The High Commission for Antigua and Barbuda extends its condolences to the family and loved ones on the passing of Ambassador L. Franklin “King Frank-I” Francis. He served as the country’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and was the first member of the Rastafarian community to speak at an OAS Council Meeting.
Elder King Frank-I is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and the University of Glasgow and served as an academic in Antigua and Jamaica. He was also a leading sports and current affairs journalist for over 30 years, starting at ZDK Radio in 1979.
Moreover, King Frank-I was a leader, advocate, and champion of the rights, recognition, and well-being of the Rastafarian community in Antigua and Barbuda, and by extension, the Caribbean. He also served as a leading member of the country’s Marijuana Decriminalisation Committee and a member of the Regional Commission on Marijuana, the commission responsible for conducting a rigorous inquiry into the social, economic, health and legal issues surrounding marijuana use in the Caribbean.
