Rastafarians have been urged to pay close attention to developing their families as a key requisite to national development. This call was made by Empress Marina Blake at the 6th National Rastafari Council organized by the Rastafari Council, Ghana held at the Commonwealth Theatre Hall, University of Ghana, Legon.
The keynote speaker at the 6th National Rastafari Conference stressed the need for proper upbringing of our children and noted that Adverse Childhood Experiences have a negative impact on the development of the child.
According to the New York based attorney, there is the need for a reconsideration of the way Rastafari has approached western education, describing it as necessary for development. She however indicated that this has to be supported with cultural education which parents can provide at home.
The conference was under the theme, ‘Rastafari Welfare: A New Faculty of Overstanding.’
Empress Marina Blake indicated that Rastafari today needs to appreciate those tenets of African culture and integrate the positive values. She noted that practices such as polygamy which are frowned upon by the west are African cultural practices which needs to be assessed and understood. The keynote speaker stressed the importance of a father figure in the lives of children and encouraged Rastafari men not to be absent from the lives of their children.
On his part, the President of the Rastafari Council, Ghana, Ahuma Bosco Ocansey in his welcome address called for the establishment of an insurance welfare scheme to cater to the needs of the Rastafari community.
He spoke about the pressures sicknesses and other forms of incapacitation places on the community and suggested that the establishment of an insurance scheme will be of immense value to the community.
The RCG President also advised on the need for us to boost our immune systems and observe the necessary protocols in the fight against Covid 19.
The conference was attended by Rastafari from around the country and was streamed live on Facebook.
Resolutions passed at the conference include the need for regular engagements on the New Faculty of Overstanding in Rastafari and the need for RCG to be at the frontline in the advocacy for cannabis legalization and the issuance of licenses for hemp cultivation.
