The knowledge is not set down explicitly in books but is embodied in the מסכה itself. In essence מסכה is in a nature of a divine rite meant to instill in the beholder an understanding of creation and creative power. The face of the מסכה is that of Ancestral Man and Woman. Man before slavery and the perfected man/ woman. One who has regained his cosmic consciousness through his or her own method…
Celestial Mask Intelligence @Tekpwfari Stix El Ra
Sources:
Cissé, Youssouf. “Sogo Sigi: Une esthétique des masques Dogon.” (2008).
Griaule, Marcel. “Conversations with Ogotemmeli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas.” (1965).
Davis, Stephen. “Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture.” (1978). Chapter 8: “Burning Spear: The Fire Still Burns.”
Matilda Newport, also known as Matilda Spencer before her marriage, was a figure in Liberian history whose legacy is complex and debated. Here’s a summary of what we know:
Biography:
* Born in the United States around 1795, possibly in Georgia. * Married Thomas Spencer and immigrated to Liberia in 1820 with the American Colonization Society, settling in Cape Mesurado. * Remarried Ralph Newport in 1825 after her first husband’s death. * Died in 1837 in Monrovia.
The Legend:
* The legend surrounding Matilda Newport claims that she single-handedly defended Cape Mesurado from an attack by indigenous Dei people in 1822, using a cannon she lit with her pipe. * This story was popularized in the 19th and 20th centuries, becoming a symbol of the Americo-Liberian settlers’ resilience and dominance.
Historical Controversy:
* Much of the story surrounding Matilda Newport’s actions during the 1822 conflict is disputed by historians.(Dr. Amos Sawyer, Joseph Saye Guannu, Tékpwfárí Stix El Rá, Wilmot Blyden and the father of Liberian history E.J. Roye) * Evidence suggests she was not present at the battle and maybe her husband Thomas Spencer played a significant role in the defense. * The narrative of a single hero overshadows the contributions of other participants and ignores the complexities of the conflict.
Legacy:
* Matilda Newport Day was celebrated as a national holiday in Liberia from 1916 to 1980, commemorating her supposed heroism. * The holiday was abolished due to its historical inaccuracies and its contribution to tensions between Americo-Liberians and indigenous Liberians.
By understanding the nuances and controversies surrounding Matilda Newport, we can engage in a more informed and critical discussion about Liberian history and its impact on present-day realities.
Matilda Newport’s story is a reminder of the importance of critically examining historical narratives and recognizing their potential biases. While she may have been a real person who immigrated to Liberia, the legend surrounding her actions is largely inaccurate and contributes to a problematic understanding of the country’s history.
The legal system in the Republic of Liberia is a dual one, combining elements of both statutory law and customary law:
Statutory Law: The modern sector of Liberia’s legal system is based on Anglo-American Common Law. This system relies on written statutes and legal precedents established by court decisions. It governs various aspects of contemporary legal matters.
Customary Law: For the indigenous people of Liberia, customary law plays a significant role. It is based on unwritten customary practices that have been passed down through generations. Customary law encompasses traditional norms, rituals, and community practices. Notably, Liberia’s legal framework also includes provisions related to intellectual property and the protection of traditional cultural expressions within its Constitution.
Liberia has adopted two Constitutions since its foundation. The first was the 1847 Constitution which was suspended on April 12, 1980, following the coup d’etat which overthrew the presidency of H. E. William R. Tolbert, Jr. The second Constitution replaced the Liberia constitution of 1847 which was approved and adopted by a National Referendum on July 3, 1984.
As the fundamental law of the Republic of Liberia, the Constitution defines the structure of the Government of Liberia, the rights and duties of the country’s citizens, its mode of passing laws and specifies the principle of separation and balance of the legislative, executive and judicial powers.
The legislative power is vested in the Legislature, which consists of two separate houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives (Art. 29). The executive power is vested in the President, who is the Head of State, Head of Government and Commander–in–Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia (Art. 50). The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court and subordinated courts (Art. 65).
The Constitution contains provisions concerning intellectual property on the protection of traditional cultural expressions. It protects the right to preserve foster and maintain the positive Liberian culture, values and character (Art. 27. b.). The Constitution also guarantees the freedom of expression (Art 15. b), the right of private property (Art. 22. a) which can be extended to the intellectual property rights.
