A unified global protest is under way in the form of the Rasta Rights Matter petition calling for the Government of Jamaica to take immediate action to address the continued harassment and violation of human rights that have plagued the Rastafari movement. According to Dr Kerida McDonald, a senior adviser to a UN organisation, the petition is an extension of the efforts made to influence a call to action that addresses several issues related to the religious, cultural, and economic rights of Rastafarians.
“The background of the petition far exceeds recent violations by the police,” she told The Weekend Gleaner. “It started by combining the atrocities in relation to theft and extortion as well as the obstruction of economic activity as it related to marijuana cultivation and use for sacrament even after the decriminalisation of the plant.”
McDonald, more popularly known as ‘Goldilocks’, and who is a member of the International Coalition of Concerned Rastafarians, has launched this petition, which she explained has been written, along with letters to the Chief Justice of Jamaica, Bryan Sykes; Minister of National Security Dr Horace Chang, and Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck prior to the alleged trimming of third-generation Rastafarian Nzinga King.
Members of the International Coalition of Concerned Rastafarians include Miguel Lorne, Marcus Goffe, Ras Iyah V, Dr Jalani Niaah, and Annette Henry. “We are all from different mansions of Rastafari: Nyabinghi, Twelve Tribe, Ethiopian Orthodox, and so on, but it is a coalition of individuals who have [an] awareness of [the] violations of rights trying to bring awareness and accountability for illegal acts and myself, who is aware of all policies of the United Nations on human rights,” said McDonald.
She said the petition goes beyond this recent issue. “It is not a solitary event. It goes beyond Nzinga’s case, which is among many others who have experienced police violations and atrocities that deny the rights of Rastafari seeking constitutional change, but human rights on a whole,” Goldilocks said.
She added: “We should be using this case as an example of what not to do all along the way, to educate the public and [police] about the proper treatment of citizens. We know it can’t be a case-by-case process, but myself and my husband, Errol McDonald (founding member of reggae band Chakula), and the group are reacting because we are part of the community and want to see change come about.”
Goldilocks shared that as the mother of five children who grew up with locks from birth, Nzinga’s case and that of Dale Virgo versus Kensington Primary School in 2018 have hit home.
“We are reacting as parents. Our children have gone through the system and [been] persecuted. They weren’t barred from school. We just had to deal with it by scraping their hair tight into a bun, but it feels like a personal attack on our rights, and we can’t allow for further generations to go through that. We need to get past it but can’t allow it to pass,” she said.
The petition, which was launched on the website change.org has received more than 4,900 signatures but seeks to get a minimum of 15,000 to be valid. However, she anticipates that the letters that the coalition has prepared will receive an answer from the Government or the individual ministries and that they will be granted an opportunity to meet and discuss the problems and potential solutions.
The International Coalition of Concerned Rastafarians has outlined ‘10 Demandments’ for immediate action. In the case of Nzinga, they are calling for a public statement and apology to be issued to acknowledge a violation of human rights and that substantive financial compensation be given to the teenager. Also, that a code of conduct on Rastafari human and indigenous rights be distributed to the police and that a comprehensive human rights training programme for Jamaica’s law enforcement and public-awareness campaign on the rights and privileges of the Rastafari community be executed locally.
“Too many of us riled up now. There has been so much deviation of attention from what we are trying to achieve as it relates to establishing cooperatives and economic ventures, and [the] reason is you have to focus on human rights at the same time,” Goldilocks said.
“It is intolerable, especially for our country, which is home to an indigenous community that has been used in branding and promotion of our culture. There needs to be better facilitation for Rastafari,” she continued.
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