Marcus Garvey: Forerunner of the New Work Order
Leahcim Semaj
Culture provides us with designs for living and patterns for interpreting reality. It involves every aspect of our life. Garvey was a product of our culture who also transformed our culture. The Jamaica into which he was born had all the symptoms and symbols that demarcated a society built on inhuman exploitation, slavery and colonization. But since culture also naturally resists oppression, it was only a matter of time before someone evolved to challenge the accepted reality and facilitate the dialectical transformation of the society. Garvey understood the deep structure of our culture and so was able to impact on us at every level. He influenced the four dimensions by which a culture is transformed; religion, education, performing arts and mass media. The common element being the power of the word. Word sound IS power.
Our people listened to his words and they came alive. Barry Chevannes has documented this process in the chapter "Garvey Myths among the Jamaican People" in his book Garvey: His Work and Impact edited by Rupert Lewis and Patrick Bryan. We can see a direct evolution from Garvey to the Rastafari Movement. Many of the thoughts and ideas that have been attributed to Garvey formed the foundation of the Rasta Religion and Social Theory. Rastas responded to the admonition attributed to Garvey that we should;
"Look to Africa where a king shall be crowned and then you will know that the day of deliverance is at hand."
Many passages from his Philosophy and Opinions echoed the same sentiment. For example, on page 44 we were reminded about THE IMAGE OF GOD.
If the white man has the idea of a white God, let him worship his God as he desires. If the yellow man's God is of his race let him worship his god as he sees fit. We, as Negroes, have found a new ideal. Whilst our God has no color, yet it is human to see everything through one's own spectacles, and since the white people have seen their through white spectacles, we have only now started out (late though it be) to see our God through our own spectacles. The God of Isaac and the God of Jacob let him exist for the race that believes in the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob. We Negroes believe in the God of Ethiopia, the Everlasting God---God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, the One God of all ages. That is the God in whom we believe, but we shall worship him through the spectacles of Ethiopia .
So, on November 2, 1930 when Ras Tafari was crowned Haile Selassie the event was seen as a fulfillment of the prophecies of Marcus Garvey and the formal birth of the Rastafari Movement.
GARVEY AND RASTA
The teachings of Marcus still form the foundation of Rastafari today, as a religion and as a Social Theory.
l. Marcus Garvey - In the Rasta religion, Garvey is viewed mainly as a prophet who pointed us to Africa . He occupies a place similar to that of John the Baptist in Christianity. He prepared the way for the Coming. But in the social theory Garvey is not deified. He is conceptualized as an important social activist, one who articulated models of development worthy of emulation. The scholarly works on Garvey have continued to come out and it is now agreed that Garvey should be taught in Jamaican schools.
2. The Bible and The Creator - For many people, their religious training require that they take a literal approach in these two areas. The religion of Rastafari allows you to place the Bible in its African context. You come to understand the references to Cush and Ethiopia and the path to the Lion of Judah. But under social theory, you are willing to expand your horizons and examine other evidence in order to further extricate yourself from Euro-centric Christendom and ignorance. In Jamaica and the Caribbean more people today are falling into the latter category, understanding the process by which "CREATORS" are created, while creating personal standards binding on their
individual consciences.
3. Africa - Under Rasta as religion the emphasis is mainly on repatriation but under social theory issues of reparation and Pan-Africanism become equally important. The strong anti-apartheid sentiments, the response to Mandela's freedom and subsequent visit to Jamaica; the fact that Rastafarians have opened three book stores in Jamaica that primarily stock books that advance Africentricity indicate positive movements in this direction continuing the works of Garvey.
An interesting test over the last few years has been on two contrasting views of Columbus . Rasta theology and ideology was the first to condemn him as a major source of destruction, first in words, then in song and later in writing. The Jamaican government got the nation involved in the Columbus Quincentenial celebration but with very little support from the majority culture. A poster that was sent to Spain as part of the Jamaican government's Columbus celebration was withdrawn following protest from Rastas and other Africentric Jamaicans. The poster depicted images of Columbus, a Rastaman looking like Bob Marley and a lion of Judah . The caption read "TWO CULTURES, ONE LOVE". The spiritual descendants of Garvey saw this as sacrilege.
GARVEY AND THE OLD WORK ORDER
The works of Garvey spoke to the need for Africans to reclaim the continent of Africa . This would represent the land base on which the Black man would be able to develop. This demonstrated clear, logical thinking on Garvey's part. Firstly, we were still largely living in the First Work Order which was based on land and manual labour. Secondly, Africa was politically controlled by colonial powers at that time. Today, land is no longer the primary foundation on which to build wealth and power, we have entered the First Information Age. Further more, Africa is now politically in the hands of Africans. So the reclamation of the continent is in process. The economic liberation process is still to be fully actualized. Many people ignore these facts and are uninformed enough to still speak as Garvey did when Africa was in the hands of the colonizers.
GARVEY AND THE NEW WORK ORDER
Today as we move into the Information age, those who have frozen Garvey in time and space are appearing out of synchrony with the development of the world. The world is now governed by information. The works of Garvey can assist us by providing insights, but we run serious risks when we try to squeeze Garvey in our personal space. We have to be willing to allow his work to evolve by moving away from aspects of his teachings which are now dated. Unless you believe that he wrote and spoke by divine revelation and that not one word should be left out nor interpreted in light of current realities. If you ignore this you will be jousting with windmills, fighting battles that have already been won. One area in which this is most evident is the primacy of race. It is no longer possible, nor is it productive viable to organize the world of the basis of race. Professor Wolfgang Grassl has expressed similar sentiments in his column "Grande lessons for us all" in The Daily Gleaner, August 13, 1997.
" Jamaica will not be able to insulate itself from what is going on in the world. The days of collectivism are done - whether in the form of nationalism, racism, trade unionism or socialism."
This is one area that many of those who say that they "follow" Garvey will have problems adjusting to. But I have no problems with this because I do not "follow" Garvey, I walk with him, I live by his inspiration, I see Garvey as my Totem. I was born on August 17, 1951. This is Garvey's day. It was also in the middle of Hurricane Charlie. I believe that I came with the storm for a purpose. I try to continue Garvey's mission of liberating our people to take our place as equal to any other people. I believe that Garvey can still help to guide us in the age of information, the age of ideas. He foresaw the Globalization process, he wrote in Philosophy and Opinions page 36 that...
GREAT IDEALS KNOW NO NATIONALITY
My enemies in America have done much to hold me up to public contempt and ridicule, but have failed. They believe that the only resort is to stir up national prejudice against me, in that I was not born within the borders of the United States of America...
...All intelligent people know that one's nationality has nothing to do with great ideals and great principle. If because I am a Jamaican the Negro should not accept the principle of race rights and liberty. Or the ideals of a free and independent race; then you may well say that because Jesus was a Nazarene the outside world should not accept his Doctrine of Christianity, because He was an "alien." Because Martin Luther was born in Germany , the world should not accept the doctrine of Protestantism. Because Alexander Hamilton and Lafayette were not born in America , American should not accept and appreciate the benefits they bestowed upon the nation. Because Marconi was an Italian, we of the New World should not make use of wireless telegraphy. Again I say, great principles, great ideals know no nationality.
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