Act of Inity by the Shashemene Rastafari Community | November 1999

As a means to promote Inity amongst InI as Rastafari Bredren and Sistren in the Faith, InI would like to share this event that occurred within the the month of November 1999 on the Shashemene Land Grant in Ethiopia.

InI and family set out to InI Motherland on October 31, 1999 with the intentions of receiving the Ivine Inheritance promised to Diasporic Africans of the West by H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I. Which was a piece of fertile land within the Shashemene Land Grant originally administered by the Ethiopian World Federation, Inc. This vision was fulfilled through means of Brotherly cooperation with the Shashemene Local Farmers Association, who at the time controlled areas within the land grant, Bredren who held representative positions within the Rastafari community in Shashemene and the local Shashemene City Representatives.

As we settled in for our stay in this fertile land InI was informed of disturbing news that potentially had grave, if not catastrophic, overtones for the present Rastafari community in Shashemene. Particularly, the community area east of the King’s Highway directed behind the Ministry of Transportations Highway office.

I was told that three weeks prior to my arrival the Rastafari community was given notice that the recently built houses in the location mentioned above would be bull-dozed to the ground and this would take place in five weeks. That left two weeks before this event would occur.

However, the Rastafari community in Shashemene decided that a delegation of representatives, two from each mansion, would go to Nazareth and present their case and demand that this premature and unwise decision on behalf of the government would not take place. The EWF, EABIC, Nyabinghi, and 12 Tribes all sent to delegates. The report given to I was that the EWF, Inc. produced verifying evidence, in the form of a document, that was used to permanently delay all demolition activities that were to previously take place. This was a monumental time for the Rastafari community in Shashemene as it presented to the Ethiopian Government that there are legal and verifiable reasons for the community to exist.

Since then there have been both ups and downs in regards to the relationship between the Shashemene Rastafari Community and the Ethiopian government. There hasn’t, however, been any more attempts to permanently remove the inhabitants of the community.

This is but one concrete act of Inity that has been displayed by the Shashemene Rastafari Community.

One Perfect Love,
Ras Aziz