Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Richmore Tera
26 July 2008
Harare — SOME members of the local Rastafarian community have disowned Roki whom they accuse of abusing marijuana for recreational purpose when it's meant for spiritual use.
Speaking during celebrations to mark the 116th anniversary of the birth of the founding father of the Rastafarian movement, Haille Selassie, two representatives of the National Rastafarian Council - Ras Ibo Makonnen Foroma and Ras Abide "Humbleman" Matiza - said Roki was not Rasta. They described his behaviour as aberrant and his arrest as "righteous judgement for abusing the sacred herb."
"Roki is not Rasta. We use marijuana for spiritual purposes, knowing it's sacred. Whoever misuses this sacred herb will be punished by the Most High (God) and a plague would be brought against him. So Roki's arrest was justified. It was his judgement," said Ras Matiza.
Meanwhile, the duo openly admitted that as Rastas they used marijuana, which they described as a wisdom-inducing herb.
"It's true that we use mbanje, whose original name was mupanjere (wisdom-giver) but was later corrupted by the colonisers to mbanje as a way of mocking it.
"It is legal in some parts of the world. It is not a weed but a herb with high medicinal values. Even some Western pills, drugs and teabags are made from extract of mbanje because some researches in the United States have revealed that its advantages outweigh the disadvantages," said Matiza.
Foroma went a step further and claimed that mbanje "was given to man by the creator."
"We get our marijuana from different sources.
"Dai yaisungisa marasta ese muZimbabwe dai akasungwa kare. The problem with us is that we are governed by the Roman Dutch law that says marijuana is illegal but in God's law it is legal and very beneficial to mankind," he said.
Matiza added: "We use marijuana for Holy Communion because Jesus, according to the Bible, used the bubbling gourd (gonamombe). It is also said in the Book "smoke came from the nostrils of the most high". What this means is that Jesus used marijuana but placed in a gourd for Holy Communion."
On Tuesday, the local Rastafarian community joined the international world in commemorating the birth of Haille Selassie who was born on July 23 1892.
Selassie, who was crowned emperor of Ethiopia, founded the Rastafarian movement and is widely believed to be the messiah of the faith.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Greets
My name is Ras Jon, i live in chicago i man know many ras from zimbabwe.
i read your comment on this page, and you said you belong to
a sect of rastafari that teaches against it. I know this idren name masimba musodza.
and he is a ras from zim, and he belongs to the holy sanctury in zimbabwe and they teach against this.
is this the mansion of rastafari you belong to.
please link i i am trying to link some idren in zim, as well.
i am Ras Jon i am twenty five and mexican and american.
Bless
RAS JON
As a Zimbabwean Rastafarian, I cannot understand why this organisation is so concerned about Roki, when millions of non-Rastafarians from all walks of life also use marihuana for recreational purposes. Surely, there are other more important issues of concern to Rastafarians in Zimbabwe.
I also want it to be known that not all Rastafarians use marihuana. The sect that I belong to actually teaches against smoking it, and refutes the idea that any "wisdom" can be obtained from it. Any alleged Biblical support is based on a forced interpretation of certain verses. Translate these same verses in to Hebrew, Ge'ez or indeed any other language, and they could not be used to support what is a disgusting, degenerate habit.