On the Ground News Reports.
Confirmed: The police have seized a number of assets belonging to popular entertainer Vybz Kartel under the Proceeds of Crime Act including his S-Class Mercedes Benz which has an estimated value of over $20 million, a laptop containing his work, and other documents believed to be linked to properties owned by him. According to a CVM News report the Mercedes Benz was seized shortly after the entertainer was arrested in 2011 and is being stored at the Police Commissioner’s office in St. Andrew. Vybz Kartel made famous his Mercedes Benz motor-vehicle in December 2010, on the S-Class riddim with his single ‘Jump inna d Benz’ which was a remake of DJ Grindsman 1990’s single “Benz P*****y”

Alliance Pushes their Focus on BRIDGEZ without A.N.G membership http://themalaika.com/2012/01/16/alliance-pushes-their-focus-on-bridgez-without-a-n-g-membership/

Rastas living in Sheshemane – the Promised Land

Jamaican Rastas bring cultural diversity to ‘Promised Land’- by Patrina Pink
Rastafarians who have repatriated to the Shashemene province in southern Ethiopia are reportedly having a monumental impact upon the youth of the area.
From embracing vegetarianism, Jamaican names and the infamous ‘rude boy’ mannerisms, to speaking Jamaican, young Ethiopians in Shashemene have abandoned the ‘Babylon’ language of the past and have embraced the new ‘livity’ of their Rastafari brethren and sistren.
Nicknamed ‘Little Jamaica’, the Shashemene area has been inhabited by Jamaicans since the 1960s. In 1968, Haile Selassie I legitimised the use of property in what has come to be known as the Shashemene Land Grant.

Since then, the land has been available to members of the diaspora wishing to return ‘home’. Jamaicans living in Shashemene have since developed relations with Ethiopian women and men. The offsprings of these relations are considered Jamaican under Ethiopia’s strict anti-migrant laws, despite being born in Shashemene.
It is this first generation of children, commonly referred to as the ‘free-born’ generation, that has been critical to much of the cultural exchange between young Jamaicans and Ethiopians. Yet, with almost 500 Rastafarians settled in Shashemene, how did this radical group build its foundation in Ethiopia?
“Rastafari sees Ethiopia as the ‘Promised Land’. It’s really been about 50 years now that West Indians have been trying to settle there. The most substantial efforts have been made by the Twelve Tribes of Israel,” said Dr Jalani Niaah, a lecturer in the Department of Cultural and Reggae Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

“Twelve Tribes is the largest numerical group among the Jamaicans there, but the Ethiopian Federation has a presence that predates that of Twelve Tribes,” he added.
Niaah accounts that it was the scientific use of fact-finding missions organised by the Twelve Tribes group, prior to settling, that was largely responsible for Rastafari success in Ethiopia. After the missions, the group sent individuals and their families, in different rounds, to settle.
Fundamental exchange
In a presentation at UWI titled ‘Ethiopia speaks Jamaican Creole: Voices from Shashemene’, Renato Tomei, a linguistics researcher at the University for Foreigners Perujio, reflected on the impact of Jamaican patois on Ethiopian youth.
“The exchange between Jamaicans, particularly Rastafarians in Shashemene and young Ethiopians, is very fundamental and important. The local youths greet Rastafari in Jamaican patois. They have a lot of respect for Rasta and Jamaicans, especially.”
Tomei has worked as an instructor at the Jamaica Rastafari Development Community (JRDC) School in Shashemene and said his class had several Caribbean nationals as well as Ethiopian children.

