close And Personal, which will present his views on certain pertinent issues of concern to the global community. It will be released with a CD sampler of songs handpicked from his previously published material.
The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, has also contracted him to produce five bilingual (English and Jamaican patois) monographs extrapolated from the book. He will also be making an audio book. It doesn’t stop there for Yasus. The UWI Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work has approached him to write a chapter in a book on Rastafari in the new millennium.
With this workload, he still manages to function as an international consultant for Learning Links International, with portfolio responsibility for “edutainment” (entertainment and education). He’s just fresh from developing a document for a Jamaica-Gambia partnership and discussing the possibilities with the ruling government and Opposition. Look out for a children’s book by Yasus (who has ten manuscripts in the wings), as well as his Poetry in Motion show in Mandeville on February 24.
“We hand full up still fi the year, but we a go manage still, and we give thanks. We need to put out messages out there that will bring people closer together…finding comment ground on which we can co-exist while we take time to peacefully work out our difference and overstand in a consensus. We don’t need to sell filth and decadence to be prosperous…these things need to be said.”

GO BACK

Yasus Afari Emissary of Love and Unity