“The failure to integrate indigenous knowledge into the Western educational system adopted in Liberia denies Liberians a potentially expansive knowledge base for solving problems. Indigenous methods of child rearing and socialization, for example, are not sufficiently informing academic studies and training programs relevant to nurturing children; nor has the study of indigenous institutions of governance been incorporated into the study of political science or public administration. As a result, the impact of indigenous patterns of authority relations on the nurturing of children as citizens is hardly ever considered as part of the intellectual inquiry of institutions of learning. The fact that the very concept of citizenship varies from ethnic community to ethnic community has implications for the conception of Liberian citizenship generally. These have not been fully explored. Thus, there is a compelling need to provide a more organized and systematic explanation of local knowledge and practices and to incorporate these into the framework of an appropriate educational and training program if the educational system of Liberia is to serve as an effective agent in nurturing citizens and generating knowledge to enhance development.”
Excerpt from “Beyond Plunder” by Dr. Amos C. Sawyer
Almost all cough syrups at the grocery store are full of artificial of refined sugars, preservatives, and dyes. with lots of sickness on the rise right now and it being winter, this is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich concoction that can help alleviate coughs with real ingredients! ⠀ ⠀ What you’ll need: ⠀ -1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper ⠀ -1/2 tsp. grated ginger ⠀ -1/2 tsp. cinnamon ⠀ -3 tbsp. raw honey ⠀ -2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar ⠀ -3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ⠀ -1/2 cup water ⠀ ⠀ Instructions: ⠀ 1. Grate the ginger ⠀ 2. Add all of the ingredients into a 12 oz. glass jar, seal it and shake it to mix together well. ⠀ 3. Store the jar in the refrigerator for up to a week in a sealed container. ⠀ 4. Take 1 tsp. at a time and repeat every couple of hours! ⠀
Monique A. Bedasse, Jah Kingdom: Rastafarians, Tanzania, and Pan-Africanism in the Age of Decolonization. University of North Carolina Press, 270pp.
The Rastafari religious movement has spread from the Caribbean to many parts of the world since the 1930s and this is due, at least in part, to the Rastafari’s long-held hope for repatriation to Africa as well as Jamaican popular culture’s transnational appeal. From Senegalese Muslim Rasta making pilgrimage to the Mouride holy city of Touba to Rasta-identifying Maori nationalists in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and from Israeli Dreads fostering philo-Zionism in Tel Aviv to Kyoto-based Zen Rastas looking to reclaim the Japanese environment, Rastas are everywhere. Today’s bredren and sistren are becoming less homogenous, however, and local livities as well as global diversity are now an integral part of the way Rastas are evolving. Recent studies confirm this observation. And by emphasizing the Rastafari’s impact as well as existence in far-flung parts of the world, scholars are now underlining the idea that Rasta may best be understood as an artful, vernacular religion in commonplace life. Bedasse is one such scholar. An associate professor of history and of African and African-American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, she has authored an award-winning book that ranges across three continents and five countries to reveal how today’s Rastas are rising to the challenge of re-imagining their faith to fit their ever-changing world(s). Here, Rastafari repatriation to Tanzania is the lens through which Bedasse investigates complex issues of race, gender, and social class; religion’s nature and function; tense alliances between indigenous Tanzanian Rastafari and diasporic Rastafari repatriates; and, the ostensibly uneasy alliance between socialism and economic development in decolonial times. “The Rastafarian movement has made its mark around the world as a cultural phenomenon,” Bedasse acknowledges. “Yet the focus on its cultural representations has neglected the history of Rastafari’s evolution as an expression of black radicalism, and has relegated its militancy to a bygone era when its association with popular culture could not have been foreseen.” Jah Kingdom complements other, recent accounts of Rastafari repatriation to Africa, such as those authored by Giulia Bonacci and Erin C. MacLeod, yet it moves beyond their sterling efforts, revealing an emerging site of Rastafari identity—Tanzania—and shows readers how Rastas in this East African country are using black radical politics to repair the ancestral links broken by colonialism, the slave trade, and certain forms of neo-colonialism. Bedasse’s virtuoso study, which makes detailed use of numerous and valuable primary sources, “insists on a history driven less by outsiders and more by the men and women for whom Rastafari remained an enduring and ever-evolving project,” and therefore I think it ranks as the most instructive model for the future of Rastafari Studies.
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