The Origins Of The Rastafari Movement

The beginnings of Rastafari came to be, when Marcus Garvey’s teachings were tied to Ethiopia’s Emperor, with the help of several preachers. Many Jamaicans valued Marcus Garvey’s stances on various issues, so as certain events transpired, which were already spoken of in religious books, many took Garvey seriously. Not only did Rasta’s come to be based on what was in the bible that was displaying in real life (with an African man fighting against white supremacy protecting his people, becoming the emperor of Ethiopia), being a part of an oppressed group that is oppressed globally, many people had a need for spiritual guidance. With the spirit of resistance within the oppressed, stemming from a long history of counterattacks against white supremacy …show more content…
The development of Rastafarians occurred because of a legacy of resistance in the Caribbean/throughout the Africana diaspora. When discussing the different revolts that enslaved Africans committed against those who oppressed them during slavery in Jamaica, Campbell notes that “a culture of resistance, which developed in a slow undramatic manner, exploded in massive slave revolts, and the planters were enslaved to the dread and terror that one night the slaves would organize to rid the world of racial slavery. Thus, two cultures were boiling in the Caribbean, one of domination and oppression which involved economic, political and racist subjugation, and a culture of resistance” (19). Additionally, that “these two cultures struggled for dominance and it is only in the era of Rasta that the white culture is being beaten back. It is this resistance which links the revolt of slaves to the present Rastafarian movement” (Campbell 19). Initially Jamaica always had people resisting, and preaching things from a spiritual standpoint, but what made Rastafari different is that their spiritual message was a political one as well. This political