The Sunday News
Cetshwayo Zindabazezwe Mabhena
What has made Rastafarianism one of the most colourful and powerful belief systems of the world is its strong message and beautiful expression through music, art and the humility of the Rastafarian as a person.
The Rastafarian is at once a philosopher and an artist. Being poor and clean is a cause for both pride and peace for the Rastafarian. The modern colonial world system with all its structures of power and oppressive nature is called “The System” or just “Babylon.”
Like all other religions of the world Rastafarianism has a strong sense of ethics, the philosophy of right and wrong, in human behaviour and conduct. Being black and a victim of Babylon and the system is a central part of the Rastafarian’s world and this has given a prominent impression of Rastafarianism as a protest movement and an angry religion that never wants to forget the slavish and the colonial pasts.
Listening carefully to Rastafarian music, mainly reggae, one immediately senses that for the Rastafarians slavery and colonialism are not injustices of the past but crimes of today. Reggae, by the way, originates from the Negroe spirituals that were sang by the slaves toiling in the plantations of their captivity.
When Robert Nesta Marley, perhaps the greatest philosopher and prophet of the religion sings “chant down Babylon one more time,” he signifies the global determination of Rastafarians to bring to the end world systemic oppression of the poor and the black people of the planet. The stigma or stereotype against Rastafarians is that they are dirty and angry smokers of Marijuana that should not be taken seriously in any part of the world. That idea of being poor and clean is also forgivably seen as a glorification of poverty and celebration of misery. Yet there are very few belief systems that take cleanliness, physical and spiritual, as seriously as the Rastafarians do. More than any other religion, Rastafarianism takes world peace seriously, and justice is believed in with the emphasis of a doctrine. For justice, the Rastafarian is prepared to abandon peace and go to war. The baritone voice of Winston Hubert McIntosh, Peter Tosh, singing “I do not want no peace, what
I need is equal rights and justice” is unforgettable in its insistence on the supremacy of equal rights and justice over everything including peace itself.
The Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism of the Rastafarian is notorious. One can make the observation and the argument that Rastafarians are some kinds of black supremacists, even as they are not violent or fundamentalist in their common sense. Black and African solidarity and unity are fundamental planks of Rastafarianism.
Singing back to Michael Jackson’s habit of whitening his skin and sharpening his nose to look white, Peter Tosh lashed, “no matter where you come from, as long as you are a black man you are an African.” Colonial borders and the colonial maps that divide the world and have scattered black people all over are seen as evil by the Rastafarians that wherever they are count themselves as Africans. On its own the black is skin is the fetish and the talisman of the Rasta people. The hanging dreadlocks are a decoration to the body that is carried around as a true Temple that Bible says it is.
The Rastafarian Creed
The Rastafarians draw a lot of their legend from the Christian narrative. Why Haile Mariam Selassie was called God is because he was a descendant of Menelik who hailed from the Queen of Sheba that had relations with King Solomon. Like Jesus Christ Selassie was called the Lion of Judah. Like Islam and Christianity, therefore, the Rastafarians believe that at some point God became human and the human became divine. Specifically, the Rastafarians hold it to be true that there is a God in all of us.
The divinity of man and the humanity of divinity is another central plank of Rastafarianism that believes that paradise should not be postponed to some Heaven somewhere above but should be enjoyed here and now on this earth. It is the Whiteman’s propaganda, the Rastaman believes, that there is a big father’s house somewhere in the sky where good people will go and stay after their death. That Salvation should be here on earth in our life time is one of the demands of the Rastaman who is suspicious of promises about a good afterlife away from the earth.
The Rastaman respects nature to the point of fear. Life, all life, including that of animals and plants is treasured and respected. Language, especially speech, must always be pure, fair, loving and just. It is for that reason that the Rastafarians almost always punctuate their vocabulary with the words, “peace,” “give thanks,” “Irie man” and “brother” and “sister.” Most Rastafarians will not even eat meat but live on a diet of vegetables and assorted herbs and spices.
Capitalism is resented by the Rastafarians as a system of murder and greed that kills men and women and depletes nature. Accumulation of wealth and being very rich are considered evil in that they create inequality and injustice where the world’s natural resources are not shared and consumed equitably. Being materially rich is equal to spiritual poverty and damnation itself. Ethiopia, the seat of Haile Selassie, and Africa at large are considered the capital of the world. Jamaica is counted as the land of exile and a plantation where black Africans are still marooned away from home. One day, and one day soon, the Rastafarians believe, black people will not only liberate but also rule the world. Western knowledge, education and culture are suspected as propaganda, poison and the ideology of Babylon.
Black Israel
When the Rastafarians talk of Israel and the Jews they refer to black people. Black people, otherwise, are the chosen people of God that are living under exile and the oppression of Babylon and the system. Zion of the Bible is appropriated as the mountain of peace and justice for the black people as the modern day Israelites. Much like most religions Rastafarianism makes metaphoric readings of the scriptures and interprets them in favour of the black race as the chosen race that is faced with the dark forces of slavery, racism, imperialism and hate. The Rastafarian can be truly essentialist in his or her belief of being chosen and special of God that is frequently call Jah from the Hebrew name of God, Yahwheh.
The Sister’s Chant
The regular Rastaman refers to himself as King and his wife the Queen. The daughters are princesses and sons are princes. Rastafarianism is a kingdom-based religion that recognises the power and glory of every individual. Women, the “sistren” are treasured next to worship. That is perhaps, the reason why white female tourists from Europe are frequently seen being guided around African towns by some dark and dreadlocked fellows. There is something, allegedly, irresistibly romantic and sexy about the Rastaman, in the eyes of the white girl. Frequent too is the sight of white male tourists walking around African towns with dark and beautiful dreadlocked sisters. The originality and black African authenticity in the look and the touch of the Rasta is overwhelming to Europeans, I think. It is almost like the white soul, guilty of sins of generations of oppression of black people, silently believes it will find salvation in the Rastafarian.
Prophets of Rastafarianism like that of other religions are mainly men. Powerful musicians and artistes like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Winston Rodney, Banny Wailer and Joseph Hill for instance. Female voices are in the background but they are equally important. One of the most powerful and beautiful feminist messages in my view is found in Judy Mowatt’s song, The Sister’s Chant.
It is a combination of protest and praise but still a strong feminist chant. Mowatt and Rita Marley together with another woman were the I Threes, background female backers for the legendary Wailers, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and the founder of the band Banny Wailer.
Rastafarianism includes strong feminism that romanticises to the extent of worship, the female person and body.
On a good day, the Rastaman and the Rastawoman are the epitome of politeness and gentility, until the time comes to shout down Babylon and the System. Ordinarily anger and its cousin hate are despised by the Rastafarians as foul and unjust temperaments that are connected to Lucifer himself.
Cetshwayo Zindabazezwe Mabhena writes from Gezina, in Pretoria. [email protected]
