Ione Matthews-Wallace has a story to tell. Her journey began in Tweedside, Clarendon, stretched all the way to Waltham Park, St Andrew, and took in tales of a life that includes running from a gunfight in the inner city, coming under ‘Don’ rule, moving from step-parent to step-parent, staying out late at night, and at age eight taking refuge under a house while reading books about the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and Jane Pitman.

From a stepmother in Jamaica to her father in Florida, and back to being unwanted, at 14 years old she was homeless on the streets of Florida knowing many who would overdose or die from AIDS. It was the mother of a Haitian girlfriend who rescued Ione and took her into her family.

Coming to serve as a trained caregiver in families of prominent advisors to two presidents of America, she would overhear perspectives on the world while beginning to more consciously shape her own perspective, while always reading. The survivor is the wife of Edgar Wallace, with whom she now operates the Observer Food Awards-acclaimed shrine of old-time vintage ‘Hell atop Hell a bottom Hallelujah Inna Di Middle’ potato pudding eatery, JUS COOL, in Priory, St Ann. Entrepreneur Ionie Matthews-Wallace is now also the author of The Black Christ Unveiled: The Biography & Philosophy of Prince Emanuel Charles Edwards.

Matthews-Wallace may be visually impaired, but she is one who does not lack vision. This phenomenal woman, in her state of physical blindness, has written the first comprehensive work on Prince Emanuel and that uniquely ascetic Rastafari House of Bobo Shanti of The Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress. Her work has seen her being referred to as a serious researcher who possesses an intellect definitely above average, and one who has shown great resilience in spite of losing her sight over 10 years now because of glaucoma.

While in America, always taking courses for self-improvement, she learnt to use facilities for the blind, doing research and writing. Basically, she researched and typed the two volumes of The Black Christ Unveiled by herself. Her life experienced a great turnaround when she met Prince Emmanuel, a man with whom she has sat and had many conversations.

“I met him when I was 19 years old,” Matthews-Wallace said. “I was raised in the United States…I came to Jamaica to see him after I heard about him,” she said, explaining that it was after meeting the great leader that she decided to come back to the land of her birth to live.

“Seeing where I was coming from, I spent time on the street homeless for about five years in the USA, it was a relief to have something spiritual to hold on to,” she stated.

Rastafari grounded her in Mother Africa, and as explained by Prince Emanuel, she was finding a philosophy to explain the confusion of the world. “He gave me hope when my daddy failed me,” she continued.

“When I think about the work that Prince Emmanuel has done and who he is, I thought to myself, the world needs to know about this man and his principles. I felt I was the best person because I was close to him,” she said.

“These are my first two books; I have never written before,” Matthews-Wallace said, although for long she has collected and stored information on the black culture.

“I typed night and day,” Matthews-Wallace outlined.

“I have an assistant who checks it … to make sure words are correct and to make sure I don’t have extra spaces,” she continued.

She believes that the two volumes will not only be a great read, but that her work, by highlighting the philosophy of Prince Emmanuel will assist in the empowering of black people and “for black people to know your black self — where you are coming from and where you are going”.

Matthews-Wallace believes that Prince Emmanuel “was given a rotten deal by the Government of Jamaica”.

“They should have done more to recognise him,” she said, suggesting that Prince Emanuel was a great proponent of human rights, one who endured many atrocities served out to Rastafarians.

“These two volumes can show black people a lot — the road we had to walk and the road we will walk,” Matthews-Wallace stated.

The author would not be surprised if both volumes of her work stir some controversy. However, she believes that she has done enough research to support all that is in the publication.

“Everything that has to do with black people is controversial,” she stated. “This book will open a Pandora’s box in Jamaica … the disregard for human rights and Rastafarians,” Matthews-Wallace said.

She said that the book, in addition to allowing her to share the life and philosophy of a great man with the world, amounted to a self-fulfilling journey for her. “I got to learn a lot about Jamaica… It took me through the nook and cranny of St Elizabeth where Prince Emanuel was born, in the spirit of Maroon country,” she said.

Matthews-Wallace’s success is far more than being able to conduct quality research and produce two books, which should refresh society on the serious relevance of Rastafari and of resulting controversy.

She has overcome abuse and homelessness to become a hard-working businesswoman and intellect. JUS COOL, the business which she started with her husband over 15 years now, has been a success. In addition, the 50-year-old said she is able to communicate in a number of languages. “I tried to learn something of every language I came in contact with – even when I worked in the Florida home of a Chinese doctor and his wife.” (This couple also helped her to cope with the coming blindness, she said). However, she believes her greatest language love lies in Haitian Creole and the Jamaican Creole.

Of her book, which is to be launched at the University of the West Indies in October, Rastafari scholar Tekla Mekfet shared: “Nothing can detract from the pleasantly honest piercing presentation of Prince Emanuel’s biography and of a philosophy absorbed and studied further fostering the author’s own growth of consciousness relevantly interpreting the power struggle of world affairs related to Africans & Humankind’s Mother Africa in stirring commentary throughout the two volumes of The Black Christ Unveiled .

Matthews-Wallace emphasised the pivotal role that people of African descent must play: “We Africans must reverse the colonial table (Egypt), turn it over, and set up our own table with our history.”

Continuing, she quoted Prince Emanuel “The world must stop and restart again. People cannot live in fear of each other. We are one family of God.”

It is as if physical blindness has taken this Rastafari Queen to a place of deeper spiritual vision which is on offer to fortunate readers.