Kingston, 19 July 2019 – The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has expressed sadness at the passing of elder Ras Gerald Brissett, pioneer settler of the Sheshemane Land Grant in Ethiopia and President of EWF, Inc. Empress Taitu Local 43 in Kingston.

Minister Grange has recognised Elder Brissett as the last living signatory of the Land Grant Deed given in care of the Ethiopian World Federation by His Imperial Majesty and the Government of Ethiopia in 1948 for the return home of the descendants of Africans enslaved in the Diaspora. He resided on the Shashemane Land Grant for several years, returning to Jamaica in 1975.

Minister Grange praised the faithful service Elder Brissett has given to the global Rastafari community through his life and work. She commended Brother Brissett for a life that was an inspiration to those who knew him and his faith that made him a strong cornerstone of the Ethiopian World Federation and a role model for the Rastafari community in Jamaica and the world.

Brother Brissett passed on June 20, 2019 and will be buried on Saturday, July 20 after a funeral service at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Maxfield Avenue, St Andrew.