The Religion of Rastafarianism - Term Paper Example

Essays Essay The religion of Rastafarianism traces its origin to the works of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican born in 1887. Garvey was an influential spokesman of the blacks who founded the “back-to-Africa” movement during the 1920s. Garvey’s philosophical ideologies were instrumental as they led to the eventual spread of the Rastafarianism movement in Jamaica and other parts of the world. Rastafarianism can be associated with the impoverished blacks of Jamaica. The inception of Rastafarianism focused on the redemption of the black people of America and the birth of a black king in the future. The ideology of Rastafarianism emerged from the black peasants and the working classes. The ideology evolved from the interpretation of the prophecy in the bible as Garvey proclaimed that a Black King would be born and crowned the Redeemer (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). The crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen as the king of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930 was a strengthened the movement. When he was crowned the king, Tafari claimed the title of Emperor Haile Selassie I, which meant the power of the trinity. Other titles accorded to Selassie included King of Kings and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Rastafari movement gained prominence and immense following during the 1930s. This precipitated the spread of the movement from Jamaica to the rest of the Caribbean. Apart from Marcus Garvey, some of the movements’ early leaders included Leonard Howell who was arrested because of spreading a doctrine that was perceived as revolutionary. The arrest of Howell strengthened the movement in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). Garveyism and the doctrines of Marcus Garvey contributed to the Rastafarian movement in numerous ways. Garveyism was instrumental to the spread of Rastafarianism as it advocated for the freedom of blacks from social, economic, as well as political oppression by the whites. Garveysim advocated for the unity of blacks both in Africa and abroad. Marcus Garvey enlightened both the peasants and bourgeoisie in Jamaica by instilling in them the hope that the future will be bright. Garvey prophesied that Africa and Africans would unite and rise against the powers of the west. The impact of Garveyism on Rastafarianism can also be seen in the urging of blacks to go back to the land of their forefathers. Garveyism also strengthened Rastafarianism by rejecting the racism subjected to the blacks by the whites. Garveyism was also instrumental to Rastafarianism as it acknowledged Haile Selassie for ensuring that Ethiopia was not colonized (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). One of the major tenets of Rastafarianism includes Selassie’s divinity, which borrows from the importance that the followers of this movement attach to Haile Selassie. They believe that Selassie is the living God who is part of the Holy Trinity and the messiah whom the bible promises will return. The divinity of Selassie also focuses on the revelation of God to his followers. Another major tenet of the movement is Babylon, which infers the oppression that the blacks went through in the hands of the whites. Rastafarians refer to Babylon as the system of the west, which is rich in corruption, immorality, and exploitation. Rastafarianism holds the belief that Babylon will one day come to fall. Rastafarians detest Babylon because of the economic and physical slavery that it subjected the blacks to for many centuries (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). The other key tenet includes repatriation, which infers the return of black back to their homeland of Africa. Repatriation also encompasses the reinstating of the position and the place of blacks in society. Rastafarians perform two main rituals, which involve the use of Ganja. These two rituals include reasoning and Nyabinghi. Reasoning encompasses the gathering of members of Rastafarianism who come together and form small groups where discuss issues while smoking weed. This ritual is crowned by prayers as the Ganja pipe is passed around the room where they have met. The other primary ritual undertaken by Rastafarians includes Nyabinghi. This ritual refers to a dance that the follows of Rastafarianism hold during crucial occasions. Nyabinghi dances are organized in order to honor significant people in the Rastafarianism movement. Those honored during these dances include Bob Marley, Haile Selassie, Malcolm X, as well as Marcus Garvey. The dances are usually held during the birthdays of these icons, and they can even last for several days (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). Reggae music and migration have played an immense role in the spread of Rastafarianism. The teachings of Rastafarianism have been spread through reggae music. Reggae music has acted as a vessel for spreading the message of Rastafarianism. Riots, revolutions, and demonstrations have taken place in Jamaica as a way of spreading Rastafarianism through the reggae music. Reggae artists such as Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, as well as Burning Spear among other artists have played a crucial role in spreading the doctrines of Rastafarianism through music. Reggae music carries with it the strong message about the beliefs of Rastafarians. Migration has also contributed immensely to the spread of Rastafarianism. As Rastafarians