Rastafarians are present throughout the Pan-African diaspora, a living manifestation of pride in African roots and a direct link to the ancestral world. There are thriving Rastafari communities in the Caribbean, Western Africa, Latin America and within immigrant communities in the US and Europe. Beyond the Pan-African world, the influence of the Rastas is felt from the Pacific Island nations of Hawaii and Fiji to the Arab world to the inner-city neighborhoods of New York and London.
Upon recently returning from Jamaica –the birthplace of this far-reaching culture, world-view and lifestyle known as Rastafarianism– I wanted to reflect on my groundings with a Rasta community.[1] Rastas are misconstrued and misunderstood. There are a host of misrepresentations that misinform the outside world’s view of this nation that exists within nations. I will share some of my groundations with some Rasta friends and comrades in Kingston in order to challenge some of these misconceptions. I don’t claim to speak for or understand the Rasta way of life. I am merely a storyteller sharing some of my experiences in order to offer a different perspective on some inspiring, graceful human beings I had the good fortune of learning from.
Allman Town
The portrayal of Kingston in The Jamaican Observer or in popular movies like “Belly” or “Shottas” is designed to strike fear into the heart of the visitor and keep them on the tourist path, with all of the consumer patterns this entails. My mission then was to navigate the streets of this city of over 600,000 people and develop an understanding of how social stratification plays out and how people live and survive in a hostile neoliberal economy.
Contacts in other West Indian nations and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean introduced me to student and community organizers in East Kingston some of whom were Rastas. We organized a community event in Allman Town looking at the overlaps between police terror in Tivoli Gardens and the South Bronx and the Black Lives Matter movement that grew out of this reality.[2] Afterwards, some Rastas invited me to walk their neighborhood streets with them. Rolling with this highly-respected crew was an immediate passport into the collective spirit of the community and provided me with a glimpse into these narrow, winding back roads miles, away from the Jamaica the foreigner is accustomed to seeing.
The brethren saluted everybody as we strolled by neighbors who were parring.[3] It was past nine o’clock and the streets were alive with music, children, spliffs, and neighbors cracking jokes and catching up on the day’s activities. Families sold fried chicken with peas and rice out of make-shift kitchens in the front of their wooden homes. I was hungry and the Ital food shack had closed much earlier. Rastas prepare their nourishment with the utmost care. They do not consume food that they themselves have not prepared from scratch. Naïve as I was, I thought by ordering a vegetarian option I could share with the crew. They would not accept any of the rice with peas, cabbage and carrots because of the oils, pesticides and herbicides that were mixed in.
Spiritual Collisions
Next we passed by an Evangelical gathering. A hundred or so Pentecostals celebrated their faith on a main street adjacent to Heroes Circle singing hymns and listening to a preacher bellow about the salvation that awaited the true believer. I observed the interaction of the two different spiritualities -–one inherited from the white world, the other from Africa– vying for influence, over the soul of Kingston. Herein lay the origins of Rasta faith as Kymani explained it: “A long time we see image a white god, white Christ. Dis a nuh owa God. Haile Selassie – di king of kings – di God of di black man. Him a fi wi God.”[4] The religious ceremony practically came to a standstill when we walked by. Those who had not stopped singing and chanting to greet the Rasta crew stared at us from across the street. The back and forth and jesting was friendly. Everybody knew each other. After a five minute interruption, the good Christians gathered themselves back together and proceeded with their routine.
Zebulun walked the streets barefoot. He wanted to be as close to the earth as possible. The concrete could not deter him. He had not worn shoes in over three years. The Rasta is a free man, perhaps among the freest to roam the earth, not bogged down by white beauty standards and products, white illusions and white gods. He knows where he stands in the Babylon system, on the margins as far removed as possible with no intention of integrating into a burning house. He prefers to exist outside of the shitstem, unencumbered by the burdens of the market economy.[5] To the extent that he can, he subsists of what he himself produces. Communal living is a sharp antidote to the exploitation that characterizes human relations today.
The locs are the most visible sign of natural, unapologetic Black beauty. The crown is a rejection of white beauty standards. Some elder Rastas –-contemporaries of Bob Marley– explained that the anti-colonial Mau Mau fighters were the first to adorn the dreadlocks. Images of the guerrilla fighters in the bush first reached Jamaica in the 1930’s and inspired what would become the ultimate symbol of the Rastas.
