Rastafari movement

Without culture, we would be empty, boring shells. What is culture? “Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts” (Kim Ann Zimmerman). Culture is so influential that it can influence what kind of person you’ll be. Culture is music, sports, traditions, food, religion, language and more. I am a first generation Jamaican-American, which means my parents were born in Jamaica, then…

Dick Hebdige's article "Reggae, Rastas, and Rudies" discusses the formation of West Indian culture within Britian's community. His article focuses on the underground movement of reggae music and how it was used by young blacks to attain a sense of cultural independence. Hebdige briefly highlights the range of subcultures such as "hard mods", skinheads, and spiritual Rastafarians that originated in London in the late 1950's and well into the mid 1960's. He argues that the style of these different…

My favorite image in the museum of bad arts is the one on the left, which is Bob Marley. He was a well-known Rastafarian movement activist and also a world-renowned Reggae Music legend. In light of his strict vegetarian lifestyle, the artist decided to embed the tail of a small mammal on his dreadlocks to project irony to the music legend vegan lifestyle. This seemed somewhat bizarre to me because looking closely at the image; it had me thinking to myself whether that was a piece of fur that was…

Bob Marley was a dedicated Rastafarian who infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is considered one of the most influential musicians of all time and credited with popularizing reggae music around the world, serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity. Hearing and learning about him was how I first became acquainted with the sound of Jamaican music. Having a cousin who is half Jamaican, I found myself somewhat submerged in the culture. His father would listen to Jamaican…

Introduction When one hears the word Rasta or Rastafarian, certain images surface for some; dreadlocks, Bob Marley, reggae music and marijuana. As the movement has become more globalized, these iconic images have become main stream. However to understanding Rastafarianism, which some label a religious and some label a social movement, is to realize at in its simplest form it is an ideology that gives the participants a behavioral and spiritual guideline for life (Chevannes 1994). At the core…

Within the Jamaican society music plays an integral role in the shaping of the everyday lives of most individuals. It is through this medium that some individuals are able share their day to day experiences. In Jamaica there is a strong bond with music and film; some film directors started their career with directing music videos before making their debut on the big screen and as such music becomes the background on which many scripts are created. There is a long history with the Jamaican…

How to forget the reggae, a musical genre in English language practiced in Jamaica, characterized by the use of an acoustic guitar and in which the singer usually tends to have braids in her hair. Due to their large acceptance by the black population, this genre expands throughout America. Arriving in Panama due to the construction of the Panama Canal, people take it as their own genre and ends up calling it the “reggae in Spanish” or better known as "Plena". But what is special about this genre…

The song “Chutney Bachannal” by Chris Garcia, and its music video is an interesting piece because it demonstrates an integration of cultures. When I first saw the name of the artist, Chris Garcia, I thought that he would be a person of Hispanic or Spanish descent. Later, as I watched the video, I realized that Chris Garcia was actually an Indian man. I also found it unusual that an Indian man was displaying his Hindi culture but was singing and gyrating to a Soca song. Soca music, also known as…

even discussed in the Old Testament. In the 1930’s Ras Tafari was emperor of Ethiopia. Tafari was forced to exile while an invasion was happening, his soldiers vowed not to cut their hair until their emperor was reinstated. After this the ‘Rasta’ movement started. Reggae became popular and Robert Marley did rock dreadlocks and did smoke marijuana, which he is most known for besides his music. What many individuals do not understand is that the dreadlocks were a political way of showing they will…

In songs such as “Exodus,” “One Love/People Get Ready,” and “Blackman Redemption,” Bob Marley showcased Rastafarian principles while still appealing to a larger audience with his calls of redemption and freedom. Blackman Redemption is clearly a song inspired directly from Marley’s African heritage, but it carries an undertone that all nationalities can relate to. Bob Marley sings, “Coming from the root of King David/Through to the line of Solomon/His Imperial Majesty is the Power of Authority:…