and people who subscribe to the doctrines of Rastafarianism migrate to various parts of the world, they spread the beliefs and doctrines of Rastafarians (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). Essay 2 The first colonial power to have been active in Puerto Rico included Spain, which colonized Puerto Rico before the United States took over. Spain was ousted from Puerto Rico in 1898 after the end of the Spanish-American war, which Spain lost to the United States. Spain and Puerto Rico had signed the Charter of Autonomy, which required that the status of the island could not be changed without consultations with the people of Puerto Rico. Upon colonizing Puerto Rico, the military of the United States introduced martial law and created an office for a United States governor. As the United States continued with its colonization and settlement in Puerto Rico, the currency of the island was devalued, the agrarian economy was destroyed, and forced men from Puerto Rico to fight in its wars (Bourgois 19-50). The settlement of the United States in the island also led to the imposition of English as a language in the colony. In addition, water, land and air pollution became prevalent with the presence of the Americans as colonialists in Puerto Rico. The colonial powers active in Bali included the Dutch and the Japanese. The first seamen of the Dutch origin came to Bali in 1597. This marked the onset of colonization and settlement of the Dutch in Bali. Efforts to colonize Bali by the Dutch heightened in 1800, especially in the north of the island where the Dutch intensified their colonization of the island. When the Dutch were colonizing Bali, their presence in the island faced rebellions from the Balinese. For example, on 14th September 1906, 4, 000 Balinese committed suicide (Bourgois 19-50). The Dutch colonization of Bali ended during the Second World War, when Japanese forces ousted the Dutch. The colonization of Bali by the Japanese lasted for a period of three years, lasting from 1942 to 1945. Bali gained its independence on August 17th, 1945 when the first President of Indonesia (Sukarno) declared the island as independent. However, after the Second World War had ended, the Dutch made attempts to exercise colonial authority over Indonesia and Bali. There Dutch succeeded in reclaiming Indonesia as their colony in 1949 (Bourgois 19-50). The first inhabitants of Jamaica included Arawak Indians; this was before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who landed in Jamaica in 1494. The first colonial powers to have colonized Jamaica included the Spanish. Later on, the British arrived in Jamaica and colonized it, making the island their colony. The British succeeded in conquering the island of Jamaica in 1655 when they settled in Jamaica, and made it one of the colonies where they could get slave labor. The British landlords, who were always absent, owned large tracks of land in Jamaica. The abolition of slavery, in 1834, saw Jamaica progress economically under the rule of the colonialists. Jamaica gained independence in 1962 and became a member of the Commonwealth nations (Bourgois 19-50). Some economic and social policies instituted by the colonialists played an immense role in shaping the Gebusi culture. Some of the political and economic policies that shaped this culture included the introduction of education and a system of governance, which enhanced the maintenance of law and order among the Gebusi people. Economic policies such as the introduction of farming by the colonialists also played a significant role in altering the lives of the Gebusi. In the post-colonial era, this culture has continued to change in numerous ways. Interactions with the western cultures have led to the adoption of Christianity. In addition, children have started attending school and this culture has denounced some of its cultural beliefs, which were considered ancient (Knauft 20-80). The Jibaro consists of a tribal group in Ecuador, which has many sub-tribes that speak a common language. Economic and political policies by colonialists played an immense role in changing the lives of the Jibaro. The colonialists introduced policies such as a bureaucratic form of government, which ensured that there was a governance structure in this culture. Economic policies encompassed crop farming and livestock keeping, which enhanced abundance of food. Since colonization, this culture has undergone numerous changes, some of which have resulted from their interaction with the west. For example, some of these changes include the adoption of western form of clothing, western lifestyles, and western food (Bourgois 19-50). Among the Rastafarians, there were economic and political policies introduced by the colonialists that helped change the lives of this culture. For example, there was the introduction of plantation agriculture, which ensured that there was enough food for the population. Some of the political policies included the rule of the crown, which ensured that the culture was governed in a systematic way. The interaction with the west led to the Rastafarians borrowing western lifestyles such as dressing, music, and language (Bourgois 19-50). Works Cited Bourgois, Philippe. In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print. Knauft, Bruce. The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. MacFarlane, Adrian, Nathaniel Murrell, and William Spencer. Chanting Down Babylon: The Rastafari Reader. Philadelphia: Temple Univ. Press, 1998. Print. Read More