I was proud to be part of the dignified, distinguished band. We attracted attention at every turn. The youngsters wanted to join us. We passed by a corner where six or seven women played bingo with their children, inventing makeshift games close by. They beckoned for us to come by and share a few moments with them. We swooped in to exchange some gentle banter. I took advantage of the opportunity to inquire about the Gully & Gaza divide. They explained that there were two famous reggae stars Vybz Kartel and Movado and how their rivalry sparked the dividing of different hoods into spheres of influence that supported either Gaza (Vybz and the Portmore Empire) or Movado (Cassava Piece). One teenage girl referred to Vybz as “the world don.” Lost in the Patois, I asked her why she thought he was “a moron?” My complete misunderstanding spawned laughter. But following up on “the moron” misunderstanding, I brought up the skin-lightening creams that are used in Jamaica and that Vybz Kartel himself infamously used. Some of “da yute” shrugged it off as a stylistic choice, parroting Vybz’s line that it had nothing to do with self-hatred.[6] Zebulun took us deeper to the source of the issue evoking the memory of Marcus Garvey and the centuries-long struggle to recover a Black self-image that slavery and the post-slavery economy had waged war on. The conversation again proved to be fascinating and they pleaded with us to stick around, but we were off as quick as we arrived.
“Every man a smoke his own spliff”
Our next stop was a local tavern. Three veteran dreads downed some beers in between puffs of sinsemilla. Carrington –-who rolled with the righteous crew but was not a Rasta– wanted a drink. He mixed a shot of vodka with an energy drink called Boom. Rastas don’t consume alcohol. They patiently puffed away as Carrington enjoyed his drink, explaining that the police still parade in and harass them for their time-honored tradition of smoking. The state still stops, frisks, harasses, fines and arrests them for being who they are. What are the fines but another tax on poor people’s very existence? Though the enforcement is not as draconian, the harassment takes place against the backdrop of the Dangerous Drug Laws of decades past which landed scores of the Rasta faithful in General Penitentiary.
Rastafarianism requires a lifestyle of great discipline and faith. I come from a family that has abused marijuana and used it as a numbing of the senses, a way to check out and escape social reality. The Rastaman utilizes the cannabis plant to smooth out the world’s tensions and glide deeper into his own spiritual harmony. The cannabis of the Jamaican mountains was pure and untampered with. In contrast, we here in the US smoke the McDonalds’ version of marijuana, coated with chemical additives. The long-term effects from a habit-forming addiction and a guided spiritual practice are very different.
Never a smoker myself, I promised some faithful weed-puffers back home that in the course of my travels through Kingston, I would inhale a hit or two on their behalf. When I jumped in the corner cypher, the response was uniform and swift: “Each a-man smoke him own spliff.” There would be none of the passing of the blunt as we are accustomed to seeing in the states. Good lesson learned. I had no need to smoke after all.
Having traversed so many topics that night -–both at the formal gathering and now in these informal streets gatherings– I returned to a question I had posed to Rastas in Havana, Port-au-Prince and Chaguanas: “What do you fight for? What is your ideology?” The responses turned into a history lesson that I am anxious to share with the reader. While the youths claimed to be non-ideological and to pledge allegiance only to the Conquering Lion of Judah, some elders delved deeper into the question.
Coptic Cooptation
Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of the island status quo like the agitation of the sufferah.[7] Benjamin was in his early 60’s. He described how the ruling class has invested a great amount of calculated effort into ensuring that the oppressed -–the sleeping lion– remained in their slumber, languishing in silence and conformity. The 1865 Morant Bay rebellion and the 1938 St. Thomas strike proved to British capital and the island’s managers that the mobilization of the producing classes signified direct consequences for those who profit off of “order and tranquility,” that is the order of the propertied and moneyed.
It made me think of Dr. Walter Rodney –-the Guyanese Pan-Africanist and revolutionary– who came to teach at the University of the West Indies at the height of the Black Power movement which grew internationally and among the African-American people. Rodney urged the sistren and brethren to differentiate between the ideal of a heaven-on-earth kingdom and the reality of the African village and its systematic interruption by white settler colonialism and its African collaborators. This tension persists today between idealism and materialism –-between the Rasta who maintains faith in Haile Selassie’s pending divine intervention and the political Rasta who insists on fighting for Black equality in the here and now. In 1968 the Minister of Interior referred to Rodney as “the greatest threat to the security of Jamaica.” An apolitical Rasta was acceptable –and even promoted– but a politically-charged movement united across Rasta and non-Rasta lines for Black social redemption was too much of a threat. Because of Rodney’s “dangerous” interventions in the neglected gullies, he was deported and banned from Jamaica, resulting in rebellions across Kingston that donned his name.
