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The content of the present pages will be disapprea shortly
THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE (besides the rastafarians introduction below) HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR SISTER WEBSITE:
http://www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/the_rastafarians/the_rastafarians_main.htm
INTRODUCTION TO THE RASTAFARIANS CULTURE AND HISTORY (see RASTAFARIANS FULL VERSION):
THE RASTAFARIANS:
Chapter
Where Go the Rastafarians?
We have shown that the Rastafarian movement is the most recent expression of
that large class of Jamaican society which historically resists domination in
a society where power at the apex is enjoyed by the few well-born, perpetuated
and maintained by this small elite at the expense and sufferings of the masses.
We have also seen that resistance by the powerless mass of African descent most
often took on a messianic-millenarian overtone, deeply religious in nature,
with victory rooted in the hope that the power of the supernatural would overcome
might with moral right. The religious roots always form outside of the institutional
churches in the island whether it be the Black Baptists with their African syncretism
or the mythic identification with ancient Ethiopia.
Our study of the Rastafarians took us through their emerging stage, which we
alluded to as the stage of revitalization; people under stress deliberately
organizing themselves in a movement to construct a more satisfying alternative
to oppressive conditions. Generally, this first stage of the movement may take
on the spirit of flight referred to as millenarianism; or it may offer aggressive
resistance to the society under charismatic leadership in which case the movement
is called messianic. The Rastafarians exhibit examples of both. This dual nature
of the Rastafarian movement is seen in our analysis entitled "ambivalent
routinization." We further saw that socioreligious movements such as the
Rastafarians develop momentum as they begin to routinize within the society.
Aspects of this are discussed under rituals, symbols, and other cultural dynamics,
all of which often prove fruitful as social catalysts for the emergence of new
identity and cultural creativity.
Under normal circumstances, the writing of a book such at this would end in
a summary or conclusion, but just as this research came to an end, a new chapter
of the Rastafarian movement was opened with the death of Haile Selassie, the
God-figure of the movement. At this point this new chapter, "Where Go the
Rastafarians?" arose in my mind. In light of this new development we must
now look at the effect of the death of Haile Selassie on the movement, paying
particular attention to the words of the leaders themselves, and seeking to
place the movement in perspective by comparing it with similar events in other
movements. We shall close the chapter with some predictions based on the movement's
strength and the real-politik of the Jamaican society at present.
The Death of the Deity
When news of the political up heavals in Ethiopia was made known to the outside world, very few people imagined that it would eventually lead to the dethronement of Haile Selassie, one of the most revered monarchs in history. But developments were so swift and the implications so grave that the outside world could do nothing but gaze with astonishment. Very few Western nations knew of the internal politics of this fabled land. The spiritual aura surrounding the King of Kings gave the impression that everything was well in "the land of the gods," but this was not so. The wind of change had now caught up with Ethiopia and the end of Haile Selassie's reign. Throughout these developments, the Rastafarians remained undisturbed. To them the king stood above politics and whatever was being written in the Western press was nothing but dangerous propaganda. It was my privilege to interview a few of the leading brethren on their opinion of the incidents leading to his dethronement just three weeks before the death of Haile Selassie. This is how Ras "B" saw it:
Rastafarians have seen the overthrow of many kings and heads of states since I was born. Many who have been overthrown have either been assassinated, exiled, or things like that. In the case of Haile Selassie, we have seen no such thing. What we do believe are the things told us by people coming out of the land, and we have been assured that his removal is only an internal constitutional change within the Ethipian government. What the Zionist presses throughout the world have told us concerning the King still leaves the Rastafarians unshaken in our beliefs in the King's divinity and the imminent return. The Rastas are not in the habit of believing the press. Nothing that takes place in Ethiopia politically affects our beliefs. Our beliefs in the divinity and invincibility of the King are ones that are unshakable.
