In death, as in life, Mortimo St George Planno brought the various strands of the Rastafarian movement together, at a packed thanksgiving service remembering his life and work yesterday at the Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Church, 89 Maxfield Avenue in Kingston.

And although he was not a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, Planno, as he was fondly called, was symbolically conferred by the group with the title “Rt Honourable”, an adaptation of the national title and a public show of their respect for the Rastafarian patriarch.

“He was an agreeable force, always unifying the different threads of light,” said former national football star Allan ‘Skill’ Cole, a self-professed progeny of Planno. “Kumi (as Planno was also known) was a free spirit moving through all the different houses of Rastafari, bringing forth understanding that would evolve eventually into the unification of Rastafarians.”

The congregation of well-wishers packed the relatively small Maxfield sanctuary and overflowed onto the grounds to hear tribute after tribute extolling the virtues of the man regarded by many as the most influential Rastafarian of his time.

In front of the altar his red, green and gold casket was adorned with two wreaths and a single candle burnt, representing the light that would perpetually shine for Mortimo Planno.

Planno, who died on March 5, was a founding member of the Rastafari Movement Association and was credited with numerous initiatives for the advancement and development of what is now a worldwide movement, as well as his ceaseless efforts in organisation and centralisation of the Rastafari community.

“This title of honour, Rt Honourable, given by us the Rastafarian brethren of Twelve Tribes of Israel… demonstrates our conviction and his (Planno’s) own ideals that we as Rastafarians must possess and retain the right to define and honour our own leaders, as opposed to waiting on others to do so or to categorise or define them for us,” said Twelve Tribes representative Karl Phillpotts Naphtali.

“The Rt Honourable Mortimo Planno in our eyes represents the energy and aspiration of the African, who was illegally removed from the motherland… and never compromised the desire to return to her soil to play his part in the total liberation, unification and development of that great continent, Naphtali, an author said.”

University of the West Indies professor, Barry Chevannes, declared that “not since the passing of Robert Nesta Marley has the passing of a Rastaman attracted such national and international attention as the passing of the man we honour today, Mortimo Planno”.

Chevannes, who also brought tributes on behalf of several local and overseas-based academics added: “From Africa, Europe, North America and the Caribbean have come outpourings of sympathies and inquiries about his funeral. Journalists from the Independent and Guardian, two of Britain’s leading daily newspapers, have contacted us in preparing obituaries.”

Posing the rethorical question, “What has Mortimo Planno done to warrant such attention and recognition?” Chevannes said: “Because he was a leader of men, that’s why… and that was why from his early life as a young dreadlock – when the dreadlock trend among the brethren was but a signature-mark of young rebels within the movement – Kumi rose to national and international prominence.”

He said Planno had displayed a remarkable stroke of genius in connecting with the University of the West Indies to broker peace and greater understanding of the Rastafari. “And then towards being recognised by the Negus Negas (King of Kings) to render special service to him (His Imperial Majesty) on that historic day on April 21, 1966,” a reference to the three-day state visit 40 years ago of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I.

The prime minister, in his tribute read by Senator Delano Franklyn, described Planno as a cultural icon whose labour resulted in a rich harvest which impacted positively on the Jamaican landscape.

“Planno’s passing has ended an exemplary life of service, and commitment. He played a significant role in building a movement which rests on sound foundations and challenges the rest of our country to emulate,” Patterson said. “For indeed, we all would do well to emulate the nation-building qualities of the Rastafari Movement: unshakeable nationalism, firm belief in self, unwavering bonds of community and self-reliance, the virtues of industry, hard work and the central role of spiritualism.”

Professor Rex Nettleford recalled that it was Planno, along with some brethren back in 1960, who invited the University of the West Indies to study the Rastafari Movement to get a better understanding of its progressive vision and to help the society to become liberated from the obscurity of itself. “His time among us was indeed a blessing.”

Music industry mogul Chris Blackwell said that Planno must be recognised for the work he did a long time ago that paved the way for spreading the Rastafarian community all over the world.

Nettleford’s and Blackwell’s tributes were read by Professor Chevannes in their absence.