Free Book Download: The Earth's Strangest Man: The Rastafarian (Mortimer Planno)

The Earth Most Strangest Man: The Rastafarian
by Mortimo Planno

Mortimer Planner or Mortimo Planno as he has come to be known was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1920. In 1939 he came to believe that Haile Selassie I is the Living God. After adopting the Rastafari lifestyle, Planno moved to Trench Town and became one of the founding members of Kingston's first Rastafarian camp in the Dungle. From that time to the present, Planno has been one of the more characteristic adherents of Rastafari. Being intensely studious, an exceptional and eloquent orator, and harboring an abiding concern for the welfare of all Rastafari he is known and respected among many Rastafari brethren worldwide.

In 1961, Planno was selected to be a member of the Jamaican delegation that traveled throughout Africa (Mission to Africa) to explore the possibilities of repatriation. On April 21, 1966, now known as Grounation Day (a Rastafari holy day), Planno was able becalm a wildly enthusiastic and zealous mass of 100,000 Rastafari and other believers eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Haile Selassie I on his historic visit to Jamaica. This feat allowed the Emperor to make a more placid but still hurried de-planing to a waiting limousine. During Selassie's three day stay in Jamaica, Planno was among the selected Rastafari Elders who met with His Imperial Majesty (H.I.M.).

This latter fact and Planno's broad knowledge of and adherence to Rastafari beliefs and practices led Bob Marley, one or two years after H.I.M.'s visit, to seek Planno out and "reason" with him in Trench Town. Planno passed on his knowledge of Rastafarian principles, rites and customs to Marley who eventually became an outspoken and internationally celebrated musician and dedicated adherent of the religion. Today, Planno, as a respected Rastafari elder, resides in Porus, Jamaica and is currently a Folk Fellow (1997-1999) at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.

In 1969, Professor Lambros Comitas asked Mortimo Planno to write a text on Rastafari teachings. One year later, when Comitas returned to Jamaica, Planno gave a handwritten manuscript to him with Comitas' promise that it would made into a monograph. In 1995, Comitas had the manuscript typeset and printed and then bound a single volume in leather with gold stamping. He hand-delivered the monograph to an ailing Mortimo Planno in Jamaica.

http://www.cifas.us/caribbean/resources/planno/toc.html

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Book Review: Dread Jesus (Spencer)

This is the book that I have been waiting for, for a very a long time, so I can't really express my happiness with it's existence. It is a must read for every Jesus Dread and others interested in the relationship between Rastafari and Christianity.

The writer explores "Rastafarian Christology", by analyzing many reggae songs, interviewing many known and lesser known Rastafarians, and studying the history of Rastafari.

He finds out, that there are two main streams within Rastafari, one is inspired by Hindu and esoterically teachings, while the other group is heading towards Christianity more and more, even to such an extend that brother William describes the possibility of a "Selassian Church", as a denomination next to Lutheran and the like.

Well documented and thoroughly investigated, this book is blessed to be a good source for forming your own opinion.

I would recommend it especially for those Christians that always were told, that all Rastafarians believe in Selassie as God, as it explains the various interpretations about Yesus Kristos that exist within the movement.

Dread Jesus also contains a testimony from sistren Judy Mowatt, former member of Bob Marley & the Wailer's backing trio "the I-Threes". You can read how she described the process in her life that made her come to the conclusion that Selassie is not Yesus Kristos, and some struggles and blessings that she has experienced during these times.

This is one of the first Christian publications on Rastafari that does not contain the bias prejudice that you find so rampant in the Christian World. It's not yet another cheap description of a movement supposedly existing of weird herb smokers with long uncombed hair.

Haile Selassie's Christianity is described and studied. His relationship with the evangelical world, where well known Christian Evangelist Billy Graham invited His Majesty to open a congress in Berlin in 1966, an invitation accepted by Haile Selassie.

You can read portions of the speech that HIM held in front of 1000's of evangelical Christians, a speech not often quoted.

