'Royal disrespect!'
MoBay Rastas rebuke peers for allowing Charles and Camilla to play Nyabinghi drumsHORACE HINES, Observer West reporter
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sister Darcas (left) and Ras Junior Manning (Photo: Horace Hines)
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Members of the Nyabinghi family in western Jamaica have rebuked fellow defenders of the Rastafarian faith for allowing Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to play on the Nyabinghi drums during an official visit to the island last week.
"For them to come here and beat the harps (drums) is like going into the Catholic Church and drinking the holy water. It should never have been. A certain type of people play the harps, not even the children can play around the harps as Rastafarian children," said Sister Darcas, an incensed member of the Pitfour Nyabinghi Centre. "So I think they could have done better. They could use more judgment and not take the drums as some joke where anyone can just play on them.
"Even if it was the royal family we should be playing the drums for them and making them feel the message."
According to leader of the Pitfour Nyabinghi Centre, Ras Junior Manning, the drums are sacred instruments used for worship within the Rastafarian faith.
During last week's visit to the Bob Marley Museum, Prince Charles and the Duchess' drum-playing antics were featured in the Daily Observer. The royal couple was also escorted on a tour of the facility by Marley's widow, Rita.
Meanwhile, Ras Mannings was further disenchanted by what he described as the Rastafarian family's failure to grasp the opportunity to collectively lobby the Royal family on the repatriation and reparation issue.
"There are organisations such as the Millennium Council- an all mansion council- where we could present a document to the Prince. Within the welcome there should be a document showing them that we are still expecting some form of dialogue with the Royal family and the colonial powers towards recompense to people who need recompense which is reparation; and some Rastas say repatriation," Ras Mannings argued.
He added: "What we saw was the press showing a handful of Rastas including Rita Marley and some other prominent Rastas were a part of the welcoming of the Prince with the drums. We wouldn't say Rastafarians shouldn't welcome the Prince, but I think that the Bob Marley Foundation and Rita Marley took a single-handed approach."
MoBay Rastas rebuke peers for allowing Charles and Camilla to play Nyabinghi drumsHORACE HINES, Observer West reporter
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Sister Darcas (left) and Ras Junior Manning (Photo: Horace Hines)
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Members of the Nyabinghi family in western Jamaica have rebuked fellow defenders of the Rastafarian faith for allowing Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to play on the Nyabinghi drums during an official visit to the island last week.
"For them to come here and beat the harps (drums) is like going into the Catholic Church and drinking the holy water. It should never have been. A certain type of people play the harps, not even the children can play around the harps as Rastafarian children," said Sister Darcas, an incensed member of the Pitfour Nyabinghi Centre. "So I think they could have done better. They could use more judgment and not take the drums as some joke where anyone can just play on them.
"Even if it was the royal family we should be playing the drums for them and making them feel the message."
According to leader of the Pitfour Nyabinghi Centre, Ras Junior Manning, the drums are sacred instruments used for worship within the Rastafarian faith.
During last week's visit to the Bob Marley Museum, Prince Charles and the Duchess' drum-playing antics were featured in the Daily Observer. The royal couple was also escorted on a tour of the facility by Marley's widow, Rita.
Meanwhile, Ras Mannings was further disenchanted by what he described as the Rastafarian family's failure to grasp the opportunity to collectively lobby the Royal family on the repatriation and reparation issue.
"There are organisations such as the Millennium Council- an all mansion council- where we could present a document to the Prince. Within the welcome there should be a document showing them that we are still expecting some form of dialogue with the Royal family and the colonial powers towards recompense to people who need recompense which is reparation; and some Rastas say repatriation," Ras Mannings argued.
He added: "What we saw was the press showing a handful of Rastas including Rita Marley and some other prominent Rastas were a part of the welcoming of the Prince with the drums. We wouldn't say Rastafarians shouldn't welcome the Prince, but I think that the Bob Marley Foundation and Rita Marley took a single-handed approach."
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