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BOOK OF MEMORY by Prince Elijah Williams and Michael Kuelker

THIS BOOK MAY BE PURCHASED AT:
AMAZON.COM
ERNIE B'S

Advance Praise for Book of Memory by Roger Steffens~

"For all who've grown weak-hearted in their faith in Rastafari, and for those who are merely curious about the faith, here are words to revive the flagging spirit, to ignite new wonder and awe, and reinvest heartical I-nspiration with renewed vigor for the 21st century. From the lips of Prince, a humble Rasta bredrin, come the truths of eternity, ever new, ever living, ever immediate and more necessary than ever. His interlocutor, scholar Michael Kuelker, has lifted the veil on a theological and philosophical mystery and done it masterfully, with precision and compassion. Together, they take us on a path both political and deeply mystical, a mind-expanding journey into an alternate universe whose inhabitants now circle the globe."

Roger Steffens, co-author of Bob Marley: Spirit Dancer and One Love: Life with Bob Marley and the Wailers and Founding Editor of The Beat magazine. 

A few words by Michael Kuelker~

"I first came to Jamaica (in 1992) because I was drawn to the music of Bob Marley and wanted to experience something of the culture that produced him. At some point, I kept returning because there was a book, slow in developing, a loving and subversive and gritty book, whose work allowed me to contribute something.

As I read about and studied Jamaica, I saw that there was precious little written by Rastafarians themselves about their I-deology and culture. Prince Williams wasn't the only dread who reasoned with me about Rastafari, but he was expansive in his vision, generous with his time and utterly compelling in the way he spoke. What he had to say was familiar to me not only because I absorb reggae music into the tissues of my skin but because his articulation of rights and justice echoes very strongly with the aspirations of the human rights movement. The teacher in me (I teach composition and international literature at a community college) recognized the teacher in him, and so I pitched to him the idea to collaborate on his story. He agreed, and we began in March 1997.

The book took seven years to cultivate in part because the book is not simply about Prince but about the community in which he lives."
Michael Kuelker

Communication Drums

"Nyahbinghi Rastaman, the man who answers to no man but that of Jah who lives within his heart. Wadada "- Ras Michael

Nyahbinghi drumming is an ancient ritual that began in East Africa as an expressive and potent movement against colonialist oppression. Through global displacement of African people, Nyahbinghi drumming and chanting arrived in Jamaica and evolved into the heartbeat and spiritual defender of the early Rastaman. Nyahbinghi ceremonies known as 'groundations' are held in the bush country and can last up to seven days. Nyahbinghi chanting and drumming is accompanied by churchical prayers, reasonings, and communal smoking of herb. The full judgment of Nyabinghi means  "death to black and white downpressors."

"Communication Drums" is a rare auditory and sensual experience bringing to cd, precision sounds closely resembling the powerful experience of a live nyahbinghi session. This rare jewel of musical legacy features the highly experienced Nyahbinghi techniques of Prince Tebah & the Sons of Thunder, a group of elder Rastafarians. They use an intense muscular drumming style incorporating tempo variations and complex polyrhythms and performed with tribal energy similar to West African drummers. They are widely known for performances at local groundations, reggae concerts including five internationally acclaimed Sunsplash shows, and studio work with some of Jamaica's finest artists. Communication Drums was recorded in Mt. Salem and Ocho Rios Jamaica in 2001, released in 2003, and contains seven impeccable tracts and a powerful reasoning by Prince Williams.

Communication drums may be ordered from www.ebreggae.com Please check www.caribsounds.com for more information.