Dear Editor,

Victimhood and a revolutionary mindset represent two distinct approaches to addressing social injustices or challenging circumstances.

As we commemorate the Coral Gardens Uprising of 1963, let us never forget that Rastafarian farmer Benjamin “Rudolph” Franklyn was shot and killed by police on that mournful Holy Thursday of April 11 over the unsettled issue of land tenure on the Rose Hall property.

Let us also be reminded of the quotation from political philosopher Frantz Fanon in his masterpiece, The Wrenched of the Earth: “For a colonised people, the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity.”

Let us not be distracted from the fundamental issue that gave rise to the Coral Gardens Uprising, which was rooted in the iniquitous distribution of land.

Coral Gardens was part of a larger property, the Rose Hall estate, which includes the Rose Hall Great House. According to historian and noted Montego Bay scholar Dr Horace Campbell, this property was the site of both small-scale farming by Rastafarians as well as the ambitions of landlords and government officials who hoped to convert the area into a tourist destination. The Government and landlords saw the Rastafarians as an obstacle to their goal of repurposing the property for tourism and frequently sent police to evict them.

The Coral Gardens Uprising was a revolutionary act of resistance, an assault against the system. It was part of a wider struggle by the Rastafarians against imperialism, a struggle rooted in the fight for equity and justice, a struggle for land and dignity, waged by a warrior class who lit the torch of freedom as revolutionaries do.

As the masses become more and more alienated from the land, the new Rastafarian movement must take on that revolutionary struggle and focus on challenging the establishment to transform existing power structures and systems that perpetuate injustice. They must believe in their ability to effect change and take proactive steps to bring about social or political transformation. None but ourselves.

This new Rasta must break with the peace and love mantra which was used as a defensive shield to protect Rasta from the brutal force of the army and police. It has since outlived its usefulness, which, as is, rendered the Rasta movement an exotic component of the tourism industry, tolerated yet neither loved nor feared.

The movement should not remain a victim who appeals to the benevolence of the oppressor, sees itself as disadvantaged by external forces, feels powerless to change the situation, relies on others for sympathy and support, or seeks validation and sympathy from others to reinforce the perceived victim status. The movement must be a proud champion of the oppressed.

While victims may feel marginalised or oppressed by circumstances beyond their control, revolutionaries actively work to challenge and dismantle oppressive conditions to create a more equitable and just society.

This new generation must seize the moment and the agent of change to address social injustices at their core. In contrast, a victim mentality often involves a sense of helplessness, externalised blame, and a focus on personal grievances without necessarily seeking broader societal transformation.

The mission of this new generation should be inspired by the awakening from neo-colonialism as expressed by the young warriors of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, given the symbiotic relationship with mother Africa.

O Dave Allen

oodamaxef@yahoo.com