Contrary to popular believe I wasn’t always Rastafish.
The Birth:
Britain had just come out of war, labor requirements were high and Winston Churchill called upon the English speaking colonies to help rebuild Britain.
My parents Migrated to London from Jamaica and were part of many who travelled on the Empire Windrush in 1948 , my father was a skilled carpenter and my mother was a nurse and also looked after us. I was born on 2nd July 1956 and christened Colburn Tomlin. I grew up in south London in the late 50’s early 60’s.
My Mother:
My mother managed the house with an iron fist, we all had chores that had to be completed in a standard set by my mother and she had high standards. She would always ask “have you cleaned your room Colburn, not like you clean but how I showed you to clean” my mother was meticulous and a master of detail, if our room wasn’t cleaned to the exact standard that my mother wanted, we’d be disciplined, we all had to wake up at a certain time, eat at a certain time and sleep at a certain time. Like I said my mother had a fist of iron and imposed a regimental way of living like most Caribbean families did in those days and it’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life
Being different:
Growing up in 60’s London was a world away from what it is today. We had one TV channel, no telephones and the radio was our main form of entertainment. The streets were moderately safe and communities were real communities that looked out for one another. I didn’t know I was different until someone at school called me a “Black bastard” and told me go back to my country, I went home and asked my mother what he meant because this was my country I didn’t know anywhere else. My mother told me I wasn’t different but was black, she told me that our family were not fully English and had come from Jamaica and told me don’t worry about what people say just remember your lesson. I was curious I wanted everything about it, I wanted to know what Jamaica was like, what the people were like and everything about my culture.
Dreads:
I was teenager I was learning about my families culture, I had excepted I was different and I was getting in touch with my roots. It was the 70’s people were dressing different and talking different, the swinging 60’s were over and cultures in London were ethnically diffusing, mixed race couples started to be excepted in popular society and Reggae music was getting more popular. Johnny Nash was asking to be held tight and Bob Marley and the Wailers were calling for a Soul Revolution. I wanted an identity and felt connected to Rastafari I grew my dreads became an orthodox Rastafarian.
The 70’s
London in the 70’s was exciting, it was cool it was a great time to be alive, music was changing the way we lived our lives, black white brown we all found something in common with music. 150,000 people celebrated the Notting Hill carnival and the Afro-Caribbean community was growing 1st generation British Jamaicans were connecting with each and sharing stories of areas that they moved to. Communities were widening Brixton was the epicenter of black Britain.
I’ll go into greater later on in my diary but this is a personal outline…
TBC
Transcribed by Steven S
Author