“The diversity that Rasta is helping to bring to Shashemene is amazing.
“It is truly something special. I had two Trinidadians in my class sitting beside Bajans and Jamaicans, as well as local children. The cultural mix and exchange is wonderful.”
The local children of Shashemene are not just speaking Jamaican, some consider themselves to be Jamaican.
One young man, who Tomei showed a video of, was living in Addis Ababa, the capital, but through his early interaction with Rastafarians, particularly at the JRDC school, he had abandoned what he said one of his teachers referred to as ‘Babylon English’.
“Jamaicans are Africans. They are Ethiopians, we are one Africa,” said the youngster.
In a country where social mobility is often a fancy term in a social-studies textbook, relatively few will ever get the chance to read. The Rastas provide schools for children, and work on their many farming and hotel projects for many local parents.
Recently, the JRDC funded the construction of a police post. This has done wonders for community relations and Shashemene policemen are said to be tolerant of Rastas’ use of marijuana.
“Rasta has done well in Shashemene. I see the relationship growing and getting stronger and stronger.
“The next concern must be the nationality of children born in Ethiopia,” said Tomei.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20100618/news/news4.html

Diamonds embargo: Biti’s letter to US Treasury

16/01/2012 00:00:00
by Tendai Biti
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Fury … Finance Minister Biti

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Biti furious as US sanctions hit budget
The following is a letter by Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Tendai Biti to the United States Treasury, expressing his disquiet with a decision to impose a ban on diamons from Marange:

19 December 2011
Charles Collyns
Assistant Secretary of Treasury

MBANDA DIAMONDS AND MARANGE RESOURCES
I refer to the decision taken by the United States Treasury on the 9th December 2011 placing the above companies on the list of proscribed and sanctioned companies.

I want to place it on record that we as Ministry of Finance, writing on behalf of the government of Zimbabwe, find your measures contrary to the spirit of engagement and harmful to the generality of Zimbabweans.

As you are aware, I have been consistent in my lobby for Zimbabwe to be allowed to sell its diamonds but under and in compliance with the Kimberley Certification Scheme.

Pursuant to this, I was pleased when the United States of America shifted its position and supported Zimbabwe in Kinshasa on 1st November 2011 and a compromise was reached allowing Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds under the Kimberley Certification Scheme.

Zimbabwe is a poor fragile economy and therefore it must be allowed to sell and benefit from its resources. In my budget, there are capital projects of US$600 million which are totally dependent on diamond revenues.

Diamonds have been sold illicitly and illegally from Zimbabwe. There have been challenges of accountability and lack of transparency when Zimbabwe was outside the Kimberley Certification Scheme. Selling under Kimberley Process Certification Scheme would therefore, take away any opaqueness or illicitness.

Being part of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme would allow Zimbabwe to benefit from the expertise of the KPSC.

We have challenges of policing and monitoring the large area of almost 120,000 hectares where these diamonds are found.

There is also the fundamental issue of expertise which we do not have, but the KPSC has, and we could benefit from.

The decision to proscribe Mbanda and Marange is self-defeating and negates the Kinshasa decision.
The two companies and Zimbabwe should have firstly been allowed to put their case forward before the punitive action was taken. Due process of the law is guaranteed ion Amendment 14 of your Constitution.

Secondly, to the extent that normalcy had been restored by the Kishasa compromise, the two companies ought to have been given space and a chance to operate under the new regime of compliance.

The two monitors, Mr Abbey Chikane and Mr Mark van Bostael, would have provided regular updates to the KPSC.

If there was to be non-compliance, then the issue would be discussed and remedial measures or penalties taken within the KPSC.
Thirdly, the US decision undermines the KPSC and its chairmanship of this body. A member must act in good faith. One cannot in one forum act in one manner and then unilaterally undermine the collective decision taken at the common forum.

It would also be curious to find out the motive of your decision against the two companies.
Your decision will not stop the mining that is a sovereign issue covered by international law. More importantly, it will not stop the sale of diamonds.

All it does is encourage more opaqueness and underwriting of the diamond industry.
As I said before, this is a self-defeating and retrogressive position one which I hope was not taken to placate powerful interests who were against the Kinshasa agreement.

I trust that you shall urgently review this position.
I will be in the United States between 23rd December 2011 and 7th January 2012 and I would be happy to discuss this issue further.

Yours faithfully,
Hon T. Biti, MP
Minister of Finance

Cc His Excellency, the President, Cde R. G. Mugabe
Cc The Rt Hon Prime Minister M. Tsvangirai
Cc Hon Dr O. Mpofu, Minister of Mines
Cc Ambassador Charles Ray
Cc Assistant Secretary Johnie Carson
Cc US State Department
Cc Kimberley Process Certification Scheme

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