While the state repressed with one hand, they promoted and offered free passage to depoliticized foreign Rasta imitators with the other. Historian Horace Campbell reflects on the attempts made by US and Jamaican intelligence agencies –in collaboration with one another– to infiltrate Rasta youth. The Ethiopian Coptic Zion Church was based out of Star Island, Florida and imported into Jamaica. This grouping of nebulous origins, placed all of their emphasis on the fetishizing of ganja and the idolization of Emperor Haile Selassie and veered away from the class-conscious and Black nationalist essence of Rastafarianism. They were given a free hand to traffic drugs in and out of Jamaica, accumulating thousands of acres of land second only to American bauxite companies in terms of land ownership.[8] Such importations were used to sow confusion among the youth, blurring the lines between genuine Rastas and impersonators of their styles and aesthetics, who selectively drew from the spiritual tenants of their belief system. These imposters –masquerading as Rastas– functioned as mafiosos and religious zealots, contributing to the further misrepresentation of the Rasta as they carried out their own individualistic agendas.
According to the elder Benjamin, the state’s message is simple; abide by our laws, practice your faith, don’t take up too much social space and the harassment will be minimal. But resistance –-any challenge to our monopoly over the central economic arteries of this society– will be punished. Dismissed as non-ideological, the brethren had a very political understanding of the challenges before them.
Unleashing the Thunder of the Sufferah
The Rasta was the pulse of the neighborhood, radiating out positivity wherever he roamed. The sistren and brethren were highly creative. Among their ranks were painters, singers, artists, composers; producing always producing.[9] Burdened by the parasitism that lords over all members of the laboring class -–the landlord, the store owner, the police fines, the tax collectors, the supervisors, the boss, the foreign owner– the most humble still produce more art than any other class. Where have all of the internationally-acclaimed reggae artists come from? The gullies, the roots, the bottom, the ghetto. The comprador bourgeois class –and the classes most directly influenced by them– have their sights set on London, Paris and New York and are dismissive of musical and aesthetic expressions which are manifestations of Black and African pride.[10]
The Rasta to this day constitutes an oppressed, socially-maligned and stigmatized segment of Jamaican society. But everyday they win over more trust and respect because of their happy, peaceful way of being. Exuding warmth, life, optimism, eternal smiles and unity…this was a snapshot into the ancient soul of Senegambia. I went to say goodbye. One of the other brothers, named Unorthodox –-a writer and hip hop artist– put up his right hand and said “Lian Paw.”[11] Above shoulder height, he interlocked his right hand with mine pressing his palm against my palm saying “Rasta nuh seh good-bye. I seh good ova evil. I seh life ova det.”
[1] Groundings are the Rasta word for building, politicking, and working towards a strategic end.
[2] On May 23rd 2010 hundreds of police entered the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood in pursuit of a Christopher “Dudus” Coke. Over the course of the next week they would go on to kill 140 Jamaicans in what would be known as the Tivoli Gardens Massacre. Presently there is an inquiry into the excessive force deployed by the state and their foreign backers. While the state puts the official death toll at 73, the community says that it is twice that.
[3] Ours was a crew of men, hence the masculine pronouns. Parring is a Jamaican word for hanging out.
[4] “For so long we only saw the image of the white god, the white Christ. This is not our god. Haile Selassie –the king of kings- the God of the Blackman. This is our God.”
[5] The shitstem was Peter Tosh’s word for the system of capitalism.
[6] The youth.
[7] Sufferah is the Rasta term for the poor and oppressed.
[8] See Rasta and Resistance. Horace Campbell. Page 115.
[9] Resistance has brought change. Many Rastas are now lawyers, doctors, journalists and the like.
[10] Comprador refers to the local rulers who are beholden to foreign interests. Sell-outs.
[11] Lion’s Paw but pronounced as written.
Reblogged this on Derwayne M. Wills and commented:
A look at the communal ways of Rastafarianism. How humanity rightfully should coexist.
