Synopsis
Born in Jamaica, Marcus Garvey was an orator for the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. Garvey advanced a Pan-African philosophy which inspired a global mass movement, known as Garveyism. Garveyism would eventually inspire others, from the Nation of Islam to the Rastafari movement.
http://www.biography.com/people/marcus-garvey-9307319
Marcus Garvey strived for Black repatriation to Africa. Both Whites and Blacks would have been better off if it would have taken place.
http://www.whitenewsnow.com/lounge-white-patriots/8738-marcus-garvey-repatriation-all-blacks-africa.html
Rastafari: Repatriation or Bust
Rhea Vrana-Taylor
UNST 123G: Forbidden Knowledge
Professor Martha J. Bianco
8 June 2006
Abstract
In this paper, I explore the influence made by
Marcus Mosiah Garvey on the Rastafari movement. I outline the fundamental
beliefs of the Rastafari, noting comparisons between the Rastafari, Garvey, and
Black nationalist movements, focusing specifically on the concept of
repatriation to Africa as a leading
inspiration for Blacks of the African Diaspora to attain liberation from
oppressive social constructs. I then explore ways in which the concept of
repatriation helped Black populations, displaced by slavery, to reconstruct
their perception of self and community identity by taking pride in their
African heritage.
Introduction
Emperor
Selassie is the only foundation
Only Emmanuel relieve
the frustration
You want to be free
from the corruption
Me tell you such is
life from the creation
Only Marcus Garvey
show the situation
I only chant fi
repatriation
These lyrics in this song, “What Does it Worth?” by
Sizzla, exemplify the most valued beliefs of the Rastafari movement. The
references reveal the degree of importance and respect to which the Rastafari
honor Haile Selassie I and the desire to be liberated from “Babylon ,”
a term “referent to oppressive empire” (Davidson 5), through the repatriation
of Blacks to Africa . Repatriation, the
so-called “path to freedom” inspired by Marcus Mosiah Garvey, is not only a
consistent theme in reggae music and the Rastafari culture overall, but appears
to preserve a belief that the return of all black people to Ethiopia will right
the painful history of slavery and oppression to which those of African descent
have endured.
In examining the entirety of the
African Diaspora, one can pinpoint the influence of Garvey and his “Back to Africa ” campaign on the Rastafari movement. Though Garvey’s
influence involved more than encouraging return to Africa, the concept of
repatriation proved influential to poor and oppressed Jamaican (and other)
Blacks, inspiring them to take pride in their “blackness” and to connect with
their African roots. “The idea of Africa as a home not only offered hope for
the most oppressed within the African Diaspora, but it led to the development
of positive Black ethnoracial self-conceptions and Black empowerment” (Singh
302). I will prove that the concept of repatriation instilled hope to many who,
through generations of oppression, experienced a misconstrued concept or lack
of identity as result of physical and cultural displacement. I will present
ways in which Marcus Garvey influenced development of the Rastafari movement,
and how repatriation, as concept more so than action, influenced poor and
oppressed Black Jamaicans to capture the power of self-definition and to take
pride in their African heritage.
Through this essay, I will
examine the history of the Rastafari movement and the development of the
“Rasta” belief system, focusing specifically on the significance of the concept
of repatriation to Africa . I will explore
various ways in which Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a notable influence on the
Rastafari movement. I will then outline ways in which the concept of
repatriation to Africa empowered followers of
the Rastafari movement by reinterpreting their concepts of identity and
reestablishing pride in their African heritage.
Garvey the Prophet
Jamaican-born Marcus Mosiah
Garvey (1887-1940) committed himself to advocating cultural and racial
awareness, human rights, and equal opportunity for the Black/African race
around the world. As a dedicated and influential leader and the founder of the
Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), Garvey earned many followers
(including the so-called “Garveyites”) while spreading inspiration to many
Black nationalist movements, such as the Rastafari. “Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a
committed Afrocentrist who underscored the need for Blacks to interpret their
own history and control their own destiny in Africa
and the black diaspora” (Hutton and Murrell 42). During a speech given in 1929,
Garvey stated: “Look to Africa , for there a
king will be crowned.” Not a year later, in November of 1930, Ras Tafari
Makonnen was crowned as the new emperor of Ethiopia
Development of the Rastafari Movement
The Rastafarian movement
originated during the 1930s, shortly after the coronation of Haile Selassie,
among the poorest of the black lower class in the ghettos of Kingston , Jamaica Jamaica
Rastafari Beliefs and Symbolism.
The development of the Rastafari
movement (considered more a movement than a religion) was greatly dependent on
reinterpretations of religious literature, an aspect to which Garvey was a
significant influence. “Garvey’s Afrocentric interpretation of the Bible and
his Ethiopianist vision and philosophy of Blackness … also influenced the
Rastafarians” (Murrell and Williams 330). Although religiously influenced, “Rasta
is not a church with an official doctrine, but a belief system that concerns
spiritual, social, and historical matters” (Swagga.com), all of which have been
reinterpreted in accordance to the Rastafarian “philosophy.” Rastas have
extreme faith in the power of word, an element of the movement that is
reflected through their use speech, a dialect known as “Iyaric”. Through
careful examination of Standard English, Rastas replace any negatively
perceived connotation with a positive alternative. For example, instead of
responding with the words “I understand,” a Rasta would say, “I overstand,” to demonstrate a sense of
equality in his response to another. It is to this degree that “Rastafarians
believe that a word can kill or cure and that every word carries a vibration”
(Simpson 289). Hence the Rastafari saying “jus word, sound, pawwa,” which
simply states the three
most important elements
of the Rastafarian philosophy: words, sound (reggae music), and power (through
liberation). Reggae music is a crucial expressive element for the Rastafari
because it encompasses these key elements and is “effective in areas with high
illiteracy,” as are the ghettos of Jamaica
most important elements
of the Rastafarian philosophy: words, sound (reggae music), and power (through
liberation). Reggae music is a crucial expressive element for the Rastafari
because it encompasses these key elements and is “effective in areas with high
illiteracy,” as are the ghettos of
Source:
Literacy and Non formal Education Sector, Estimation and Projection of UNESCO
Institute for Statistics of Adult Illiteracy for Population Aged 15 Year Old
and above, by Country.
This
chart displays literacy rates in Jamaica Jamaica
Interpretations of Repatriation
Rastafari is an African way of
life. Our deity is African, our prophet is African, our signs and symbols and
philosophy are also African. Therefore, to live according to the principles of
Rastafari is to live out the essence of an African way of life. This is the
depth with which we are able to take the concept of repatriation. (Erskine 48)
As Black nationalist movements,
such as the Rastafari, emerged in consequence to slavery and the African
Diaspora, a desire for and belief in an eventual return to the “homeland,” Africa , comes as little surprise. “The idea of Africa as
home not only offered hope for the most oppressed within the African Diaspora,
but it led to the development of positive Black ethnoracial self-conceptions
and Black empowerment” (Sing 302). Yet just as Jamaica ’s
middle class was fearful of the Rastafari movement overall, “the wider society
was particularly critical of this Rastatenet [repatriation to Ethiopia ] since it represented a threat to the
fundamental idea of a nation of ‘Jamaicans for Jamaica
Alas,
Garvey’s dream of a complete repatriation of Blacks to Africa
was never fulfilled to the extent that he anticipated and, as sociologist Noel
Erskine notes, Garvey “was not unaware of problems associated with [physical]
repatriation” (30). Even though a desire for repatriation is still commonly
expressed in reggae music lyrics, it is apparent that the concept has
transformed to accommodate the people. Rastafarians “have reinterpreted
repatriation, that Africa is not so much a place for them to go to as it is a
state of mind to inhabit” (Barrett 425).
Identity Shift
Although physical repatriation to Africa has not
been be fulfilled as Garvey or the founding Rastafari originally hoped,
followers learned that “idea of Africa as ‘home’ can be a psychologically,
culturally and spiritually empowering experience – all of which are important
ingredients for creating positive ethno-racial self-conceptions of self and
community” (Singh 24). For the Rastafari, recapturing this awareness of history
and taking pride in their African roots “resulted in an identity shift, from a
colonial based Euro-dominant Afro-Caribbean identity to a more localized
African-centered identity” (Singh 19).
