Above is the video about the most "spiritually committed Rastafarians" in the mountains of Jamaica. Not surprisingly, many of the symbols and practices we read and talked about in class can be found in these people. One of the most obvious of these symbols are the colors that the people dress themselves in and paint their houses with. Reds, yellows, greens, and blacks play important roles in their lives because those are the colors of the Ethiopian flag (which the Rastafarians adopted as their own symbol). Almost all the houses on the hillside are painted in these colors, and the Rastas wear clothing and turbans of these colors as well (most noticeably the color red...that appears to be the most popular color to wear, especially for turbans).
Other symbols include the rebellious hairstyle of the dreadlocks and wearing turbans as crowns, the 'ital' way of living (little or no electricity, with the only water source coming from a small stream), and the music of the people (heard throughout the video).
I think this version of Rasta life--though at the extreme end of the spectrum--is similar to what Bob Marley and his music represents. There's something that seems to transcend all of the followers of Rastafari, and even though Marley himself isn't living on a mountain to be closer to heaven, he still dresses, speaks, and evokes the powerful feelings of the Rasta way of life through his music and presence. So even though Marley is separate from the more orthodox Rastas, his music and message are true to the Rastafarian religion.
I think it's interesting that this rather unorganized religion has the most united group of followers. Walking down a random street, I could easily point out anyone who was a Rastafarian based on the way they dressed or spoke. I think that's why it I'm not surprised by the more religious Jamaicans in the video...I expected to see something like this because that's how Marley portrayed it.
I agree with you on the fact that Bob Marley and the villagers had a lot of similarities to them. You could tell their similarities just by seeing them on the street. This unorganized religion does seem to get a lot of followers, for their lack of organization. I think that Bob Marley has a great deal of effect on this. He was and still is a legend, and people respect/follow his ways.
ReplyDeleteAfter the class discussion Wednesday and after reading your blog, I can definitely see the similarities between the Boboshanti and the "regular" Rastafarians even though the Boboshanti are so tradition and systematic in how they observe their religion. The one thing in your blog that I don't agree with is that if I saw a Boboshanti walking down the street, I don't know if I would realize they are a Rastafari (probably because I wouldn't see the dreads, which would be under the turban, and their dress is more uniform than I think of Rasta dress).
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