Philosopher. A well known Rastafari elder, he is considered one of the ideological founders of the back-to-Africa movement. Born as Mortimer Planner in Cuba, he emigrated to Jamaica with his parents in the 1930s and grew up in west Kingston. Came to national prominence in the early 1950s through his involvement with the Rastafari movement. Brother Kumi, as he was known, was a founding member of the Rastafari Movement Association and of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica. Was also the driving force behind the first Universal Groundation (Assembly) of Rastafari in Back-O-Wall (now Tivoli Gardens) in 1958. He is, perhaps, best known as the rasta teacher of Bob Marley, and as the man who commanded the respect of and calmed a chaotic crowd during the arrival of Haile Selassie on his visit to Jamaica in 1966. He was then summoned to Selassie's aircraft prior to his disembarking. His initiatives involving the advancement and the establishment of what is today a worldwide movement included: the 1960 University of the West Indies (UWI) Report on the Rastafari Movement in Jamaica; the 1961 Fact- Finding Mission to Africa (he was a member of the delegation); the visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I to Jamaica in 1966; the repatriation of several families and individuals to Shashamanie, Ethiopia throughout the 1960s; the arrival of the Ethiopia Orthodox Church in Jamaica in 1970; and the 1978 Peace Concert. Prior to his death he had lived on the campus of the University of the West Indies, where he held a fellowship in folk philosophy. Cause of death: respiratory failure resulting from a thyroid condition, in Kingston, Jamaica.
Philosopher. A well known Rastafari elder, he is considered one of the ideological founders of the back-to-Africa movement. Born as Mortimer Planner in Cuba, he emigrated to Jamaica with his parents in the 1930s and grew up in west Kingston. Came to national prominence in the early 1950s through his involvement with the Rastafari movement. Brother Kumi, as he was known, was a founding member of the Rastafari Movement Association and of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica. Was also the driving force behind the first Universal Groundation (Assembly) of Rastafari in Back-O-Wall (now Tivoli Gardens) in 1958. He is, perhaps, best known as the rasta teacher of Bob Marley, and as the man who commanded the respect of and calmed a chaotic crowd during the arrival of Haile Selassie on his visit to Jamaica in 1966. He was then summoned to Selassie's aircraft prior to his disembarking. His initiatives involving the advancement and the establishment of what is today a worldwide movement included: the 1960 University of the West Indies (UWI) Report on the Rastafari Movement in Jamaica; the 1961 Fact- Finding Mission to Africa (he was a member of the delegation); the visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I to Jamaica in 1966; the repatriation of several families and individuals to Shashamanie, Ethiopia throughout the 1960s; the arrival of the Ethiopia Orthodox Church in Jamaica in 1970; and the 1978 Peace Concert. Prior to his death he had lived on the campus of the University of the West Indies, where he held a fellowship in folk philosophy. Cause of death: respiratory failure resulting from a thyroid condition, in Kingston, Jamaica.
Bio by: Fred Beisser
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