On the eve of the Christmas holidays the Government of Jamaica found itself before a United Nations (UN) body, fending off allegations of racial discrimination against the Rastafarian and Maroon communities here.

By video link over the last two days of the most recent meeting of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia “Babsy” Grange launched a staunch defence of the Administration’s record of treatment of the two groups.

“Jamaica, despite its size and limited resources, has made significant strides in implementing the [UN] International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and in rooting out any hint of racial discrimination within the society,” Grange insisted.

“We have sought to address past wrongs and to strengthen our legal and institutional frameworks. We will continue to bolster existing mechanisms for the protection and advancement of the rights of every citizen, at all levels of the Jamaican society, no matter race, colour, creed or class.”

Jamaica was taken before the CERD by a relatively little known group calling itself The Ethio-Africa Diaspora Union Millennium Council (EADUMC) which describes itself as a Rastafari community NGO (non-governmental organisation).

EADUMC says it is “focused on the human and intellectual property rights of the community that is grounded in African Descendants & Indigenous Peoples Rights frameworks that have informed United Nations efforts to combat the structural inequities arising from the colonial/post colonial nation states”.

At the 108th Session of the CERD Treaty Body which took place between November 14 and December 2, 2022 in the Swiss city, the millennium council was reported to be the first to have submitted an “Alternative Report from a Civil Society organisation to the Convention to Eliminate Racial Discrimination (CERD)”, to which Jamaica has been a signatory since 1966.

Its 17-page report centred around claims that Rastafarians in Jamaica were having their hair forcibly cut by State agencies, pointing to, among other incidents, the 2020 episode in which the 78-year-old Rastafari Nyahbinghi priest known as Binghi Irie Lion was trimmed after being admitted to the Linstead, St Catherine, hospital for a stroke.

At the time of the incident, Dr Jahlani Niaah, a lecturer and coordinator in Rastafari studies in the Institute of Caribbean and Reggae Studies Unit at The University of the West Indies and board member of the National Council on Reparation, addressed the issue in a column in the Jamaica Observer.

Niaah said the trimming of the Rastaman’s beard which he had grown for 57 years, violated “his spiritual covenant with the Creator as well as his accumulated history and journey in this tradition. It is germane to his dignity and identity almost akin to his processional cross.”

Also raised at the meeting was the issue of the discord between the Government and the Maroons of Accompong, St Elizabeth, led by Chief Richard Cuffie who was dubiously claiming autonomy for Maroons.

The EADUMC report was signed by directors Maxine Stowe, Rudolph Bailey and Robert Mogg.

But a prominent member of the Rastafarian community who spoke to the Jamaica Observer on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to speak for Rastas, disagreed with the millenium council.

He said anyone could write a letter to the UN Committee claiming racial discrimination by the Government against them or their group.

The Jamaican Government, as signatory to the convention, was duty bound to respond to such claims and demonstrate how the allegations were being addressed, “no matter how ridiculous, untrue, or damaging such allegations are”, he said.

“Who could credibly prove that the Jamaican Government is racially discriminating against Rastafarians at this time?” the Rastaman asked.

Grange who has portfolio responsibility for both groups assured the UN: “While there may be individual issues, we continue to enjoy excellent relations with these groups… We engage constantly and have had wonderful outcomes. And we recognise their indigenous culture and we recognise them as Jamaicans,”

She said, making a distinction between ‘indigenous culture’ and ‘indigenous people’.

The minister also pointed to financial and other support given by the Government to Maroon communities including Moore Town, Charles Town, Scott’s Hall and Accompong Town to assist with their festivals and development initiatives; as well as reparations to members of the Rastafari community who were victims of the Coral Gardens incident of 1963.

She pledged that Jamaica would continue to monitor the human rights situation in the country and make adjustments where necessary, adding: “We acknowledge that there is room for improvement, and we are resolved to engage and ensure the full respect of the rights of all Jamaicans. Our beloved Jamaica will remain welcoming to all peoples regardless of skin colour. We strive to foster unity. ‘Out of Many One People’ is who we are and will continue to be.”

Jamaica’s delegation to the CERD meeting also included Ambassador Cheryl Spencer, the permanent representative of Jamaica to the United Nations, and her team; Sherise Gayle, senior assistant attorney general; Captain Natalie James, human rights specialist in the Ministry of Legal and Constitutional Affairs; and Laleta Davis Mattis, chair of the National Council on Reparation.