The Tribune

RASTAFARI leader Priest Philip Blyden died in hospital on Monday, prompting shock from those who knew him.

One relative described him as a wise and knowledgeable leader, who was self-taught.

“His heart was pure and filled with love and hope,” his nephew posted on Facebook. “He was a man of integrity. He taught me a world of truth about Black history. It was largely because of him that I developed an interest in Black liberation theology, African traditional religions and theological philosophy and later studied the same in university.

“He was a warrior, a soldier but most of all a friend. He did not make excuses no matter what life brought his way.”

“He stood tall and faced life. He conquered it. He was a man of deep convictions. Uncle Phil was a strongly committed soul. Among the commitments that he held dear, was his strong commitment to family, the education of his students (at Akhepran school) and of course to the House of Rastafari.”

Other loved ones expressed shock at his death and praised him for his work teaching African culture and spirituality.

Akhepran International Academy, where he worked in the art department, said he will always be remembered for his contributions to the school.

Blyden was born and raised in Bain Town to a straw vendor mother and taxi driver father.

He was one of several Bahamians who started the Pan African and the Rastafari movements in the country.

In August, he spoke with Face to Face and explained how the movements burgeoned.

“I returned to Nassau on November 15, 1979 not knowing that Bob Marley was performing here,” Blyden shared at the time.

“I noticed a surging increase of Rastafari numbers, so we formed study groups and made arts and crafts, Rastafari icons, cultural T-shirts and the like. As time went by in the 1980s, the African village that we once knew (in the inner cities) was almost gone. By 1988 while involved in a Rastafari Inter-mansion group King of Kings Missionary Movement, I was asked to assist organising a platform of unity, fellowship, fundraising and a human rights drive. As the group dissolved, it was decided that funds that were raised go to the EABIC (Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress) at the headquarters in Bull Bay, St Andrew, Jamaica.”

During his life, he frequently petitioned the government to legalise marijuana and recognise the rights of the Rasta community.

In July 2018, amid national debate on legalising marijuana, he recalled making a presentation on the same issue before a Select Senate Committee headed by PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell in 1993.

“Our culture, well-being, and spirituality has been interrupted by first, the colonial powers,” he told The Tribune at the time. “Slavery is the biggest interruption of our civilisation. Rastafari members were then hunted by the neo-colonial authorities and our service sacrilegiously interrupted, and sometimes our camps burned down, and our women are sometimes being violated by officers and it’s a number of things.

“We are being eclipsed by those snakes and vultures that are coming up now and everybody’s seeking to benefit from our pain and suffering,” he added. “We suffered under the criminalisation of marijuana more than any other social group in the Bahamas and if it is to be legalised, I think that there should be a pardon issued to the group on behalf of the government of the Bahamas - simply because it’s the government who would be seeking to benefit.”