rastafari on a whole was persecuted in our country for been,'the black heart man'.With no recognition rastafari upheld their beliefs and stood for something that was great within jamaica ,also the idolatry of marcus garvey .
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in the parish of St. Ann, in 1887. Garvey became a prominent leader in the fight for equality. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which set about to bring all Africans in diaspora back to Africa. He wanted to see Africans become proud of being African and proud of Africa, their homeland."Our desire is for a place in the world; not to disturb the tranquility of other men, but to lay down our burden and rest our weary backs and feet by the banks of the Niger and sing our songs and chant our hymns to the God of Ethiopia." Africa, he taught, was the founder of all civilizations, it was there from which all mankind had formed."His message, therefore, called for the decolonization of Africa, that is, freedom from political and military control, as well as freedom from institutional, such as religious, control." Garvey's message called for this change to come by encouraging all Africans to join into one large group since they all had similar needs and goals. The idea of uniting together to cause change is essential if any movement is to succeed. Garvey realized this and used it to advance the African race to move together as one. Education and respect for oneself were two other points of Garvey's ideology of racial uplift. A"new ideology, 'liberation before migration,' has become the routinization technique of the younger members of the movement and has worked wonders in the adjustment of Rastafarians to the realities of Jamaican life."This new outlook stresses that it is important to gain freedom at home, before traveling abroad to find freedom. This new ideology has gained strength through the voice of Sam Brown. To Rastafarians, like Brown,"repatriation consisted of erasing one interpretation . . . the Babylonian one--and restoring another--the African and/or Ethiopian one." Sam Brown was born in the parish of Trelawny in 1925. He was a devout follower of Rastafarianism and has since become a major leader of the movement. In 1961, he entered politics as the candidate for the Black Man's Party. He was the first Rastafarian to stress that liberation before repatriation was absolutely necessary."Members of the Rastafarian Movement are an inseparable part of the Black people of Jamaica. As such we cannot and do not proclaim any higher aims than the legitimate aims and aspirations of the Black people of Jamaica." Although his entry into politics proved unsuccessful, his views have become an integral part of the movement.
The beliefs which the Rastafarians hold have enabled its followers to gain strength in numbers. The movement has evolved from a small, sheltered group of followers to a world-wide pattern of shouting 'Down Babylon.' The belief in black power and the end of oppression find their roots in Ethiopianism."The national anthem of the Garvey movement--which has been adopted by the Rastafarians--expresses the mythic dimension of this ideology in military fervor.
Reggae music is an important means of transporting vital messages of Rastafarianism. The musician becomes the messenger, and as Rastafarians see it,"the soldier and the musician are tools for change." Reggae' message crosses international borders and deals with themes that cut across all aspects of humanity. Reggae evokes a message of universal suffrage, and in doing so spreads a theme of class consciousness to the poor, illiterate, and oppressed."It still serves as a social safety valve through which oppressed peoples express their discontent." This theme of unity is matched with the idea that social change is not long in the coming, and that the change will be for the better of all. Reggae also states that it is possible to enjoy life even in the presence of tragedy, since there is always a hope for improvement. Music is an important part of the Jamaican way of life, and reggae music has become a means of expressing the discontent found in Jamaican society. As a social commentary, reggae is a powerful means of attacking what is wrong in Jamaica, as well as the rest of the world. Police beatings, jail time, love, gang warfare, poverty, downpression, ganja, and rastafarian beliefs are all dealt with in reggae music."The music of Rastafarians is not only an artistic creation in the Jamaican society, but an expression of deep seated social rage." Early reggae artists, such as Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Burning Spear, brought the message of Rastafarianism into the musical world. It is hard to image that Rastafarianism would have spread outside of Jamaica without the aid of reggae music."Bob Marley gave the poor a voice in the international arena of ideas."The voice Marley and others represented said that the time for change had come, and it will be soon that the walls of Babylon fall. The message of change has been more recently carried on by newer artists like Buju Banton, Tony Rebel, Luciano, and Capleton."When the messages are heard, each and everyone will take head and listen to the master's call.""Reggae music make we chant down Babylon." Early reggae artists were set on opening the eyes of Jamaicans to the goals of the Rastafarians. They showed, through their music, the sufferings of the people of Jamaica, and believed the end of this suffering to be the final showdown. The songs issued warnings to the oppresors that the end of their unfair rule was about to come,"woe to the downpressor, they'll eat the bread of sorrow." The message of Rastafarians was broadcast world-wide by the rise of Bob Marley as an international star. When he entered that arena, Marley opened the door for other reggae artists to further advance the ideas of Rastafarians. Another member of Marley's band, the Wailers, was Peter Tosh,"the angry rebel who was increasingly conscious of black history."His views were far more drastic than Marley's; he strongly believed that Babylon must be physically thrown down before there could be any type of freedom in Jamaica."I and I step to this planet they call Jamaica, not to be condemned by men, but because of the illegal shitstem designed by the slave drivers. Sounds like a joke, but the facts are what is joke to you is death to him." The viewpoints that Tosh held were highly revolutionary, but they clearly showed his ultimate goal."What's in the darkness must be revealed to the light, we're not here to judge what's good from bad, but to do the things that are right." The message of chanting 'Down Babylon' was introduced by these and other early artists, and it has continued to be carried on by newer artists. As reggae music evolves, the message that it carries has been returned to song after song. After all, the conditions have not been vastly improved, and the cause of them has not disappeared either. With a new approach to music, artists such as Sizzla, Tony Rebel, and Capleton have emerged as the next generation of reggae artists. Their style has since been named dancehall. They have consistently broadcast their beliefs in Rastafarianism, and the final fall of Babylon."This is a warning to all pharaoh, all false leaders, all downpressors. Them have the whole world under severe pressure, and them don't love people, them only love more power. But your days are numbered." It seems as if the theme of resistance has become more important, as more artists are realizing that it is necessary for the people of Jamaica to work together to achieve their freedom."Unity and strength, we have to combine, this is a collective mission, everyone have to join, any means necessary, a method we have to find, to stop all the war poverty, and the crime
I believe that Rastafarianism is a powerful force that must be listened to and that actions must be taken to meet their demands. Although their ideas are not unique from a suffering people, the attitude they take towards life is. They look oppression in the face, and laugh as they chant 'Down Babylon.' Their forms of expression range from acts of violence towards the Jamaican government to a peaceful means of protest through reggae music. Reggae music has become popular internationally, and as such the message of resistance has spread with it. The only thing left for people to do is to,"try try and try 'till you succeed at last." The Rastafarians have a noble cause on their hands, and the journey to Mt. Zion is hard and treacherous. Many warriors have fallen to the mercy of Babylon, early fighters like the Maroons, and later the tools of the system who kill and are killed without even knowing why. As the atrocities continue, the situation will rapidly become explosive, and more people will join the struggle. Eventually, the final trumpet will sound and the fall of Babylon will be imminent.
