Dear Editor,

I feel much pain and sadness at the continual bashing of my culture, religion and utter disrespect for Egun Mi (my ancestor's) spirit and memory. Every Tom, Dick and (now a) Joshua feels be is superior to the African.

So what do we have? Someone, a "radio broadcaster and missionary leader" promising the naive to free them from "demons, witchcraft and...(hold!) Obeah," if they (the duped) come to the N.C.C, and aha! Free computer classes for the "saved." Editor, my people need to be "saved" from miseducation, homelessness, unemployment and "trinket givers," we have been there before (On the West Coast of Africa), weren't we "saved" and brought here to "heaven"?

In Guyana there are not eight Obeah practitioners, so is Mr. J. Daniel saying that these few persons have all Guyana tied up (or down?) so that he and his kind come to save them so they can fly away to "his" heaven happily ever after?

For your (and others) education, all spiritual works/ workers are not obeah works/ workers but the ignorant and foolish label it so. I am a Babalawo, my ancestral line through my father is Yoruba (Aku) and from my mother, Jukuln, amongst my people, people like myself are called Olorisha and of course I'm well versed in obeah!

Let's look at what we have now,

(a) A Muslim? - tolerated,

(b) A Hindu? - hmm... needs to be saved,

(c) Ifa? - what's that?

(d) African?- danger! danger! Bring holy water, bring crosses, quick! quick! O my god!!!

Ta biblia (the bible) has a story that tells of a man of Oludumare (Creator) telling some people to set up their altar and prepare a sacrifice, and that he (the man of God) will do the same. That they (the wicked) must pray to whom they believe in. The rest of the story is that their god couldn't even accept his own offering but the Creator sent fire to consume His and theirs.

I challenge J. Daniel to prove that his religion is superior to my people's way of life, if he and others like him are so smug, let' s have a public forum to go through, with a fine tooth comb, these issues, they shouldn't be afraid of public scrutiny! Lay your altar, and I will lay mine, you call upon your triune godhead, I will call for only Oludumare (The Creator) and we shall see what we shall see.

Let's have a public debate!, Ase, Ase, Ase.

Yours faithfully,

Mwulimu Mwanna

- Olori: African Heritage Foundation

- Oba: Aku Ara