Autarchii | October 17th 2020
Throughout our history in the western region it is true that many Africans in the diaspora have given in to Eurocentric ideologies and neglected their roots. The same can’t be said for all, as every era has blessed us with black revolutionaries who go above and beyond to ensure that the minds of Africans are not misled. On the 9th episode of The-Bald-Head-N-The-Dread Podcast, we sat with the revolutionary Poet/Radio Presenter Mutabaruka, to discuss various topics that the average mind would be scared to discuss.
Mutabaruka is an instrumental figurehead to African people at large, as he defies the odds at all cost and wants nothing to do with the status quo that was set in place by the oppressors. In Jamaica, Muta has one of the longest running programs on Radio, The Cutting Edge, which he uses as a propaganda machine for Rastafari. The ordinary individual caught in the schematics of the systems would hear the term “University” and think of a physical location that offers formal education on a tertiary level, but to the majority of black revolutionaries the Cutting Edge is seen as a university that goes way beyond formal education. Currently Muta is working on a new media outlet called the ‘Ra.ss Internet’, which is defined as the multiplication of the sun, and is one that will connect Africans all over the world.
Credit: Linton Hinds Jr/ Maroon Productions
Many know Mutabaruka in the light of dub poetry and as a radio presenter, but his revolutionary works spawn way beyond any title. A fun fact about Muta is that he founded one of the first health food stores in Jamaica. Mutabaruka is also the founder of the first black bookstore in Jamaica, that gave the youths access to lessons from master teachers like John Henrik Clarke, Cheikh Anta Diop, Marcus Garvey etc. He has always been a firm believer that the alignment of African people with Judeo-Christian mindset allows them to run from their roots. Hence, leading to African people embracing white supremacy, both consciously and unconsciously. In a peculiar mannerism, myths created by Caucasians throughout the course of history are often wrongly internalized by African people, and end up becoming a “reality.” Scenarios such as this make white supremacy the biggest obstacle to people of African descent and help to maintain a broken system filled with tyranny.
Throughout the reasoning, Mutabaruka emphasized on the importance of black liberation in a movement like Rastafari, as Rastafari contributed to the mental alleviation of many youths throughout the African diaspora and allowed them to break free from the claws of Rome. Through Rastafari, the connection between Africans at home and abroad has been tightened, yet Muta warns that we should be careful not to replace the concept of a white Jesus with black Jesus. He explains that such a thought is still detrimental to the mind and doesn’t completely eradicate the ways of the oppressors from our actions. As African people, we need to evolve and bypass the configuration of the Bible which was compiled to satisfy the needs of the oppressor.
Since the rise of Rastafari as a movement we have seen where their abnormal traits (self reliance, eating ital food, talks of Africa, spreading peace and love etc) have led to them being labeled as insane, among the general public. The programming of African minds in the modern age has also led to Mutabaruka being labeled as insane several times. However, he explains that, “he enjoys being seen as crazy because that is a sign that he is not generic and embraces knowledge without bias.” Rastafari people were once criticized for being vegetarians, now veganism is a trend which vastly contributes to the wealth of a billionaire such as Jeff Bezos.
Mutabaruka further explains that eating ital is way beyond just being health conscious, but more related to correspondence with the moral compass. A perfect example of that is the Methane gas that is emitted into the atmosphere every time an animal is killed. He also highlighted the fact that humans practice double standards, as they proclaim to love animals yet eat them at the same time.
Mutabaruka is a stern revolutionary who doesn’t use his words loosely and rarely touches on just one subject matter. Throughout the Bald-Head-And-The-Dread Podcast he also touched on the topic of the black family and cleared up the concept of the “penis war.” Muta highlighted the fact that the system contributes to the stagnancy of the black family.
Land is power, yet the majority of black people worldwide don’t have land nor proper access to it. The white slave masters emancipated the people, yet the people got no compensation. To prove the point of land being the basis of power Muta bluntly mentioned the genesis of all wars on earth. The penis war that is going on currently among “first world” nations is fueled by the ego of white people, with emphasis being placed on the white male in particular. It is a proven fact that majority of black males that were lynched during the time of chattel slavery, were castrated.
Overall, the teachings of Mutabaruka are needed to remove the brainwashing that was done to African people. If we are to progress as a people we must first rid ourselves of the high expectations placed on European ideologies and celebrate the root of our existence instead.
