January 7, 1976 was supposed to be special for Cedric Myton and many Rastafarians who recognise that date as Ethiopian Christmas Day. He and a friend had returned to Kingston from celebrations in Bull Bay, St Andrew, when they were stopped by police in Denham Town, west Kingston.

Myton, a member of roots group The Congos, says he was ordered from his motorcycle and taken to Denham Town Police Station where his locks were cut. In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, he recalled many Rastafarians suffering similar treatment from the police that day.

“It was a terrible ting, whole heap a man dem trim! Is not sup’n I will ever figet,” said Myton.

He recalls the incident in Where Is Our Culture, a song he recorded with singer/musician Wormbass and poet Derajah. The song, produced by Wormbass, was released in early June.

It also laments the lack of civility in Jamaica, and an absence of respect for elders by the country’s youth.

The 78-year-old Myton remembers being part of a Rastafarian delegation that met government officials, including security minister Keble Munn at King’s House in the aftermath of the Denham Town episode. There was no formal apology, but reassurance that members of the faith would no longer be harassed.

“Dem sey dem wouldn’t trim nuh more Rasta, but Government still trim Rasta,” said Myton, who embraced Rastafari in 1966, shortly after Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I visited Jamaica in April that year.

As a teenager, he followed the bloody Coral Gardens incident three years earlier in St James, where eight individuals were killed during a clash between Rastas and police. Reports showed that over 150 Rastafarians were arrested following the stand-off, with many of them beaten and their locks cut.

Cedric Myton, a cousin of two-time Olympian Neville Myton, started his music career in the late 1960s as a member of The Tartans, a harmony trio. His biggest success came with The Congos, best known for the seminal 1977 album, Heart Of The Congos, produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry.