A member of the Ascot High School Drummers moves to the beat at the launch of yasus Afari's double launch of his book 'Overstanding Rastafari: Jamaica's Gift to the World' and the CD 'Revolution Chapter One' at the Undercroft, University of the West Indies, last Thursday. - colin hamilton

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Yasus Afari presented the book 'Overstanding Rastafari: Jamaica's Gift to the World' and the album 'Revolution Chapter One' at the Undercroft, UWI, Mona, on Thursday evening, among speech, song and movement.

Some of the speech at the double launch, hosted by Professor Carolyn Cooper of the UWI's Institute of Caribbean Studies and Reggae Studies Unit, came from Professor Barry Chevannes, who said of the book "it is perhaps one of the best works written by a Rastafari on Rastafari". Dr. Alfred Sangster of the University of Technology (UTech) noted Afari's involvement in student leadership at the then College of Arts Science and Technology (CAST), while guest speaker Dr. Clinton Hutton of UWI said "this book can be treated as a guide to Rastafari for the uninitiated the curious, the student", as well as "a reference text to be consulted on various issues related to Rastafari".

"A five year wut a research. And is 20-odd year I embrace Rastafari. I have been pregnant with this book for decades. It took five years of labour to give birth to this book," Yasus Afari said.

In the early going of the launch the drums of The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari resounded as they delivered 'Rivers of Babylon' and 'I Shall Not Be Moved'. After the official dual launch by Hutton, the Ascot High School Drummers sat in a line before the audience, fusing drumming, handclaps and movement before a dancer came out with high-energy moves, her red locks flashing. Another in black came after to also step and writhe to the music.

DYCR did his latest recording in trademark fiery and forceful fashion, delivering flames on "a woman who mek a man ride har tru Red Hills an' Cherry Gardens any woman who do dat is not my type/a fia fi a woman who mek a man bruck har stoplight".

The duo of the Black Goddesses gave of song, before Cooper invited the parents of Miss Jamaica Universe 2007 Zahra Redwood N'Dombe and Kwesei to speak briefly. Her mother gave thanks for Rastafari as a beauty queen. "It is a lot of barriers I think will be broken and I hope it will be a positive situation for I and I," N'Dombe said.

Kwesei said "I would like to congratulate the people of Jamaica and the organisers on the progress they have made. It is manifested in being able to see beauty in naturality".