It was the combination of events in Jamaica and the African country of Ethiopia that sparked the first flames of the movement. This movement grew out of the darkest depression in which the descendants of African slaves in Jamaica have ever lived. Throughout this time Jamaica was witnessing a shift from a small agricultural system to an industrial system. This led to social and cultural unrest which corresponded with the emergence of the Black Nationalist movement and the teachings of Marcus Garvey who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Asso

However, by 1936 there were 3,000 Rastas in Jamaica, still standing firm despite the arrests and convictions of their prominent leaders. They maintained the belief that Selassie was the Jesus of which Christianity speaks, and as Rasta leader Altamount Reid declared, looked to him for “the spiritual deliverance of the world, not only among colored races but white as well” (Lewis, 7). Although Reid called for mankind to become united, the 1940s was a time of Rasta alienation from society.

Like many other religions around the world, Rastafarians place an emphasis on dietary cleanliness. Two dietary laws come to mind immediately - that of Judaism (the laws on staying Kosher) and that of Islam. The Rastafarian “ital” is a dietary code based very much from a mixture of these two dietary law systems. In short, the ital stresses that Rastafarians eat “natural, total food” (“Ital…”). This includes food without salt and chemicals. Also, stipulations imply that “no flesh, no blood or white blood (milk), no alcohol, no cigarettes, no drugs” are to be used or consumed either (“Ital…”). This goes along with the Rastafarian’s emphasis on no stress and no worries. However, these guidelines coordinate very well with the guidelines of Islam and Judaism.

During the second world war, Howell set up a commune as a refuge from the Nazis. He believed that the Rastas would be targeted by the Nazis if and when they moved into the Americas. The general public, however, was suspicious of this alternative community called Pinnacle. The Rastas there lived differently, sharing property, wearing dreadlocks, and farming to sustain themselves. Rumors circulated that the Rastas at Pinnacle stole from the neighboring communities and encouraged people to stop paying taxes. Pinnacle was broken up in 1954 by officials, resulting in the emigration of Rastas back to the slums of Kingston. There they lived and began to intermingle with the Burru people. The Burrus were a very poor and socially rejected group whose name meant “wicked” in Yoruba (Lewis, 8). Aspects of their culture began to mix with elements of the Rastafarian movement. Rastas were exposed to the Burru music that mocked society and this influence is later apparent in the development of their own style of music known as reggae.

Some topics in this essay:
Haile Selassie, Rastafarianism Reddington, Rastafarianism Selassie, Marcus Garvey, Moreover Rastafarian, Acceptance Integration, , National Party, Moreover Rastafarians, Islam Rastafarian, haile selassie, marcus garvey, classical period, queen sheba, king solomon, rastafarian tradition, 20th century, rastafarian movement, fear lord, late 20th century, john baptist, classical period rastafarianism, king solomon queen, “mighty king” africa, hinduism started matriculate,