Good piece- but you forgot to mention the homophobia that is heavily present in rasta culture. See this recent piece on Jamaica in teleSUR that mentions it, and some of the modern political economy issues the country is going through: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Jamaica-and-the-Politics-of-Debt-Trap-20141218-0034.html
Good point Wad about the homophobia. I appreciate the telesur link. I’ll check that out.
Rasta always had me wanting to understand it. Never have I thought that it was Rasta was something that people never ate food that they have not ground and mad them selieves. It amazing that you was able to experiance a chance of being in Jamaca to be able to help to understand their reason for being how rasta. Nither did I ever know that smokeing of weed is a spiritual way of getting at one with individual. Trafficking history, was very much mis understood till now. THANK YOU.
This article was very informative about Rastafarians. It was fascinating to see how society’s perception of Rastafarian’s changed over the years. Today in America, Rasta’s are portrayed as marijuana smokers and criminals, when in fact the culture goes beyond smoking. Sharing your experience has shed light on another world culture that has been demonized by racism.
This is a very interesting article especially for those who do not know anything about Rastafarians. In my case I learned I will say everything about them. I even now question myself… how many others misconceptions do I have? This is even ridicules, all I knew about this group of people was that they have a unique hair style, they smoke like crazy and listen slow music. This group of people which for me was not a culture before this article, in fact I thought that you could call Rasta at any person who has a particular hair style, smoke and l have a weird appearance. It sound ignorance but it is very real, that was all I have in my mind about Rata term.
I really appreciate this hard work. It was very helpful, thanks.
When most people hear the word “Rastafari,” they think of men with dreadlocks, of smoking ganja, and of men with dreadlocks smoking ganja. Basically, they think of Bob Marley. In fact, Rastafari is a very serious philosophy that takes much direction from the Bible. While there are some people who claim to be Rastafari just as an excuse to do drugs, there are many true believers, and the public idea of them is often quite inaccurate.
Rastafarianism was always interesting to me because it is misunderstood by many people including myself. I had assumed before that all people that wore dreadlocks were Rastafarian’s. I admire the fact that they are not influenced by white culture in the slightest of ways. However, I wonder how they are able to live among us and block out this influence. Rastafarian’s can teach many great things to the African American community about embracing their own beauty and getting away from the White industry. More people should be educated about the difference between real Rastafarian’s and imitators. The more imitators there are the more misconstrue people become about their actual teachings.
I found this article interesting being that many people who aren’t from the same ethnicity as you aren’t able to relate or understand things that happen. I like the fact that you went over barriers that people usually don’t go over, and by doing that you have a better understanding of the Rastafarian culture. In the beginning of this article I was clueless of what the Rastafarian culture consisted of but now I have a better view of how and why they live their lives the way they do.
I really liked the article and I found it very interesting. It talks about the “rasta community” in some countries. And the misunderstandings of the world about the rasta community. You talk there about your experience in Allman Town in Jamaica. Also you said that the rasta community don’t eat food that they haven’t prepared by themselves. In this article I saw that the “rastas” are very careful about their lifestyle and eating healthy.
The Rastafarian movement or religious belief (not really sure what to refer to it as) is a very interesting topic. Their connection, both spiritually and physically, to the outside, natural world and their respect for it is truly respectable. Jamaicans are usually represented as one of two things: marijuana (ganja) smokers with long dreads or Bob Marley. This article actually dives a bit deeper into the present day functions of these people, displays the differences between Jamaicans who follow Rastafarianism and those who don’t, and gives a more personal note as to what the urban life is like over their. As a previous comment noted, the deep homophobia present within the country was not addressed and perhaps it can be written about in a future trip to the island. It took me by surprise that drug factions would hide as rastas and use that identity in order to continue their business.
Wrong perspectives often occur on communities that are not so close to our “society” and those wrong perspectives tend to be negative. We misunderstand the culture of a community just because we don’t have enough information about it. The Rasta community has its own way of living or to be more precise, they have their own way to establish a society that many people judge by only looking at the physical part of it and not at the deepest part which what matters the most. The Rasta community are peaceful people that a lot us should learn from.
Its interesting what you found in Jamaica, two different religions practicing their religion separately without any disturbance. Jamaicans are more than just marijuana smokers and for wearing dreads. Jamaicans smoke marijuana for different purposes than those in urban areas do Rastas smoke marijuana because its apart of their faith. Why are these Rastas getting harassed for something that they have been doing for years and are old men now.
