Page 16 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 21

Art & Culture

Nearly every Rastafarian is a
Pan-Africanist, while only a few
Pan-Africanists are Rastafarians.
Unity is a main factor for the suc-
cessful development of the Afri-
can continent. So how can we, as
Pan-African people, move forward
together as a united front?
No, my conclusion will not be that
we all become Rastafarians. But I
will explore the content of Rastafari,
draw a connection between Rastafari
and general Pan-Africanism as well
as answer the Question: What can
Pan-Africanist people learn from the
Rastafari movement?

So, What is Rastafari?
Rastafari at its core is an anti-colo-
nial African liberation movement
with a spiritual element. The move-
ment displays a powerful symbolism
in which the essence of Rastafari is
encoded.
Firstly, I will give an often over-
looked historical context in which
Rastafari came to be and secondly,
I will try to break down the main
symbols of the Rastafarian move-
ment. A whole detailed analysis of
the Rastafarian belief systems would
take a much bigger space.
just 50 years had passed since Brazil The so called “Ethiopianism”, as in
History had abolished slavery, when just 70 the longing for returning to Africa
Rastafari emerged in the early 1930s years had passed since the last ship and the hailing of Ethiopia (synony-
in Jamaica. It was a time, when slav- >which carried around 110 – 160 mous with all Africa) as the paradise
ery had been abolished, but Jamaica Africans destined to be enslaved< was nothing new to the Africans,
was under colonial rule. After sev- had landed in North America, when whose ancestors had been forcibly
eral rebellions in the 19th and 18th people in the Soviet Union had been removed from the continent.
century, the colonial ruling class starving, when the British had been Furthermore, Africans in the dias-
were so afraid of the uprising of Af- stealing children from the native pora had a long tradition of prac-
ricans that they restricted Africans Australians, when Liberia had been ticing African religions and forming
wherever they could. Most Africans under an imperialistic predominantly African churches as a means of
in Jamaica lived in poverty and were African American rule and when all rebellion.
denied their rights to participate in African countries, except for Ethio- And it is that historical context in
political activities, such as voting. pia, had been under colonial rule by which in Ras Tafari Makonnen of
In the global context, the 1930s the Europeans. Ethiopia was crowned Haile Selassie
were a time when racial segregation It was a time, when Marcus Garvey I, Kings of Kings, Conquering Lion
in the USA and Southern Africa rallied millions of Africans in his of Judah, Elect of God.
had been the norm, when Hitler Pan-African movement and Africans This Coronation was a big global
seized power in Germany, when a all over the world reclaimed the event. Royalties and leaders from
civil war was fought in China, when African continent as their home. numerous countries traveled to

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