To participate in a form of active engagement
towards liberation, Rastafari practice what they call “reasonings.” The purpose
of these reasonings is to heighten awareness by discussing local and worldly
issues in an open communal environment. The act of these “reasonings” emulates
“a form of what liberation theologian and educator Paulo Freire calls
‘conscientization’ – arousing people’s consciousness and sense of
self-redemption from the bottom up, with liberating significance” (Murrell and
Taylor 399). In using these tools towards achieving liberation, “Rastas seized
the power of self-definition and began to raise critical questions concerning
the power of self-identification of the poor” (Erskine 126). In comparison to
Freire’s education theory, which strives for liberation through
“conscientization,” it may be argued that the Rastafari have taken the first
and most important step toward this goal. Awareness is the first step to
empower oneself and to strive toward attaining freedom.
The Rastafarian movement has also been criticized
for other elements of their faith such as smoking of “ganja” (marijuana). Rastafarians
primarily participate in smoking marijuana during “reasonings” because they
feel that “the herb” enhances their awareness and understanding during such
gatherings. Criticism of the Rastafari goes so far to claim that participants
are not active in making change, but are rather isolating themselves with their
counter-culture lifestyle, appearance, and use of marijuana to “escape” real
issues that are facing their people, their country, and beyond.
On the other hand, the Rastafarian movement has been
acknowledged worldwide through increasingly popular reggae music, much to the
help of the late singer/songwriter Bob Marley. Also criticized for his use of
marijuana, Marley gained (himself and the Rastafari) worldwide recognition. Due
to his catchy tunes and honest lyrics, Marley gained fans worldwide who felt
they could relate to the (Rastafari) messages in his songs, such as the theme
of confronting oppression.
Conclusion
The return of all blacks to Africa may be unrealistic or even undesired, but the
concept of repatriation has evolved in such a way to benefit and uplift black
populations displaced by slavery, such as the Rastafari. For Garvey, “the
greatest and most enduring impact of slavery and colonialism is psychological”
(Hutton and Murrell 45). He believed that the first and most important step
towards liberation was to free the mind, and once this was achieved, then would
come physical. In opposition of oppression, the Rastafari movement was able to
reclaim their pride and sense of identity through acknowledging their African heritage.
It was through desire to return to a long lost “home,” that the Rastafari, in a
sense, achieved liberation through bringing their “home” home to Jamaica
REFERENCES
Barrett, Leonard. Interview with
Indigo Bethea, Michael Bruny, and Adrian A. McFarlane. “Emissaries of
Rastafari: An Interview with Professor Leonard Barrett.” Chanting Down Babylon S. Murrell , William
D. Spencer, and Adrian A. McFarlane. Philadelphia :
Temple Univ.
Davidson
Erskine, Noel Leo. From
Garvey to Marley. Tampa : University Press of
Florida
Hutton, Clinton, and Nathaniel
Samuel Murrell. “Rastas’ Psychology of Blackness, Resistance, and
Somebodiness.” Chanting Down Babylon S. Murrell ,
William D. Spencer, and Adrian A. McFarlane. Philadelphia :
Temple Univ.
Lewis, Rupert. “Marcus Garvey and
the Early Rastafarians: Continuity and Discontinuity.” Chanting Down Babylon S. Murrell , William
D. Spencer, and Adrian A. McFarlane. Philadelphia :
Temple Univ.
Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel, and
Burchell K. Taylor. “Rastafari’s Messianic Ideology and Caribbean Theology of
Liberation.” Chanting Down Babylon S. Murrell ,
William D. Spencer, and Adrian A. McFarlane. Philadelphia :
Temple Univ.
Murrell, Nathaniel S., and Lewin
Williams. “The Black Biblical Hermeneutics of Rastafari.” Chanting Down Babylon S. Murrell , William
D. Spencer, and Adrian A. McFarlane. Philadelphia :
Temple Univ.
“Rasta and Reggae Music” The
Afrocentric Experience. 20 May 2006 <http://www.swagga.com/rastareggae.html>.
Simpson, George Eaton. “Religion
and Justice: Some Reflections on the Rastafari Movement.” Phylon 46.4
(1985): 286-291.
Singh, Simboonath. “Cultures of
Exile: Diasporic Identities and the ‘Imaginations’ of Africa and India in the Caribbean .”
Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research 1.3 (2001):
289-305.
- - -. “Resistance, Essentialism,
and Empowerment in Black Nationalist Discourse in the African Diaspora: A
comparison of the Back to Africa , Black Power,
and Rastafari Movements.” Journal of African American Studies 8.3
(2004): 18-36.
No comments:
Post a Comment