Here is the attitude of a true believer. He is not confused with so-called facts, his belief is his truth. The King is invincible and anything that suggests the contrary must be disbelieved. Faith so expressed needs no proof. The following statement by Ras "D" is even more enlightening about the faith of the brethren in their King. To my question: "What is your assessment of the present situation in Ethiopia?" he replied:
What I and I have read in the so-called Press does not satisfy us. I and I realize that a situation exists in Ethiopia. The soldiers and students were asking for certain things and His Majesty had agreed that these things should be given. The armed forces got militant and carried out some reforms. But we say that these reforms were carried out with the consent of His Majesty and we have concluded that what is taking place is the cleaning up of Zion. Zion must be clean. Certain of the hierarchy surrounding His Majesty have been dishonest and the armed forces have gotten rid of them. I and I in Jamaica do not see that it is our concern to go into the internal politics of Ethiopia. Right now his Majesty is free. He is free to travel and to perform his duty. If he leaves the throne he is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords for us. As soon as his mandates are carried out, the soldiers will re-instate him.
My next question was: "Would his death cause any problems is the movement?" or "Would it be similar to that of the leader of the Black Muslims?" Ras "D" replied:
Well, Elijah Muhammad was only a Messenger of God. Haile Selassie is the Almighty God. If death should come into the picture, we would have to return to the Bible to clarify that. Death does not figure among the Rastafarians. God is a God of the living, not of the dead. So we do not think about death. Even so, take Christ, when the Messiah first revealed himself in the person of Christ, he said at his departure that he would come again. He did not die, he gave himself. Should this happen again, the second return would be like the first. We do not know now, but the time will come when this will be revealed. It is only a Rastafarian who can understand this. One must seek first the kingdom of His Majesty before one can understand these things.
A careful reading of this quotation will show that the Rastafarians have a
rather explicit theological foundation for the movement. The speaker was quick
to distinguish between the role of Elijah Muhammad and that of Haile Selassie.
Elijah Muhammad was a Messenger of God; Haile Selassie was the Almighty God.
And influenced by the Christian doctrine of Christ being God revealed, he associates
Haile Selassie with the messiahship of Jesus as contained in the Gospel of St.
Mark. Haile Selassie, then, is the returned messiah whose nature is revealed
only to true Rastafarians. Death does not figure in Rastafarian theology, so
the death of the King would only be a transformation from the temporal body.
The idea of a revelation was brought out in the answer of Ras "T"
when he said:
As to the so-called dethronement, I and I who believe firmly, Ras Tafari is still our divine Imperial Majesty. His so-called removal is only a temporary thing, he is still our spiritual head and God and King of Earth. To some who are not grounded, it is a great shaking up; but it has not caused any deflection. If anything, it has caused deep reflection and even a deeper replenishing of our faith. We see this as a part of the prophecy of the Bible which speaks of great tribulation in heaven. The Bible says that there will be a time when the King will persecuted for many things and will be called names and things like that. His experience in Ethiopia is just one experience of the problems that Rastafarians will pass through. This, however, is merely temporal. The spiritual side is enriched as a result of this. It has been a healing process. Since the King came here in 1966, we Rastafarians have been looking for a revelation.
The most dramatic revelation has been the death of the King in August of 1975.
His death caused many to seek out the Rastafarians for some words of wisdom
about their future. But to the surprise of many, the Rastafarians, true to their
doctrine about death, did not show any emotional response. To them, the King
had not died, he had only moved away from the temporal scene in order to carry
out his work as God and King in the spiritual realm. As spirit, he will be much
more accessible to his followers both in Ethiopia and in Jamaica. One needs
only to call his name and enter into his spiritual vibrations to feel his power.
Students of religious movements should find this nothing new. Of the many deaths
of religious founders one comes vividly to mind---the well known leader Father
Divine whose missions in the United States, Germany, and Australia have been
written on, and whose enterprises were believed by many to have been dependent
solely upon the charisma of the founder. Many thought his movement would suddenly
fall apart at his death, but this has not come to pass. In every one of his
multimillion-dollar enterprises his presence is acknowledged. The present author,
who was visited the Father Divine headdquarters yearly since 1953, can find
no evidence for the imminent demise of this movement. In their services and
banquets, the empty chair of Father Divine represents his living presence among
his followers. He is addressed as if alive and members testify to their continued
communication with him.