Good for reading, good for studying, good for meditation, good for having as resource, I want to big up this book for it can be a blessing for all Jesus Dreads worldwide.

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Book Review: Chanting Down Babylon - The Rastafari Reader (Spencer, ed.)

This is the book on Rastafari for everyone who is misinformed about the movement. Especially Christians who have thus far only read Christian "exposé's" on Rastafari will benefit significantly from the information in Chanting Down Babylon.

William David Spencer is one of the few Christian writers I know with an objective view on Rastafari. His book "Dread Jesus" has become a must read for all those who are interested in Rastafari and Christianity. Simply because of the valuable interviews and analyses it contains.

Chanting Down Babylon is arguably even more relevant.

Where Spencer wrote his book Dread Jesus all by himself, in this one he is editor and contributor. Several writers from different backgrounds all contributed to what can surely be called a standard work on Rastafari.

For example: it contains original Rastafarian books. They have never been made available for a large audience before, in spite of their absolute essentiality. Chanting Down Babylon will introduce the reader to these writings, such as "The Promised Key". And with that, of course, provides the reader with some of the meditations that gave birth to this movement.

But it goes beyond that.

As said, there are several contributors to this work. The variety of their perspectives guarantees an objective picture for the reader, who is introduced to a dynamic culture.

The book explains why, in the words of Rasta group Culture, "Babylon can't study the Rastaman". Indeed, Babylon will never be able to overstand. But there is simply too much sense in Chanting Down Babylon for all others to be ignored.

So forget about all these so called "Christian Studies" about Rastafari. Forget about the anthropological and psychological "analyses". None of them truly describe Rastafari. They only make the Rastaman sing that Culture song once again.

Chanting down Babylon gives a true perspective on the movement. Because all the words in this 467 page book are written by people who know the movement inside out and some have even been there when it all started.

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Book Review; Doors to Reality (Ras Howard Henry)

Like so many Jamaicans before him, Ras Howard Henry tells us how in 1991 he left to America to "search for the American dream". A dream that didn't turn out to be for everyone...

Being a conscious Rastaman, he noticed that there were other things to do for him than the ones he initially sought after. And so, he "shifted his focus to assisting the poor and downtrodden". One of the ways in which he does so, is by speaking the truth. Telling the things the way they are, from his perspective as a Rastaman. And he does so, in a very special way.

It's a way that shows what is in his heart, what is in his eyes. Take a little time, and you will really feel what he has to say in a deeper way.

A way, which explains just what it is to be a Rastaman in the center of Babylon. To have to see the abominations, the injustice and inequality.

A way, which some people call "poetry".

He writes poems straight from the heart, without forgetting the brain. And this is where "Doors To Reality" enters. It's his first collection of poetry, and comes with illustrations in full color.

It's a well-balanced collection, with humor and seriousness each having their place. Thoughtful lines will keep you meditating as you see deeper layers telling you even more than what is already on the surface.

Ras Howard Henry asks, for example, why there are so many vacancies to fill, and so many educated black people unable to find a job. He observes, how a parasitical Babylon uses all kinds of technology to enslave the human race and loot Jah creation.

He addresses and exposes Babylon, using a prophetic language and symbology that doesn't leave room for too much interpretation. In the same time, He gives praises to JAH and shares his reasons to do so.

Someone once said: "If you do not know your history, you will not know your destiny". Ras Howard Henry addresses this topic too, and asks himself why Babylon tells him to forget about Marcus Garvey but still remember Christopher C. He points out to the racism of ones like the Ku Klux Klan and the book also contains a photograph that shows this to the fullness.

"Doors to Reality" therefore is not merely a book of poetry. In fact, you can read all about Rastafari too. And because everything written from the Heart of a Rastaman, you will learn more about the Movement than you would ever learn if you stick to scholarly works.

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DAWN OF THE DREADS (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)

DAWN OF THE DREADS
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, December 2008 - This short movie gives sights and sounds to a conflict and dilemma that is not really there, either...

Is dreadlocks a hairstyle, is it just for a specific race or religion? Is Dread Rasta, is Rasta Dread?

In this 21st century, it seems like "everyone" wears dreadlocks. From Rastafari elders in Jamaica, to reports of even neo-nazi's wearing their hair uncombed. A thing which has the interest of just about everyone even remotely interested in Rastafari and Reggae Culture, that's for sure.

Just who are the dreads in this time, anyway? This short movie takes us to the UK, where we'll find a group of white kids being interviewed as they sit on a barber chair. Not much spirituality, not much Rastafari, not much of anything but cosmetic reasons drove them to stop combing their hair or even going to the barber to get "dreadlocks".

Surely, this is kind of offensive to those who know themselves to be dreadlocks based on spiritual reasons, Rastafari reasons. We see them too, in the video. Some will admit they started to grow dreadlocks because of cosmetic reasons, others will talk about the difference between being a Dread and being a Rasta.

As a militant Mad Professor Dub plays in the back ground and we move towards the end of the ten minutes, the frustration has become clear. In the very last minute, we see the ultimate answer to this phenomena where dreadlocks have become the fashion of people who have nothing to do with any form of spirituality whatsoever...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

"RENT-A-RASTA" PART TWO

"RENT-A-RASTA" PART TWO
DUBROOM IN-SITE PART 8



WWW, April 2008 - WWW, April 2008 - In september 2007, the Dubroom published a review of the video "Rent-A-Rasta". The aftermath of the Dubroom review uncovered some interesting background information surfacing on the Dubroom Message Boards as well as from the producer himself.

Messian Dread reports.

When you write someone an email, it's possible to add a subject to the mail. If the recipient decides to reply, usually an email program will add "Re:" to the subject line.

When you have an email in your in-box that says "Re: pirate rastas", it means that someone is responding to an email that originally had the subject "Pirate Rastas".

I got an email that had "Re: pirate rastas" as the topic. The fact that I couldn't remember to have written an email with that topic as well as the name of the sender, drew my interest.

The email informed me, that the Dubroom contact pages were not working. Still, the sender somehow knew my email address and he wasn't responding to an email I had send him.

The email turned out to be written by the producer of the video "Rent A Rasta". The video was reviewed in September 2007 and recently, some very interesting background information about the documentary surfaced on the Dubroom Message boards that added, let's say, extra dimensions to the whole thing and not very positively.

The guy wrote me to remove a page from the Dubroom website, claiming that it linked to a "pirated copy" of the video. Since the video was uploaded to Google Video, I wrote him back that if he thinks the video should not be on the Google Video servers, he should write to them.

This is where he became kind of nasty.

He wrote me back and more or less announced, after calling Google a "typical Babylonian corporation", how he would start to spread a rumor that the video was actually uploaded by the Dubroom or at least in cooperation with the Dubroom.

Strange...

I wondered why he would do such a thing. Would he be writing this to all the websites that may have his video embedded? After all, it's simple. If he thinks the video shouldn't be on Google Video, he should write to Google and not to websites that have the video embedded. If there's truly a mention of a "pirated copy", then Google will take it off and the websites that have the video embedded will not "link to a pirated copy" anymore either.

I wondered if it had anything to do with the things that came to the surface on the Dubroom Messageboards after the review was written. A positive review, by the way, for which the producer of the reviewed material had no interest whatsoever.

It was all about money, so it seemed. Even spreading false rumors was apparently allowed in that cause!

This was exactly the same vibe we got from the information that surfaced on the Dubroom Message Boards.

A visitor of the Dubroom told us, how she saw the video while in Jamaica. Since she knows some of them personally, she came to know that the youths who "eagerly participated" in the film, were all paid $20 for their cooperation.

"Hear-say", was the initial response of the producer when I asked him about this particular fact. "Ethical", he said, after being asked again. But he continued to call it "hear-say" and said he had no time to deal with it since he "wasn't a talk show host"...

Apparently, though, he had time to write to the Dubroom, even to find out the email address, only to call us names ("Pirate Rastas") and threaten us to spread false rumors about us uploading material to Google Video.

