This religion traces its inception to Marcus Garvey (born in 1887), whose philosophical ideologies were the catalyst that would eventually grow into the Rastafarian movement in 1930. Rastafarianism is often associated with the black impoverished population of Jamaica. It is not just a religion to them but a way of life, a struggle for their rights and freedom.
In the early 1920's, Garvey an influential black spokesman was founder of the "back-to-Africa" movement. He spoke of the redemption of the black people through a future black African king .
"No race has the last word on culture and on civilization. You do not know what the black man is capable of; you do not know what he is thinking and therefore you do not know what the oppressed and suppressed Negro, by virtue of his condition and circumstance, may give to the world as a surprise."( Speech, June 6, 1928, Royal Albert Hall, London. Quoted in Adolph Edwards, Marcus Garvey) While Garvey tried to give blacks their rightful place he reversed the roles of the races. Garvey called the white religion a rejection of black culture, insisting that blacks must leave "Babylon" (the Western world) and return to their homeland of Africa. The first Universal Negro Improvement Association international convention (UNIA) opened at Liberty Hall in New York's Harlem under the leadership of Marcus Garvey . 25,000 delegates from 25 nations attended. Garvey began to exalt African beauty and promote a "back to Africa" campaign with a plan for resettlement in Liberia (Liberia was first African colony to gain independence) He promoted a steamship company that would provide transportation for blacks to return to Africa. In 1920 Liberia rejected Marcus Garvey's plan for resettlement of U.S. blacks, fearing that his motive was to foment revolution. Garvey was convicted the next year of fraudulent dealings in the now-bankrupt Black Star Steamship Co. he had founded, President Coolidge commuted his 5-year sentence. Garvey was then deported back to Jamaica in 1927.(reference used: The People chronology.)
Rastas believe that all people of the world are equal, bound together by one god, Jah. They also believe their ancestors offended Jah in some way, which brought them into an exile of slavery in Jamaica. To them blacks are still suppressed through poverty and illiteracy and deceived by the white man's system, which is Babylon.
In 1927 Garvey proclaimed, "Look to Africa for the crowning of a Black King, he shall be the Redeemer" (The Rastafarians, p.
The second edition of “African American Religious History: A Documentary Witness,” covers the religious experiences of African Americans—from the late eighteenth century until the early 1980s. My paper is written in a chronological order to reflect on the progress blacks have made during the years—by expounding on the earliest religion of Africans to black religion of today. Race Relation and Religion plays a major role in today’s society—history is present in all that we do and it is to history that African-Americans have its identity and aspiration.
The Universal Negro Improvement Association is an organization (UNIA) that was developed by a man named Marcus Garvey. Now Garvey was not the only one to have established this organization, however he was the face of it. His ideas, connections, work, and influences were all huge factors in establishing the UNIA. However, creating Garvey’s vision into a reality was not an easy road, the organization changed a lot throughout the decades and has impacted many lives. The Universal Negro Improvement Association and Marcus Garvey did not just stop at singling out one object, but reached out in many different ways also.
Marcus Garvey utilized repetition throughout his speeches to put emphasis on the main idea that Negroes deserve the same respect as anyone else, but they need to work hard and show the nation what they have the capacity to do great things in order for any change to occur. In his speech “If You Believe the
Booker T. Washington, educator, reformer and the most influentional black leader of his time (1856-1915) preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and accomodation. He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity.
10. Yawney, Carole D. Moving with the dawtas of Rastafari: from myth to reality. pgs. 15--23; 33--55; and 65--73. (excerpts from Teresa Turner's New Society.)
Since its founding in the 1930s, the Rastafarian movement has grown to the point where it has become a major cultural and political force in Jamaica. During its existence, the movement has challenged Jamaica's neo-colonialist society's attempts to keep whites at the top and blacks at the bottom of the socio-economic structure.
During the late 1800’s and the early 1900’s, African Americans worked and fought to receive what they deserved, civil rights, political power and basically freedom from stereotypes. There were several leaders who helped forge the path to start the movement, including W.E.B Dubois, Oscar Micheaux, and Marcus Garvey. W.E.B Dubois was adamant on creating black culture without having a white culture influence. He believed that 1900 was a great time to reverse stereotypes against African Americans. Dubois also was a co-founder of the NAACP and a leader in the black literary movement. Oscar Micheaux used film to portray the brutality that whites had against blacks. Marcus Garvey led a movement to unite all blacks, regardless of where you are from, because they are all descendants of Africa. These people established 3 of the 5 social institutions, education through the literary movement, media through Oscar’s movies, and family through Garvey’s movement. With these social institutions being set up, it helped forge the path for Black Freedom.
