MONTEGO BAY, St James--The Rastafarian community will meet this Sunday to plan a fitting tribute to its Ras Junior Manning, the tireless activist who died last week following a long illness linked--his wife Pansy says-- to the extraction of twelve teeth in 2008.

He was 51 years old.

"A great man like that, we must do something...Every man is mourning for him ...He will not be so easily replaced based on his work in the international community for the Rastafari cause," said Nyabinghi youth priest Bongo Manni.

Affectionately known as 'Ista J', Manning, a prominent elder at the Pitfour Nyahbinghi Centre in Granville, Montego Bay, was responsible for the annual commemoration of the infamous x Coral Gardens incident whereby members of his faith were brutally assaulted by the police on April 12, 1963, Good Friday.

Dubbed 'Bad Friday' by the Rastafarian Community, the incident recently drew a public apology from Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry.

Since Manning's passing, tributes have come from the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange, among others.

"He was one of those indomitable soldiers in the movement for the restoration of pride and dignity to our African ancestry," said Grange.

Mannings, who represented the Rastafarian community on several missions throughout the world was a member of the National Commission on Reparations and Chairman of the Ethio-African Diaspora Millennium Union Council.

One of the missions saw him spending four years in Malawi, Africa.

He also represented the Rastafari community in meetings and conferences with the African Diaspora as well as in the Smithsonian Exhibition Discovering Rastafari.

" I have recognised his work as part of the Ethiopian International Unification Committee, as the editor and publisher of Rastafari International News, as a part of the legalise Ganja campaign and most recently as director of the Millennium Council of Rastafar1, and as broadcaster who was instrumental in establishing a radio station in Malawi," said Rastafarian lawyer Sandra "Sajoya" Alcott at last Sunday's "Womanbition" concert at Kingston's Star Apples Restaurant in celebration of International Women's Day.

Compare Denise "Isis" Miller, also paid tribute.

"Ras Junior Manning was one of the most beloved Rastafari brethren who worked hard to establish and maintain the Pitfour Nyabinghi, and especially to make the nation aware of the Coral Gardens atrocity by commemorating it annually," recalled Rastafari journalist/film maker Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah.

As a brother journalist, there was much we discussed regarding publication of information to be shared among Rastafari," she added.

In the meantime Mannings' widow is giving thanks that her husband is finally at peace.

"I can't explain my feeling right now. But the beauty about it he has given the assurance his soul is resting peacefully. His death was so peaceful, I was right there he asked for water gave him and he asked for more and just went to sleep. He didn't struggle."

She added: "For the past two weeks he kept giving praises. On Sunday morning when he opened his eyes he said Thank you God. Bless us, bless us".

Manning, who is also survived by mother Dorothy Manning, and seven children, will be laid to rest on Thursday, March 25 at the Duncans cemetery in Trelawny following a memorial service at the Kettering Baptist Church in Duncans at 1:00 pm.

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