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Last update: 6 Aug 08
The Danville Nyahbingi Center - A Spiritual Teaching Center
- C. Rajagopalachari, HINDUISM: Doctrine and Way of Life
Ras Kabra (aka Bentley “Matches” Morgan) was born in Trelawny Parish in the Jamaica West Indies on January 7, 1958, one of 13 children.
His mother and Harry Bellefonte’s mother were sisters, and so Ras Kabra and Harry Bellefonte are first cousins. Kabra’s mother also worked for Johnny Cash at his estate in Jamaica.
Ras is the Jamaican word for Holy Man – as in Ras-tafarian – and so Ras Kabra means “Holy Man Kabra.”
When Ras Kabra was born in 1958, the government of Jamaica was portraying the Rastafarian religious movement as “Black heart Men”, dangerous and to be avoided.
In 1966 King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia came to Jamaica, and a jubilee ensued.
Rastafarians and those in the Nyahbingi tradition regard themselves as Ethiopian Jews from Zion.
Early Experiences as a child, one day coming home from school with a group of classmates, a car painted red, gold and green approached. All the children ran into the bush and left Kabra alone standing in the road. But Kabra was not afraid.
The four people in the car, one woman and three men, were Rasta people with their heads wrapped in turbans. They offered Kabra flatbread and a cup of water from a calabash cup. Then they drove off.
Kabra recognized the Spirit of the Lord and from that day he became more aware and he started to think differently about things.
In 1979 – when Kabra was 21 – his elder brother held him down and tried to cut off his dredlocks. Kabra recognized the evil spirit in people.
The Jamaican Spiritual Musical Tradition Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer rose up out of the ghetto battlefield in Kingston, Jamaica. They wrote and sang about poverty and hardship.
Their song – Black Heart Man – exposed as a lie what was being said about Rastafarians.
Kabra chose that same route of expression: he made his first drum from a paint can.
He listened to the drum patterns of Count Ozzie, and he played and chanted and played and chanted. He was also influenced by Ras Michael and the Sons of Negis.
Kabra developed a Rastafarian Center in his hometown of Danieltown in Trelawny Parish. He also formed a soccer team that would gather together, chant and sing and study Scripture.
Kabra became an accomplished drum maker, once selling a drum set to Bob Marley.
He also had an opportunity to travel to Rome, Italy as part of the Ja People Children family Band.
He returned to Jamaica to travel and play with the Bongo-ites. Their meassage was I and I: if one believes in oneself (I), is linked with God (I) and maintains a pure heart, then dreams can come true and anything is possible. We are all part of God.
Kabra’s vision and thought are the same today. As a drumming and chanting Bongo Man, he brings joy and healing through the heartbeat of God.
He believes that “all things shall perish, but music alone shall live.”
Kabra is also a professional painter, landscaper and personal gardener, artist and chef. In all that he does, he maintains a desire to bless and to express Love to people.
As a spiritual leader, for now, his Place and “parish” are not Dan-ieltown, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, but rather Dan-ville in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
He will be in residence, living, teaching and making drums at the Irie House at 154 Sugar Ridge Road, Danville, VT 05828.
We are organizing as a not-for-profit. We might apply for our own 501c3 status, but we are temporarily going under another 501c3 organization.
Thus, contributions to the Danville Nyahbingi Center are or very soon will be tax deductible for US income tax purpose.
We are closely allied with Jason Lutz’s Irie Project that benefits the people of the Jamaica West Indies. For example, the Irie Project and Ras Kabra are making and selling drums. The drums will be made at what we are calling the Irie House at 154 Sugar Ridge Road, Danville, VT – the home of the Danville Nyahbingi Center.
“Irie” is the Jamaican word for “feeling the refreshment of Spirit.”
We have a salary ratio of ONE – meaning every paid employee of the Danville Nyahbingi Center earns the same amount or hourly wage no matter who they are or what they do.
We also believe in Social Responsibility and in giving back to the community – wherever that community might be.
Stated another way, we’re in the Harry Chapin tradition: “we play one night for us and one night for the other guy.”
And like Harry, we are also interested in world hunger.
We welcome your support for our vision of the Danville Nyahbingi Center even if you don’t become an owner of the Irie House. We still have to pay for cord wood (the oil does only the hot water). And when we get enough “scratch”, we want to put in solar to lessen the carbon footprint.