It is very important that people are to understand the culture of the Rastafarians and not just base their ideas of stereotypes and implications. This article helps to open many eyes as to what exactly it means to be a Rasta and what they believe. It made a better understanding of the Rastafarian walk within spirituality, their lifestyle and their faith.
I would say that this article was very interesting. At the end of the day, everyone has their own perceptions and ideas of what a Rastafarian might be. Most of them are misunderstood and viewed as something totally different than what they really are, as the article also explains by goin into depth. I, myself even have a certain idea of what a Rastafarian might look and act like, but by you going into details and sharing your story, actually helped me understand the Rastafarian culture a bit more.
The rasta community marches to the beat of their own drum. They value not material items but nature, and the spiritual world. They connect with everything around them in a much deeper level. Yes, they have faced many discrimination and oppression but they have not used this to share their anger with the world. I found it interesting when you mentioned about walking into the Evangelical gathering. They stopped and stared for a minute but then welcomed the group. It is admirable that they do not let anything disturb their way of life, and they are willing to fight for this.
When I use to hear the word Rastafarian, I always pictured a man with dreads smoking marijuana. However, this article gives us insight on the life style and community. As a previous comment mentioned, it is shocking to truly understand that smoking to them is more spiritual instead of entertainment. It is sad that people try to use this lifestyle as a cover to be in the drug business. The Rastafarian lifestyle is actually very philosophical and peaceful. It was interesting to learn about and to hear of your travels.
This article gave a detailed description on the Rastafari belief based on your real-life experience in Jamaica. To be completely honest I have never read about or understood the Rastafarian lifestyle. As many have mentioned it goes beyond dreads and smoking marijuana. Rastas follow a strict diet called Ital, which can be slightly compared to vegan. Rastas do not go with anything unnatural and expose their natural black beauty, which explains long dreads and respecting their body with the Ital diet. The beauty of following a belief that makes them happy and proud of who they are is truly inspiring.
Great article! The idea of Rastafarianism from the point of view of a person who knew almost nothing about its existence really takes away the stereotypical idea of it being just another Jamaican belief/way of living. Searching it up and doing my own research about it, all I found was men who would smoke and listen slow music (also Bob Marley’s face) yet when reading this article, I found the Jamaican belief a step further into inner peace. Seeing how pure and positive this belief is, it really amazes me into taking this Jamaican group more serious and their ways of life is different and maybe even better than the typical modern day living.
This article was so interesting to read. Coming from a Caribbean island and being surrounded by Rastas, family members and neighbors, it’s rare to see anything positive about their lifestyle. Majority of my older male cousins are Rastafarians, they full support and believe in Haile Selassie as a God. They definitely do not eat anything that they haven’t prepared or grown themselves. Reading this article reminded about my old neighborhood and the interactions within. Also I like the mention of their locs and the history of it. Many people are unaware of the meaning and history behind dreds. Majority, maybe all, Rastafarians disagree and are unsupportive of the trend of faux locs. It seems to disregard their culture and ideology. Not everyone who has locs is Rastafarian and many individuals who are not true to the culture give true Rastafarians a negative rep.
Stereotyping is an unfortunate act that everyone is guilty of at some point in their life. It is so sad because more often than not these stereotypes are negative and stigmatize groups of people. Prior to reading the article I did not know much about Rastafarians. I have been exposed to the stereotypes about them being “pot heads” with dreads. It was nice to read about their spirituality and why they do the things they do. In my opinion, people outside of their communities should strive to be more like them in certain ways. I would love to be a “free man”, free from stress and burdens. Another interesting thing I liked about the article was the part that described the “beef” between Vybz Kartel and Movado. The division amongst the Rasta’s who preferred one over the other reminded me of the division that exists between those who prefer Biggie or 2Pac.
Great article, Professor Shaw. I appreciate this insightful look at the Rastafarianism ideals and customs. I was pretty ignorant to what it meant to be Rasta and mostly associated the lifestyle with dreadlocks and cannabis. However, I now have a deeper understanding of what it means to be Rasta and how it is way much more than a hairdo and/or substance abuse. It is interesting to see how people thought out the planet have different methods of fighting evil. In addition, it is admirable how Rastas use their dietary habits in this struggle. Thanks
-V
Ive never heard of the Rastafas culture. As soon as i saw the word i did a quick search to know what you were going to talk about. Its crazy to see the misconseptions people have of the Rastafarians. It was good to be informer that they are much more then just smokers for fun because its apart of their culture and faith. Unfortunately people are quick on judging and thats why there will aways be stereotypes not only with Rastafarians but with all type of groups of people.
