http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110318/ent/ent5.html

Saturday,
December 19, 2015

7:27 PM

'Ancients' to celebrate Selassie visit

Published:Friday
| March 18, 2011 | 12:00 AM

Ras
Ho-Shing

Howard
Campbell, Gleaner Writer

In
1998 when Lance Ho-Shing came to Jamaica, it was to recruit gospel performers
for the Reggae Sunsplash For World Peace Music Festival in his London hometown.

Within one year, he was
singing a different song - a Rastafarian one.

More than a decade after he
became a Rastafarian, Ho-Shing is preparing to stage what he considers his
biggest project to date: a week-long festival commemorating the 45th
anniversary of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I's visit to Jamaica.

That event, the 'Survival
World Culture Music Festival', is scheduled for April 20-27, at the Trelawny
Multi-purpose Stadium.

"It's very important to
Rasta, because it will show how much His Imperial Majesty (Selassie) is now
regarded globally," Ho-Shing, 49, said.

"We are expecting a large
turnout."

Some of the biggest names in
roots-reggae are expected to perform at the festival, including Ras Michael and
The Sons of Negus, Sizzla and Capleton.

Ho-Shing told The Gleaner that delegations from as far away
as Africa have also confirmed their participation.

Haile Selassie arrived in
Kingston on April 21, 1966 for a three-day state visit.

Tolerance
is critical

Hundreds of exuberant
Rastafarians - who hailed Selassie as God - greeted him when he arrived at, was
then the Palisadoes International Airport.

Some of the excited, young
Rastas who welcomed Selassie that day now form the Ancient Council, for which
Ho-Shing is spokesperson. While mainstream acceptance of Rasta principles and
repatriation to Africa remain primary concerns, Ho-Shing believes building
tolerance among its elders is critical.

"The modern reality is
that Rasta is not only for those who call His name, it's for all
Africans," Ho-Shing explained. "Our purpose was to unify Africa, and
that means much more than people wearing locks on their heads."

Born in Falmouth, Trelawny,
Ho-Shing, who now has a subtle British accent, immigrated to London at age
nine. He began growing his now shoulder-length locks four years ago, only after
deciding to make a permanent return to Jamaica and devote his time to the
Rastafarian cause.

For most of his professional
life, Ho-Shing was a civil engineer but also dabbled in show promotion as head
of High Society (London) Limited.

Life-changing
experience

Twelve years ago, he said he
had a life-changing experience when he met Alvin 'Ras Cudjoe' Brown, a
respected member of the Nyahbinghi order.

"Before I came to
Jamaica, the spirit told me to seek out the ancients because they are the ones
who took the beatings and sacrificed themselves in the King's name," said
Ho-Shing.

"After I met Cudjoe, I
started to understand more and more about the whole reality of the
movement," he added.

Ho-Shing admits his family in
England questioned his sanity when he told them he had converted to Rastafari
and received a divine order to return to Jamaica.

"Even they have come to
realise that while this is my calling, it's bigger than any one person. This is
a movement that's a tribute to every African who came through the Middle
Passage," he said.

Copyright
© 2015 The Gleaner Company (Media) Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Pasted
from <http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110318/ent/ent5.html>

Created with Microsoft OneNote 2010

One place for all your notes and information