Jah Live!

Jah Live!

Growth of Rastafari

Reggae & Bob Marley

Much of the awareness of Rastafari is due to reggae music, specifically Bob Marley.

Exodus

Exodus: Movement Of Jah People!

Men And People Will Fight Ya Down

When Ya See Jah Light

Let Me Tell You If You're Not Wrong;

Everything Is All Right.

So We Gonna Walk Through De Roads Of Creation:

We The Generation

Trod Through Great Tribulation.

Exodus, Movement Of Jah People!

Exodus: Movement Of Jah People!

Uh! Open Your Eyes And Look Within:

Are You Satisfied

We Know Where We're Going,

We Know Where We're From.

We're Leaving Babylon,

We're Going To Our Father Land.

Exodus: Movement Of Jah People!

Send Us Another Brother Moses!

From Across The Red Sea!

Send Us Another Brother Moses!

From Across The Red Sea!

Movement Of Jah People!

Redemption Song

Old Pirates, Yes, They Rob I;

Sold I To The Merchant Ships,

Minutes After They Took I

From The Bottomless Pit.

But My Hand Was Made Strong

By The 'And Of The Almighty.

We Forward In This Generation

Triumphantly.

Won't You Help To Sing

These Songs Of Freedom? -

'Cause All I Ever Have:

Redemption Songs;

Redemption Songs.

Emancipate Yourselves From Mental Slavery;

None But Ourselves Can Free Our Minds.

Have No Fear For Atomic Energy,

'Cause None Of Them Can Stop The Time.

How Long Shall They Kill Our Prophets,

While We Stand Aside And Look? Ooh!

Some Say It's Just A Part Of It:

We've Got To Fulfil De Book.

Get Up, Stand Up!

Get Up, Stand Up: Stand Up For Your Rights!

Get Up, Stand Up: Stand Up For Your Rights!

Get Up, Stand Up: Stand Up For Your Rights!

Get Up, Stand Up: Don't Give Up The Fight!

Preacherman, Don't Tell Me,Heaven Is Under The Earth.

I Know You Don't Know What Life Is Really Worth.

It's Not All That Glitters Is Gold;

'Alf The Story Has Never Been Told:

So Now You See The Light, Eh! Stand Up For Your Rights.

Most People Think,Great God Will Come From The Skies,

Take Away Everything And Make Everybody Feel High.

But If You Know What Life Is Worth,

You Will Look For Yours On Earth:

And Now You See The Light,

You Stand Up For Your Rights. Jah!

We Sick An' Tired Of-A Your Ism-Skism Game -

Dyin' 'N' Goin' To Heaven In-A Jesus' Name, Lord.

We Know When We Understand:Almighty God Is A Living Man.

You Can Fool Some People Sometimes,

But You Can't Fool All The People All The Time.

So Now We See The Light (What You Gonna Do?),We Gonna Stand Up For Our Rights! (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!)

It is estimated that there are about 1 million Rastafari throughout the world. Roughly 25% live in Jamaica, accounting for between 3-5% of Jamaica's population. Rastafari has seen growth around the world, especially in African nations such as Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ghana.

A Brief Overview of Rastafari

Colonial Jamaica

• settled by Spanish; lightly populated
• 1655 - conquered by British
• mainly a transit point; Port Royal, Captain Henry Morgan
• 18th Century - Jamaica becomes lucrative sugar colony
• by 1800, slaves outnumber whites 20:1
• development of Maroon Country in central Jamaica
• 1834 - slavery abolished in British Empire
• replaced by apprenticeship system until 1838
• many Jamaicans of African decent remained destitute
• unofficial caste system prevailed
• through early 20th Century, most black Jamaicans maintained a very low self image

Biblical Africa

Ceremonies

Reasoning

• Noah -> Ham -> Cush: Cush = 'black' in Hebrew
• Genesis 10 describes lineage of Cush and identifies locations in Africa
• land of Ethiopia referenced many times in both Old and New Teastament
• Amos 9:7 "Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt? and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?"

Purpose is group discussion while smoking cannabis. Person of honor lights the 'herb' and makes a short statement, then smokes and passes clockwise. In times of war, 'herb' is passed counterclockwise. Purpose is to commune and reason with Jah.

