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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Mother Arrested After Son’s Body Found In Suitcase
Published: Monday | January 16, 201228 Comments
Nedburn Thaffe, Gleaner Writer

The Police are expected to lay charges against a Canadian woman and her Jamaican spouse following the grim discovery of what was believed to be the decomposing body of their two-year-old son.

The child was found tucked away in a suitcase at the couple’s Kingston home yesterday.

According to police, a pathologist report has since disclosed that the two-year-old boy died from natural causes. The Gleaner understands that the mother has admitted to police that the child died as a result of ackee poisoning and the body had been tucked away in a room in the house since October 30 last year.

It was said that residents alerted the police yesterday after the couple failed to provide details on the whereabouts of their son who they (residents) have not seen for more than two months.

Told police child was ok

According to one neighbour, on the arrival of the police at the couple’s home along Clifton Avenue in Kingston yesterday, the couple told police that their son was “OK”.

It is still unclear what else was said, but The Gleaner understands that the police were in the process of leaving the compound when they were persuaded to get a search warrant and make further checks of the compound.

“My understanding is that a family member later asked the police who were early on the scene to get a search warrant and search the house. The search was later carried out and the decomposing body was found in one of the rooms,” said Constable June Williams, who was on her way from the house when The Gleaner arrived yesterday.

“She told me that the child eat some ackee for dinner on the night of October 30 last year and went to bed,” the constable said of her conversation with the mother. “In the morning they realised that he was not moving and concluded that he was dead.”

Williams, who said she was a family friend, added: “She said they were there with the corpse wondering what to do and that’s when they decided to put it in the suitcase.”

Williams said when the couple were questioned as to why they did not report the incident, they disclosed that “they did not trust no one”.

“(They are) severely paranoid, they do not believe in going to the doctor, in their child talking to or taking anything from anyone. The child was neither immunised nor registered,” she said, adding that the child was born at home where he was delivered by the 32-year-old father.

Accused of child abuse

According to Williams, the Canadian woman, also 32, has been fingered in incidents of child abuse in Canada which resulted in the state taking custody of her children.

It has been disclosed that the man has been admitted at hospital under police guard after he was attacked by residents following the discovery at the home around 3:30 yesterday afternoon.

The woman has since been arrested by police from the Hunts Bay Police Station where she is expected to be questioned and charged later today.

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