HASNAOUI Nassira

M.A.P.

Groupe 2

« The Rastafarian Movement »

This civilization dossier deals with the Rastafarian Movement and is organized in three parts. The first part concerns the origins and roots of this movement, a second part is about the doctrine of Rastafari, and the last one about Bob Marley and the international dimension of Rastafari.

Each part is divided into several points except for the last one, and the dossier includes an introduction and a conclusion.

Through the beginning of the dossier, we learn that the Rastafarian movement was developed, in during of the eighteen century in Jamaica. This movement was developed in a context of colonization, but equally of slavery. Jamaica was a plantation colony, but also a distribution centre for other British and Spanish colonies in the New World.

The Rastafari was born and became for these reasons the basis of a culture of resistance. But this ideology was not confined to Jamaica and it has gained supporters in other countries because it was an expression opposed to white domination which concerned some countries in Africa.

The creation of the Rastafarian Movement was greatly inspired by the teachings of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican journalist exiled in the United States. Rastafarianism really started, in 1933-1934 (after Garvey’s prophecy) as a movement closely linked to the ancient history of Ethiopian civilization. Rastafarians grew more popular and so decided to assess their strength and unity. Moreover, Haïle Selassié ("The Lion"), the prince regent of Ethiopia, was at the origin of the OUA (Organization for the Unity of Africa) which contributed to emphasize the political rule of Africa.

At its creation, this movement was aiming at creating a worldwide confraternity of the Black race and at promoting the development of Africa into a continent of which all Blacks could be proud and eventually wished to return to.

The dossier describes the symbols, usages and expressions of this movement and their origins. We learns for example that Rastas reject the police and all political institutions, as well as medical treatment, contraception or marriage.

These conceptions are the result of the link between the Rastafarian movement and the Bible: the Rastas interpret the Old Testament as the history of the black people. According to them, the Blacks are the true Jews, subjected to the evil White race in divine punishment for their sins. But they can be redeemed by repatriation to Africa, their true home and heaven on Earth.

Paradoxically, at the beginning, this idea of repatriation and Marcus Garvey himself was supported by the Ku Klux Klan because they were favourable to a removal of all the Blacks from America. But this attitude quickly changed because the Rastafarian Movement cannot be reduced to repatriation.

The Rastafarian movement is an apolitical one; a “democratic” (because the ideas of Rastas are tolerance, justice and equal rights) and a non-violent movement. We can find these social ideas of Rastafari in their music. Its most famous interpreter, Bob Marley, and his basic message was political : an end to racial oppression, and a turning toward a black-centred Christianity that would make all blacks free.

This civilization dossier is very interesting. In conclusion, it reveals that if the message of this movement is a peaceful and representative love and unity, the doctrine reposed on the revenge against Whites for their wickedness and negation.

Nevertheless, the dossier could be improved concerning Rastafarian culture today. Nowadays, this movement has two million followers throughout the world, it would be interesting to devote a part to the impact of this movement in the context of globalization. And today, it would be interesting to use the marginality of their ideas to compare them with the sectarian movement, for example.