Rastafarian Culture

Nowadays, when you see an Afro-descendant wearing red, green and yellow colors with his hair in dreadlocks and listening to reggae music, you would tag him as a Rastafarian. In most of the cases, the individual with long hair in rolls just does it as a trend and doesn’t even know what a real Rastafarian is. Sadly, society tends to misjudge the truth behind this culture, Rastafarianism is areligious movement that was against Babylon, the white political system, and proclaimed that the black race was superior over the rest by rejecting Western values and preserving African roots; through time, Rastafarians modified their Afro centric mentality and with the help of Bob Marley, turned into a spiritual movement that has embraced not only Afro-descendants but also anyone who shares the samefeeling as them.
The slavery of black people shaped the Rastafarian movement into a search of their African roots and the rejection of the European way of living during the twentieth century. This movement was born in Jamaica when Marcus Garvey, a black political leader preached a prophecy about the coronation of a black king. Garvey’s racial philosophy looked for the superiority of black raceover the white race and their sovereignty. Basically he wanted to give his fellow people reasons to be proud of their African origin without the need of turn exactly alike into what the white society, which has depicted them since their arrival to the American continent, expected by unifying and counseling them to form their own ways of religious worship. Garvey enlightened the path to Rastafariansbeliefs when he preached: "Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your Redeemer.” This prophecy was soon fulfilled with the coronation of Tafari Makonnen or the Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia. The conception of his philosophy inspired many intellectuals, like Leonard Howell, Ferdinand Ricketts and Joseph Hibbert, among others, to formulate new religious and socialmovements. Afterwards, Leonard Howell, one of the first preachers of the Rastafarian religion, created the first branch of Rastafarians in Jamaica. According to the webpage, sacredtexts.com, Howell’s lectures encouraging hatred toward white race got him into jail in 1934, where it’s believed he wrote his work, “The Promise Key”, a shorter version of another Rastafarian book, “The Royal ParchmentScroll of Supremacy”, written by Fitz Pettersburg.
Early followers of the Rastafarian movement greatest concern were not only to show their superiority over Babylon but their repatriation to Zion as well, taking in consideration not only Garvey’s prophecy, but also a Biblical text located in Jeremiah 8:12, that says: “For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; as astonishmenthath taken hold of me.” Curiously, the Emperor Selassie didn’t consider himself as a divine entity nor he followed Rastafarians way of life. According to BBC’s article, “Rastafarian Beliefs”, the revenge against the white race was one of the principles stated by Howell in his book, The Promise Key, in which he said that white people deserved to pay for taking Africans against their will from theirhomeland Zion. Howell’s conception, regarding the European’s repayment for their abuse, influenced into his followers an attitude of antipathy towards Western civilization.
Worship in Rastafarians religion revolves in a way in which the spiritual aspect communal problems go by hand with their costumes and music. According to the article “Rastafari Movement and Marijuana” by thewayoutrecovery.comthere are two main Rastafarian rituals that involve the “holy herb”. The first reunion consists of few people meeting together, smoking marijuana, praying and discussing Rastafarian ideologies. Also, Rastafarians organize Nyabingi. In this ceremony they combine drums with melodies and chores to harmonize the meeting. Rastafarians smoke marijuana, make costumes, and follow strict dietary laws what...