A Bermudian Rastafarian wants to set up a farming project for Bermuda's youth to teach them discipline, teamwork and a love for the land.

Fresh from a trip to Ghana that was cut short after four months because his elder daughter caught malaria, Archie O'Brien is steadfast about his plans to live in Africa.

But while he's back in Bermuda, he wants to use his experiences there to help the Island's young people.

"Since I have been back (two weeks) I can see that there is a lot of things that need to be done to assist our youth,'' he said.

"I can see just from my own friends and others, that there are things we lack and so it is my hope to get their parents' attention.'' Mr. O'Brien said he was in the early stages of trying to acquire some land on which to construct a park. But he has his heart set on somewhere near Admiralty House.

"It would be a place where our youth can come together and work. They will learn gardening, planting and getting generally back to nature.

"My idea would be for the youth to construct it which would instil responsibility.'' Mr. O'Brien who engaged in a similar farming project in Accra, Ghana, for the last four months, said that he received a mixed reaction from people there.

He said Ghanaians who were Christians were often the least receptive to his ideas while non-Christians welcomed him with open arms.

Mr. O'Brien, however, said he harboured no resentment toward the people of Ghana but will not be returning there.

Instead he intends to live in Kampala, Uganda as soon as he can secure the finances and make all other arrangements.

But while he is in Bermuda he wants to realise his dream of building the park because says it will be a tangible attempt to make things better for young people.

"I want our Bermudian children to know the resources that they have in this Island,'' he added. "We have a lot of resources but no one uses them. I want the youth to know that there are resources that they can use to gain some independence.'' Last year, Mr. O'Brien, 27, then an unemployed chef, made headlines locally and in Britain, when it was revealed that the racist British National Party (BNP) was keen to assist him in his dream to live in Africa.

The BNP has campaigned, without electoral success, for the forced repatriation from Britain of all black people.

Mr. O'Brien took the party at its word, and found them "more helpful than most black people'' to whom he had gone for assistance.

However, Mr. O'Brien said yesterday that the BNP did not provide him with any financial assistance for his Ghana trip and he had to raise the money himself.

The Royal Gazette understands that Britain, in fact, operates a repatriation policy -- but only for those born outside Britain. Mr. O'Brien found that he was not entitled to funds under the scheme since Bermuda is still a British colony.

It has been Mr. O'Brien's dream to set up a development centre in Africa, and that is the reason why he went to Ghana four months ago.

He appealed first to British Labour Party MP Bernie Grant as well as several black organisations, only to be told that no help would be forthcoming.

Mr. O'Brien, a graduate of Robert Crawford, is married to Colleen, a British national. They have two daughters aged five and one.

CHURCH CHU