RASTAFARI - THE NEW CREATION (Gold Medal Edition) (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781477583692)

Jamaican author, film-maker, cultural consultant, former Senator - Jamaican Parliament (1984-87). First Black British TV journalist (London, 1968) BBC-TV, Thames TV, ATV; Recipient of United Nations Peace Medal (1974), Ethiopian Crown Council Adowa Centenary Medal ( 1998); British Entertainment, Film, Television & Theatre (BEFTTA) Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 for 'pioneering contribution to journalism and race relations' in recognition of her work as Britain's first Black television journalist. Mrs. Blake-Hannah works in all areas of media and public life, specializing in Jamaican culture and entertainment, especially on issues concerning the Rastafari religion. Her book RASTAFARI - The New Creation first published in 1982 was the first book about Rastafari written by a practicing member of the faith, now in its 7th edition. Her novel 'Joseph: A Rasta Reggae Fable' published by Macmillan Caribbean, is inspired by the life of her friend, reggae legend Bob Marley. Her book HOME - THE FIRST SCHOOL is a parental guide based on her own experience homeschooling her son Makonnen from birth; he made world headlines in 1998 when he was appointed Youth Technology Consultant to the Jamaican Government at age 13 years. Her newest book GROWING OUT: BLACK HAIR & BLACK PRIDE (2010) is a memoir of her early life and the development of her racial self-confidence while living and working in Britain. Mrs. Blake-Hannah has spoken on Caribbean culture at: the University of the West Indies (Kingston and Guyana campuses); New York University - Graduate School of Cultural Anthropology; the University of Vienna, Austria; the University of the Virgin Islands; Florida International University. As the CEO of the Rasta Information Service, she was a member of the Jamaican Delegation to the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism where she contributed to the sub-committee on Reparations. Returning to Jamaica, she founded the Jamaica Reparations Movement in 2003 which inspired a Parliamentary Debate on Reparations and the setting up of a Parliamentary Commission on Reparations in 2007. In 1998 she was awarded a Gold Centenary Adowa Medal by the Ethiopian Crown Council for her work on behalf of the global Rastafari community. In 2010 the Rastafari Youth Initiative Council presented her with an Empress Mennen 120th Birthday Award in recognition 'of her Invaluable Itribution to the Rastafari Nation'. Mrs. Blake-Hannah lives in Kingston, Jamaica.