Rastafarian community points to the importance of self-sufficiency

Trekking up the Mount Zion trail in the Blue Mountains is not for the faint of heart, and should be done only in sturdy footwear to prevent yourself from tumbling down the steep slopes.

Between stopping to catch our breath, it took THE STAR team approximately 45 minutes from the foot of the hill to reach our destination. This, however, is not the case for persons who live there. One resident effortlessly glided past us, reaching his home in probably 25 minutes or less. The red, green and gold Ethiopian flags were our guide and a symbol that we were approaching the H.I.M Haile Selassie School of Vision, which is headed by Priest Fagan Dermot.

All the perspiration was worth it once we reached our destination as it was a sight not to be missed.

Welcoming the news team with a wide smile complemented with pure Blue Mountain spring water, Dermot sat down to speak on a variety of topics, including life in the Rastafarian community, COVID-19 and the importance of eating what you grow.

Residency fluctuated

Fagan, a former Jamaica Defence Force solider, is the founder of School of Vision, which started in 1997. From his home, he gets a clear view of Newcastle, the area where he once trained in the 1970s to become a member of the military.

"The residency fluctuated over the years as we have people going in and coming out, so presently there are little more than 100 living here, including women and children. This is a Christian society and in order to become a resident, one has to be baptised because the average concept of Christianity would not lead you to Rastafarianism because they don't praise Emperor Haile Selassie," he said.

Dermot said that all are welcome Mount Zion, except lesbians and homosexuals.

"We have a lot of local visitors but over the years we have had visitors from the United States, Canada, European countries and so on. We now have stopped the visits for our own safety due to COVID-19," he said.

The Rastafarians of Mount Zion are all about farming and depend very little on the outside world for survival, especially as it relates to food and water.

He said that they have received assistance from Digicel and the Rural Agricultural Development Authority which offered grants for their farming projects.

"We seek to keep and express the 10 commandments at all time. This society is based on the scriptures and this is where we and some of the 'rasses' will have a problem, because Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were vegetarians. But not all of Israel were vegetarians, so as a priest I would prefer to encourage a balance in our society," he said.