The death of founders does not severly affect religious movements; it often
deepens the faith of the followers as the last quotation implies. In the case
of Rastafarians, Haile Selassie is not seen as a founder; he has only a religious
connection with the movement. He is only a God-figure to the members who see
him as a mythical ancestor of the Black race and this only because Haile Selassie
occupied the throne of Ethiopia, which really is at the heart of the movement.
Ethiopianism, then, meant more than Haile Selassie. The King, his throne, and
the land, have a combined ontological concept in Rastafarianism; the King played
but one part. The concept of the King played only a unifying function in the
development of the movement, a collective self-discovery device for that segment
of the society from which the movement evolved. The real force of the movement
is the concept of Ethiopianism, Haile Selassie being only a part of the Godhead.
The Herb Is the Thing
If it is agreed that the God-figure Haile Selassie may not be the most dominant
force in the movement's ideology, what then is the real center? The real center
of the movement's religiosity is the revelatory dimensions brought about by
the impact of the "holy herb." Under this influence the person of
Haile Selassie is transformed into that supernatural reality or a cosmic significance
befitting a racial redeemer. To the Rastafarians the average Jamaican is so
brainwashed by colonialism that his entire system is programmed in the wrong
way. He is thus unable to perceive of himself as a Black man; his response to
the world is conditioned by unseen forces due to European acculturation. To
rid his mind of these psychic forces his head must be "loosened up,"
something done only through the use of the herb. The herb enables one to see
one's true self. A true revelation of Black race; it rids the mind of social
and psychological "hang ups" by altering one's state of consciousness,
revealing the true nature of the world to the inner consciousness. This done,
one's true identity can be experienced, including the revelation that Haile
Selassie is God and that Ethiopia is the home of the Blacks.
According to the Rastafarians, the structure of Jamaican society is inhuman
and cannot provide the psychic nutrients demanded by the Blacks who originated
in the satisfying cultures of Africa. They see Jamaica as death oriented; redeeming
values for human life are absent; success in the society is defined largely
in terms of having money and a certain standard of living. To them the work
roles which yield this money and standard of living are spiritually de-meaning
and unsatisfying; so, rather than strive for this kind of upward mobility, they
have opted for the simple life. This poverty, however, is voluntary, free from
the pressures and dictates of a dying culture. By withdrawing from the acquisitive
society into a counterculture, they believe that they will be able to redefine
themselves and restructure their values with new norms and goals.
The herb is the key to new understanding of the self, the universe, and God.
It is the vehicle to cosmic consciousness; it introduces one to levels of reality
not ordinarily perceived by the non-Rastafarians, and it develops a certain
sense of fusion with all living beings. According to a leading Rastafarian:
Man basically is God but this insight can come to man only with the use of the herb. When you use the herb, you experience yourself as God. With the use of the herb you can exist in this dismal state of reality that now exists in Jamaica. You cannot change man, but you can change yourself by the use of the herb. When you are God you deal or relate to people like a God. In this way you let your light shine, and when each of us lets his light shine we are creating a God-like culture and this is the cosmic unity that we try to achieve in the Rastafarian community.
The Rastafarian movement is presently alive and well. The movement has not been visibly affected by the death of their deity. If anything, his death strengthened the group, for the real source of the movement's vitality is not in a belief but in an experience brought about by a liberating ideology. The hallucinogenic state caused the herb reinforces this. The sacramental use of the herb has the similar effect of the spirit-filled consciousness of Christianity; it is the vehicle to the spiritual world, the revealer of hidden things, and the comforter in times of distress. Through this energizer of life great feats are accomplished. The totality of the Rastafarian experience, as they themselves report it, seems sufficient to establish the movement's existence as a religious alternative for its followers. The future of the movement can only be predicted with caution.
Assessing the Future
THIS SECTION OF THE WEBSITE (besides the rastafarians introduction below) HAS BEEN MOVED TO OUR SISTER WEBSITE:
http://www.rootsreggaeclub.com/culture_reggae_afro/the_rastafarians/the_rastafarians_main.htm
INTRODUCTION TO THE RASTAFARIANS CULTURE AND HISTORY (see RASTAFARIANS FULL VERSION):
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