Thanks for sharing your experience of Rasta. After read your article, I am involved into a deep thinking that most of people are live in past and traditional opinion. But going outside of those traditional view point and face in present, it is a lot of misunderstanding. When people mentioned Rasta, most of people will connect the words: crime, drugs and poor. But behind those negative thoughts, have any of one think about their culture and religion and most of people are judging Rastas with their discrimination and limited knowledge?
Thanks for sharing your experience of Rasta. After read your article, I am involved into a deep thinking that most of people are live in past and traditional opinion. But going outside of those traditional view point and face in present, it is a lot of misunderstanding. When people mentioned Rasta, most of people will connect the words: crime, drugs and poor. But behind those negative thoughts, have any of one think about their culture and religion and most of people are judging Rastas with their discrimination and limited knowledge?
This is a great article, professor. It really informed me that being Rasta doesn’t just associate to Bob Marley, smoking weed, dreadlocks, and reggae music. I, personally, haven’t interacted nor met someone who was Rasta so I was pretty ignorant to it all. This article really opened my eyes to things I didn’t know such as their dietary habits. I also learned that just because a person has locs doesn’t mean they are Rasta.
After read your article, I am involved into a deep thinking that most of people are live in past and traditional opinion. But going outside of those traditional view point and face in present, it is a lot of misunderstanding. When people mentioned Rasta, most of people will connect the words: crime, drugs and poor. But behind those negative thoughts, have any of one think about their culture and religion and most of people are judging Rastas with their discrimination and limited knowledge?
I very much appreciate the insight the article provides into Rastafarianism. I had my own misconceptions, and that the posers was all there was. Employing these beliefs as an excuse to smoke and not to any higher spiritual callings.
This article was very understanding on the word “Rasta” itself. When I hear the word Rasta , the first thing that comes to mind is Jamaican men who have dreadlocks , smoke marijuana and listen to Caribbean slow music. For example , a Bob Marley image . After reading this article I have learned ‘Rastafarians’ is a unique culture in Jamaica, Kingston leading to London and New York. Rastafarians don’t consume food they have not made. They require a lifestyle of faith and discipline.Rastas indeed do smoke but every men has their own products they consume in which they simply don’t share with one another , as well as consuming alcohol .
I never knew the meaning behind being a Rastafarian. I was always blinded by the stereotype that all Rastafarians did was grow dreadlocks and smoke marijuana, because that is what the media shows us. The fact that they do not eat things they do not make is really cool.
I have a fair understanding of a rasta is and their way of living life because my aunt is a rasta and my great grandfather was jamaican, also the culture I was raised in is fairly similar to the jamaican culture. One thing I notices was missed from the article is how homophobia is seem in this culture, there’s actually a song by Buju Banton called Boom Bye Bye, the song shows how homophobic the jamaican culture is at first i didn’t understand why but then i did some researches and i finally understood why. The reason why there is such a hatred towards gay people is because back when Jamaica was being colonized by the conquistadors they would often raped jamaican men to implement their power and show who the real boss was so there is where the whole homophobia comes from.
I learned a lot from this article. First, I learned that the Rasta don’t share spliffs. Every man has his own spiff. Second, I learned that they only eat the foods they make. However what shocked me the most was finding out that they do not consume alcohol.
I like how you talk about their beliefs in the spiritual collision section and explaining what is a Rasta. He is a free man who has a shape antidote that characterizes the relation of humans, towards their living circumstance. It’s fascinating how they have their own view who is their superior. How the king is their god because he is black. Kymani stated, “A long time we see image a white god, white Christ. Dis a nuh owa God. Haile Selassie – di king of kings – di God of di black man. Him a fi wi God” (Shaw). People have their own perspective on how they view their god. Most people have been the ideas and the imagery of god. As for others create their own image and believe god is will support them if they do ritual, demonstrating their loyalty with spiritual routines towards god.
I love love love this article, thank you for sharing your experience professor, I my self am converting to the Rastafarian lifestyle and it is most definitely is misconstrued, people in the states us definitely us cannabis for all the wrong reasons, and believe they can dread their hair up and call them self a rasta , its a disrespect to there culture, yet admirable, people need to be informed.