Groundation

The Coming of a Savior

Foundations

Divisions within Rastafari

Holy Day, sometimes called a binghi. Days are marked by singing, dancing, feasting, and smoking the 'herb'. Typical groundation days are:

January 7 - Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas

March 25 - Birthday of Empress Menen

April 21 - Anniversary of Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica

May 25 - African Liberation Day

June 16 - Birthday of Leonard P Howell

July 23 - Birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie I

August 17 - Birthday of Marcus Garvey

September 11 - Ethiopian New Year

November 2 - Coronation of Haile Selassie I

Principles of Faith

• Rastas do not consider themselves a religion
• part of a movement, belief system, lifestyle
• no churches or temples
• no organized hierarchy

• According to tradition, monarchs of Ethiopia were part of Solomonic Dynasty by way of Menelik I
• 1 Kings 10:13 "And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba all of her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants."
• African people as children of Israel
• 225th in line: Tafari Makonnen; born July 1892
• titled as youth Ras Tafari
• baptized in Ethiopian Orthodox Church as Haile Selassie meaning 'Power of the Trinity'
• 1930 - crowned as Emperor of Ethiopia
• 38 titles given, including 'King of Kings', 'Elect of God', 'Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah'

Garveyism

Bobo Ashanti

• expanded trinity
• communal
• militant

• Haile Selassie I is Jesus incarnate
• referred to as Jah Ras Tafari
• Jah = hebrew Yahweh
• Africa, specifically Ethiopia, is Zion
• Western society is corrupt and materialistic: Babylon
• Jah exists in the form of the Holy Trinity
• Holy Spirit lives within human beings; refer to themselves as 'I and I'; refer to we as 'I and I'
• believe in equality of races and genders

3 main sects/ orders

Nyahbinghi Order

• oldest
• Old Testament faith
• non-violent

12 Tribes of Israel

• most recent
• most liberal
• Bob Marley

One Love

Dreads

Pillars and Practices of the Rasta

• associated with Rasta beliefs
• not universal nor necessary
• Leviticus 21:5 "They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh."
• symbolize the lion of Judah in its struggles against Babylon

Jah, Ras Tafari

• Marcus Garvey promoted black pride throughout the 1920s and 1930s (Black Nationalism; Pan-Africanism)
• influential among lower classes in Jamaica
• exiled by Jamaican colonial government
• Harlem - 'Back to Africa' movement
• returns to Jamaica
• 1927 - "Look to Africa, for there a black king shall be crowned"
• will be seen as a prophet; a 2nd John the Baptist

Ital Diet

The Truth About Ganja

The Centrality of His Imperial Majesty

(HIM)

The King of Kings

The Birth of Faith

• smoking cannabis is considered a spiritual act
• often accompanied by scriptural study
• seen as a sacrament that cleanses the mind, calms the body, heals the soul, and brings them closer to Jah
• commonly referred to as ganja
• Rasta call it the 'holy herb'
• See numerous references in the Bible
• Genesis 1:11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit...."
• Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man"
• believe that cannabis was the first plant to grow on the grave of King Solomon
• Rasta reason that because it opens the mind to truth, Babylon scorns it and makes it illegal

• Emperor Haile Selassie I ruled Ethiopia as only African country free from European colonial rule
• 1935 - named Time Magazine Person of the Year; 1st black person to appear on cover
• only black leader accepted by kings and queens of Europe
• exiled during Italian invasion:May 5, 1936 - May 5, 1941
• returned to help free his people from captivity
• Ethiopia becomes charter member of United Nations

• follow much of the dietary laws of Old Testament
• limited consumption of meat
• no pork or shellfish
• mostly vegan or vegetarian
• few additives or processed goods
• alcohol is discouraged; seen as a tool of Babylon to confuse the mind

• 1932 - Leonard P Howell begins preaching to the impoverished and desperate of Jamaica about the hope Selassie signifies
• writes 'The Promised Key'
• others note exceptionalism of Selassie; possible divinity
• narrative begins to form around Judeo-Christian principles
• African people as chosen people of God: Israel
• Western society, since time of Rome, has been corrupt and racist; has intentionally hidden the truth in order to enslave African people
• refer to white society as 'Babylon'
• life in Jamaica represents Babylonian captivity
• Selassie represents (or is) the Messiah who has returned to deliver his people
• message and faith grows; many believe it as truth and believe in Jah Ras Tafari
• April 21, 1966 - Haile Selassie I visits Jamaica
• 1975 - death of Haile Selassie I