The producer of the video refused to answer the question if he sent such threatening letters to every site that may have his video embedded. After all, there is no (legal) reason to do so. When the uploaded video truly is a "pirated copy", you should write to Google Video and not to sites that have Google video's embedded.

Besides, he was responding to an email that was not sent by me or from the Dubroom, with the topic "Pirate Rastas". He knew the Dubroom's email address as well, since he informed me that the contact page wasn't working and wrote directly to one of the Dubroom email addresses.

Now, was that video uploaded to Google by or in connection with the Dubroom? NO. If you ever hear so, you know where the rumor came from.

It came from a guy who is more interested in making money than in spreading information. A guy who is more interested in spreading false rumors than in being happy with a positive review.

A guy who "co-incidentally" writes to the Dubroom exactly at the time when his video is discussed and information comes to the surface that puts his work in, let's say, a different light and perspective.

He wrote me, that he was only familiar with that page on the Dubroom that had the video embedded. Was he not even familiar with the review? Was he not aware of the things that surfaces on the Dubroom Message Boards?

He said, no... But can you believe someone who privately announces to be willing to spread false rumors for money?

Nuff Said.

"Rent-A-Rasta": Sex Slavery in Jamaica (Video)

WWW, April 11 2008 - After some disturbing background information surfaced on the Dubroom Messageboards and was even provided by the producer of the video "Rent A Rasta" himself, the Dubroom will no longer embed the video on-site (or elsewhere). The producer of the video turned out to be a very nasty person who definitely has more interest in making money over the backs of people he interviewed (and paid a mere 20 dollar) and spreading false information about people who actually want to forward the information presented in the video. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE, INCLUDING INTERESTING COMMENTS! "RENT-A-RASTA" - SEX SLAVERY IN JAMAICA
BABYLON OBSERVER VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, September 2007 - In sight and sound, "Rent a Rasta" portays the many fronts in which Babylon fights the Movement of Rastafari in Jamaca. How slavery continues until this very day.

When Babylon "discovered" the "New World", the original inhabitants were either killed or ghetto-ized while millions of Africans were taken from their homes to work as slaves on the land that was stolen by their slave masters.

The whole western "Judeo-Christian" "Civilization" is built on the slave trade and colonialization. Although everything is officially abolished many years ago, the practice continues until this very day.

Who feels it, knows it, as they say.

In Jamaica, they know it.

It was there, that the Movement of Rastafari was born with the crowning in Ethiopia of Ras Tafari Makonnen as Haile Selassie the 1st, the 225th descendant of King Solomon.

There was the true Judeo-Christian Civilization!

Ever since it's birth, the Movement has been the target of Babylon System. Persecution, disinformation, condemnation, infiltration, corruption, every trick in the book is used against this group.

"Rent a Rasta" deals directly with Babylon's downpressing of Jamaican people and Rastafarians in particular. The raw picture of what Babylon is really doing becomes clear.

The term itself refers to a practice of sex-slavery: hordes of tourists flood the island in search for paid sex with black dreadlocked men. The practice is shown in the video, people openly talk about it.

In the Rastaman's Camp, there's a completely different picture. Several Rastas are interviewed as they speak about the suffering, about being in Babylon.

The contrast in sight and sound is shockingly clear. While the narrator does his best to make sense out of the con-fusion shown in sight and sound, the video proofs without the shadow of a doubt just how abominable and evil Babylon really is.

While the real Rastas are suffering, telling the people to stop sinning and live a righteous life, Babylon has her own per-version of Rastafari which makes some others filthy rich.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Video: Slavery in Jamaica

SLAVERY IN JAMAICA
BABYLON OBSERVER VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, September 2007 - After the original inhabitants were killed, Africans were taken to Jamaica to work as slaves under a torturous rule by the state sanctioned slave masters.

It's just a small clip, only two minutes long. Long enough to introduce Jamaican people, a proud people, to show some of the torture devices, and even to have a small interview with a Jamaican minister.

Long enough to provide some food for thought, too.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH