Ras Oba bid farewell with full Rastafarian rites

Despite the heavy downpour, dozens of friends and family members gathered at the Richmond Hill Playing Field in Kingstown last Friday, July 15 to bid farewell to Richard Verdon Jacobs, affectionately known as “Ras Oba”.

Jacobs, 73, died on July 9 after a brief period of hospitalization.

The funeral rites for the social activist were conducted by Priest Ras Bone the Abuna, who opened the proceedings with prayers. This was followed by the singing of the Ethiopian Anthem, the chanting of the Ethiopian Creed, following which the body of Ras Oba was received.

Yasmeen Jacobs, Oba’s daughter recited Psalm 41, which was followed by the ‘churchical’ chant, the eulogy, and tributes by family members, which included the singing of “Africa Unite” by family members and the reading of Psalm 72 by Oba’s sister, Kenlyn Alves George.

Among the tributes was one given by Joseph Burns Bonadie, a friend of Oba from childhood. He spoke of their days growing up together, and the professional relationship they developed when Bonadie became a minister of government.

Bonadie related that both he and Oba were born in the community of Edinboro, and that Bonadie’s sister and Oba’s sister born on the same day. He said they all grew up together as a family.

Bonadie related the problems faced by Rastafarians in St Vincent and the Grenadines in the early years of the establishment of that religion, and the negative impact it had when a Nyabinghi Conference was hosted here.

Oba approached Bonadie for assistance because foreign dignitaries arriving in the country for the conference, some of whom were employed with regional governments, were experiencing delays at the airport. Bonadie said he spoke with then Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell who instructed the Immigration Department not to harass anyone coming into the country to attend the conference.

According Bonadie, through another intervention by Ras Oba, the cutting of the dreadlocks of Rastafarians who had been imprisoned was stopped.

Ras Oba was the son of the late Winston Bernard (Barney) Jacobs and his wife Elsie Ermine Jacobs nee Adams. As a child, he attended the St Vincent Grammar School and the Combermere School in Barbados. When he migrated to the United States in the 1965, he enlisted in the Army and received an honourable discharge after three years. After leaving the army, he worked with Goldman Sacks, a brookerage firm on Wall Street until he resigned to join the Rastafarian movement. After several years, he returned to St Vincent and became an outspoken social activist.

The bereaved include his 10 children, sister Kenlyn, brother Laurent, other relatives and friends.

Ras Oba was laid to rest at the Kingstown Cemetery in the same spot as his aunt Kathleen Jacobs.