Rastafari movement

The Rastafari movement, or Rasta, is a new religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate, whom they call Jah. He is also seen as part of the Holy Trinity as the messiah promised in the Bible to return. The name Rastafari comes from Ras (literally “Head,” an Ethiopian title equivalent to Duke), and Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I.

The movement emerged in Jamaica among working-class and peasant black people in the early 1930s, arising from an interpretation of Biblical prophecy partly based on Selassie’s status as the only African monarch of a fully independent state, and his titles of King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Conquering Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5). Other characteristics of Rastafari include the spiritual use of cannabis, and various Afrocentric social and political aspirations, such as the teachings of Jamaican publicist, organiser, and black separatist Marcus Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet), whose political and cultural vision helped inspire a new world view.

The Rastafari movement has spread throughout much of the world, largely through interest generated by —most notably, that of Jamaican singer/songwriter Bob Marley. By 2000, there were more than one million Rastafari faithful worldwide. About five to ten percent of Jamaicans identify themselves as Rastafari. Many Rastafarians follow an ital diet which essentially means living by the dietary Laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

Leonard Howell, who has been described as the “first Rasta,” formed a commune which grew as large as 5,000 people at a place called Pinnacle, at St. Catherine in Jamaica.

Politics

Rastafari culture does not encourage mainstream political involvement. In fact, in the early stages of the movement most Rastas did not vote, out of principle. Ras Sam Brown formed the Suffering People’s Party for the elections of 1962. Although he received fewer than 100 votes, simply standing for election was a powerful act.

In the election campaign of 1972, People’s National Party leader, Michael Manley used a prop, a walking stick given to him by Haile Selassie, which was called the “Rod of Correction”, in a direct appeal to Rastafarian values.

In the famous free One Love Peace Concert on April 22, 1978, Peter Tosh lambasted the audience, including attending dignitaries, with political demands that included decriminalising cannabis. He did this while smoking a spliff, a criminal act in Jamaica. However 5 months after this bold move Tosh was badly beaten by the Jamaican authorities. At this same concert, Bob Marley asked both then-Prime Minister Michael Manley, and opposition leader Edward Seaga onto the stage; and a famous picture was taken with all three of them holding their hands together above their heads in a symbolic gesture of peace during what had been a very violent election campaign.

Rastafari Nándor Tánczos is a prominent Green Party MP in New Zealand.

Today, Rastafari has to some extent become a socially accepted group in mainstream society, and in the United Kingdom some of them work with the police in trying to keep peace on the streets.