The Rastafarian community in Anguilla, mourning the passing of the late Empress Ijahnya Christian, as she was known, has made its presence felt with a small but significant procession, complete with the trappings of its culture and beliefs.
Ijahyna, whose birth name was Carol Patricia Rey, was a popular figure in her native Anguilla. She died on April 27 in St. Kitts where she had lived in earlier years.
After taking up residence in Anguilla, she served in various capacities in the public and private sectors – attired in colored African wear. She served as Guidance Counsellor at the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School and later worked as Executive Director of the Anguilla National Trust and Director of the Department of Youth and Culture. Privately, she created and managed Triple Crown Culture Yard in the historic Upper Valley where she formerly resided. There, she exhibited various artifacts of the Rastafarian culture and some of her own creations.
Ms Palmavon Webster 
Ms Avon
Carty
Premier Victor
Banks
Known for her promotion of the African heritage and her commitment to what she called “The Motherland”, Ijahyna was a well-known activist for repatriation and reparations. She eventually left Anguilla to take up residence on the African continent where she had established ties during previous visits.
Later on, she became ill and returned to St. Kitts.
As a mark of respect to her passing, a number of Rastafarian brothers and sisters in Anguilla joined in a drum-led procession from just outside her former home to their newly-created site at the tamarind tree, east of the Tourist Board building. The gathering included a number of persons who had long admired Ijahnya’s commitment to the African heritage and her social and cultural work on the island.
Among those who delivered tributes were Premier Victor Banks, who had earlier made a number of statements about her passing; Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster; Director of Youth and Culture, Ms. Avon Carty; and Anguilla’s international entertainer, Bankie Banx, Coordinator of the Anguilla Stingray Programme, a guitar-playing initiative which was closely associated with Ijahnya’s work in Anguilla.
The music for the tribute event was provided by Roots Binhgi, the Anguilla Rastafarian musical group. The event was chaired by Empress Authentic, who is assisting the Anguilla Rastafarians with one of their projects.
Ijahnya was an early cultural writer in The Anguillian newspaper under the series title: “Heartically Yours”. The newspaper joins in offering its condolences to her relatives and friends.