The Rastafari movement stems from the teachings of the great Jamaican leader and motivator of masses, Maces Garvey. Garvey told the African people of the world to unite and to return to African, the homeland. Garvey’s vision was for the “Blacks to overcome their feelings of inferiority and build upon their own unique and evolving culture, and ultimately return to Africa to redeem their homeland and to build a future...
Because of conditions at the time, the American Negro World took a great liking to him and his ideas of race redemption. Garvey’s organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which was already established, is now the focal point for blacks in America to gather around. Garvey would later come up with his idea of starting an African Nation that would be the center for all black activity throughout the world. This plan would eventually be called the Back to Africa movement. He did not believe in a mass migration to Africa, but rather, he desired that a group of hardworking and influential blacks move to Africa to establish this new nation.
In 1903 black leader and intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois wrote an essay in his collection The Souls of Black Folk with the title “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.” Both Washington and Du Bois were leaders of the black community in the 19th and 20th century, even though they both wanted to see the same outcome for black Americans, they disagreed on strategies to help achieve black social and economic progress. History shows that W.E.B Du Bois was correct in racial equality would only be achieved through politics and higher education of the African American youth.
He enlightened audiences of Jamaican petite bourgeois and peasants by giving them hope for a new future where a united Africa would rises up as a formidable world power and a home for the people of Jamaica. In Haile Selassie coronation as king of Ethiopia Garvey saw a "reign based on modernity, within the framework of Pan-African solidarity." Garvey urged blacks to go back to Africa in an effort to create a strong African state.
"The Rastafarians emerge as a loosely organized inspirational group (or groups?) of men and women concerned at the plight of black people, especially the plight of those whose ancestors were forcibly removed from Africa to become the slaves of the white man on his plantations in the islands of the Caribbean"(Cashmore, 1). The English takeover of Jamaica in 1660 started the terrible beginning of the African Diaspora. Millions of Africans were stolen off of their continent and were shipped over to the Caribbean where they were fashioned to do slave labor so the Europeans could make money. Over 80 million Africans died in the process of departing to the islands. The slaves were denied any form of religion and were treated like animals. They were also denied food and were made to grow their own food so they could feed themselves. Many years went by till the slaves started to rebel. The 'Maroons' were a group of runaway slaves who started a powerful group of guerrilla warriors who lived in the most dangerous woods in Jamaica. But the Maroons gave in and signed a peace treaty in 1738 and were paid to catch the runaway slaves and became supporters of slavery.
While some will call Rastafarianism a religion, others will say that Rastafarianism is a kind of spiritual consciousness because the Rastas lack a great deal of what is central for other religions while still retaining a belief in a God. There aren't too many organised Rasta 'churches', and the closest thing you would come to a church will probably be Rasta organisations like 'The Twelve Tribes of Israel', the 'Nyabinghi Order' and especially the 'Bobo Dreads'. Rastafarianism also lacks a confession of fate, which most other religious systems will have. So the question will remain open if this is a religion or a spiritual consciousness where everyone calling him/herself a Rasta will be more or less free to believe in what they like.
Most Rastafarians believe that there is only one God. They refer to their God as Jah, the biblical name. They all also believe that Haile Selassie is divine and that the Bible is the direct word of God and has hidden messages significant to people of African origin. Rastafarians also believe that everyone that is of African origin, such as the Israelites, have to be freed from their oppressors, the Babylonians. For this reason, Rastafarians did not allow anyone from the white society to join their religion. They wanted freedom from the Babylonians, who they considered to be those of white society. However, overtime, the Rastafarians started to allow white people to convert to Rastafarianism. This is because Rastafarians practice peace, equality, and unity. It does not matter where someone comes from anymore. Anybody can become Rastafarian. Every since then, many white people converted to this religion. Rastafarianism is still not as common as other religions around the world. Most attention to this religion came from a famous reggae singer and songwriter named Bob Marley. He was one of the most well known Rastafarian missionaries, and, although he did pass away in 1981, he spread his belief of Rastafarianism to people all around the world with his popular
Rastafari is a theology based upon the writings of Marcus Garvey a Jamaican social activist. The movement’s global spread from Jamaica across the world has been strongly influenced by Bob Marley and closely associated with reggae. Many of Marley’s songs captured the essence of Rastafari religion and its social and political beliefs. (bbc.co.uk, 2014)