This founding of the Rastafarian movement excited the anger of the colonial rulers, as was the case with any act of Black resistance in colonial Jamaica and the Caribbean.
So, when Ethiopian emperor Ras Tafari (Emperor Haile Selassie) was coronated in 1930, many Jamaicans, led by Leonard Howell, saw that event as a fulfilment of Garvey’s prophecy and organised themselves as a cultural movement aimed at reclaiming their African identity as part of their lived reality. Founded in the early 1930s, the early Rastafarians were inspired by the prophecy of Marcus Garvey, who predicted the rise of a Black King. The incident for which the Prime Minister of Jamaica apologised occurred in 1963 as part of a larger systematic persecution of the Rastafarian community of that time. But it should also be important for all Caribbean citizens regardless of nationality or cultural-religious persuasion, for it has to do with the praxis of the State in the Caribbean, particularly as it relates to the use of violence against citizens. This is a significant development for Rastafarians throughout the Caribbean and for many older Jamaicans. The Prime Minister of Jamaica recently issued an apology to the Rastafarian community for the action of the Jamaican State against Rastafarians in 1963. There must be something wrong and counter-productive about such an existence. But, even in this age of instant information- sharing, most Guyanese are oblivious to what happens just next door to us. We are part of a Caribbean family which shares a lot of our agony and frustrations and from whom we can learn a lot. IN Guyana, we have become so wrapped up in our local politics that we seem to forget that we are part of a larger world that has a tremendous impact on our internal political and economic motions. Read more about Jamaica’s first Prime Minister here.Read Time: 4 minutes Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness He came to the public’s attention as a writer of letters to the Daily Gleaner newspaper. He returned to Jamaica in 1932, and became a leader of the struggle against colonial rule.
The first general election under Universal Adult Suffrage came in 1944 and the JLP won 22 of the 32 seats.īustamante travelled the world working as a policeman in Cuba, and as a dietician in a New York City hospital. Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante, Jamaica’s first Prime Minister after the country gained independence in 1962, was born on February 24, 1884. In 1943 he founded the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), with himself as head. They are: The Most Honourable Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante He too had been Chief Minister.Ī total of nine persons have held the office of Prime Minister. His cousin, Norman Manley, was Jamaica’s Premier until April 29, 1962. He has also been Premier and Chief Minister. Sir Alexander Bustamante was Jamaica’s first Prime Minister. Prior to Independence in 1962, Jamaica’s head of government was known as the Premier and before that, the Chief Minister. The Prime Minister is Jamaica’s head of government, who is formally appointed into office by the Governor General, who represents Elizabeth II, Jamaica’s official Head of State.
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