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Culture: Rastafarianism
Entire books have been written about the Rastafarian
movement, but this section will only touch on some of the very basic points
about the religion. One interesting book is Millard Faristzaddi's Itations
of Jamaica and I Rastafari -- the one-volume, 1982 text is filled with
pictures of Rastafarians, poetry written about and by Rastas, and sections about
the religious creed. One of the most interesting sections discussed the
particulars about how Rastafarians speak.
Marcus Garvey planted the seeds for the movement in the
1920s, when he advocated a "back to Africa" consciousness. In
part of his teachings, he said "look to Africa, when a black king shall be
crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand" (Wilder 73).
In 1930, Ras Tafari was crowned Emporer Haile Selassie I
in Ethiopia. Many people thought he fulfilled Garvey's prophecy and looked
to him for guidance in how to begin their new way of life. The
Rastafarians (as they were known) emphasized "black pride, and the need to
regain the heritage the black race temporarily lost by straying from holy
ways" (73).
True Rastafarians live peaceful, pious lives with nothing
more than material essentials. A large part of their living includes a
study of scripture. They also "[reject] the white man's world -- the
modern "Babylon" -- and its greed, dishonesty, lasciviousness,
meat-eating habits, "devil soup" (alcohol) and chemical-oriented
technology. The two most obvious external marks of the Rasta -- his
"dreadlocks" and his proud, strutting walk -- are inspired by the
image of the lion in Selassie's title, Lion of Judah" (73).
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