It is very ironic how the media portrays rastafarians a certain way when in reality they are the most honest and humble people in Jamaica. One example mentionioned in the article is how people picture them with “dreads and smoking marijuana” all the time when they actually don’t. They are the most religious community as well and are very friendly among one another in their communities. Also the fact that they don’t eat anything they don’t make from scratch is very interesting and healthy. By reading your experience in Jamaica I have a more open mind on how Rastafarians live and a different image of them than what the media has to show.
This is a very informative article, it doesn’t just explain us the history of the rastafarians, but the struggles they have been through. Also the true description of being a rastafarian is interesting since they have been depicted as marijuana smokers, when in reality it has a much profound and spiritual meaning than just smoking. It’s incomprehensible that people have to suffer/ harrass because of their different perspective of life, they appearance or just simply because they behave differently.
I learned here a lot about Rastafarians and what it means to be one and their culture. Where I’m from sometimes people have a misconception of who they are but after reading this you know the truth. You don’t really know people till you get to know them and their lifestyle. What’s cool is that smoking is a part of their culture. Knowing the real truth is good.
I liked the article because again, it’s a first person experience. It’s real, descriptive and I liked your own thoughts on the Rastra culture. There’s this huge stereotype on Jamaican people smoking marijuana, but the way and their perspective on using it, is different to the way people use it in other parts of the world. People abuse it for their own business and for different uses. Their people remind me of the monks because the way they act is free, and they live a monk-esque life. People obviously don’t think that because of where they come from and their descent.
I agree in that Rastas are misconstrued and misunderstood. I myself do not really comprehend their way of life, and one of my uncles is actually a Rasta. Granted, we don’t spend much time together, but I’m glad that I have a better understanding of that way of life after reading this post. I was not aware of that fact that Rastas don’t eat food unless they made it from scratch, and in general, supply their own goods as best they can. I also didn’t know that there was a deeper meaning wearing their hair in dreadlocks; I had always assumed it was a stylistic choice, but now know it is a blatant statement against white beauty standards and products. Similarly, their use of cannabis is also a statement attesting to their dedication to the faith they practice (which I would like to learn more about) and desire to acquire spiritual harmony. Perhaps most surprising was the discussion about the fact that Rastafarians are a policial group as well.
I enjoyed the article. Overall it touched on some the different aspects of Rasterianianism. Unlike other readings that look at Rastas who live in mountains, I appreciate that you wrote about Rastas within the city context. With the Supreme Court recent ruling that employers can legally deny jobs to people whose hair is loc, this article is important because it shows that locs is not just a hairstyle. But a resistance to white supremacy and white beauty standards impose onto blacks. For some, it is a part of their black identities.
The article principally focuses on the struggles and misrepresentation that Rastafarians receive throughout the world. They are portrayed as being the bad and evil when in reality the bad and evil are the white settlers who wish to suppress the poor and maintain their status as the lower class. Rastas not only deal with white settlers, those who are of Upper Class as well make business with these white settlers to benefit them. They misrepresent them by placing them in films as the bad ones and as well letting visitors know to stay in the tourist section. Other actions such as the norm of smoking a spliff something that is part of the Rastas culture they arrest them, and place fines on the poor making their lifestyle harder to follow because they continue to invade and rain on their parade. Rastafarianism is part of a lifestyle based on discipline and faith. Their overall purpose is to resist any oppression made to the people by the whites who treat them with inequality they arrest them, and place fines on them. Resistance meant to the Rastas that they were defending the Black inequality that was active.
I appreciated this article on rastafarianism. It definitely gave me a lot more history and context on it and its culture. Being of Jamaican descent,
I did have some understanding, but given this first-hand account I’m able to perceive things better. I wasn’t aware that Rastafarianism is practiced in other nations so that was insightful; in addition to knowing its origins and leaders etc. On a side note, I was happy to read the patois!
It is interesting to learn about Rastafarianism, which I was not aware the existed. It is good to hear that they are united all over the world and that they continue to have their own culture. I found it interesting that the Christian religion is important in their culture. I found it important to know that their hair was a symbol of resistance.
This article was very informative about Rastafarians which I was not informed the existed and is part of a lifestyle based on discipline and faith. You start really knowing people until you get to know them and their lifestyle. What’s interest because smoking is a part of their culture and is something normal for them.