Where is rastafarianism originate

Haile Selassie, claimed by some to be a direct descendant of King Solomon, gave land in Ethiopia to Rastafarians that chose to return to Africa; a small community of Rastas continues to exist in Shashemene today. Jamaica had established a strong musical tradition that also had its roots in Africa. A number of Jamaican musicians were adherents of Rastafarianism and took up the symbology in their music, with the most famous being reggae artists Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Global awareness of Rastafarianism spread with the popularity of reggae during the s and s; today, roots reggae continues to make heavy use of Rastafari symbology. Other cultural symbols became embedded in the religion and the music, such as the use of African Nyabinghi drums; the smoking of cannabis as a form of communion with God; the wearing of locks in the hair and images of the Lion of Judah and of Haile Selassie.

The colors of red, green, gold and sometimes black are ever present in Rastafarian imagery, having been taken from the Ethiopian flag.

Rastafarians follow the i-tal vegetarian diet, the purpose of which is to maintain a clean and pure body and mind. In Jamaica today, Rastafarianism is alive and strong but is still a minority religion. Despite this, the symbology of Rastafarianism is disproportionately visible through music and art. There are many small Rasta communities all over the island that are welcoming to visitors and those wishing to learn more about this fascinating religion. Some traditional Rastafarians were disturbed by the popularity of reggae, fearing that the faith would be commercialised or taken up as a cultural fad, rather than a religion.

In Haile Selassie was deposed by a Marxist revolution. He died mysteriously the next year. The removal of a divine figure by an atheist secular political group was initially discouraging to Rastafarians, and undermined any suggestion that he had been anything more than a human representation of God.

In this audio history Benjamin Zephaniah, the poet and playwright, visits Rastafarian communities in the Jamaican hills and journeys through its history from its earliest days in the slums of Spanish Town and Kingston, to modern day London and Birmingham.

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Benjamin travels to Africa to visit the Rastafarian community in Shashamane, Ethiopia, where Jamaicans have settled in an attempt to return to their roots and the land of Emperor Haile Selassie. There are stories of the forgotten founders of the religion, Alexander Bedward, Leonard Howell, Robert Hinds and Prince Emmanel Edwards and their battles with the British authorities; how Rasta became a movement of resistance in the s both in the Caribbean and amongst Britain's black community, and how even white people have taken up Rastafarianism - including a New Zealand Rasta MP and a Japanese Rasta in Tokyo.

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Zoroastrianism was the state religion of three Persian dynasties, until the Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. Background on Rastafarianism The roots of Rastafarianism can be traced to the 18th century, when Ethiopianism and other movements that emphasized an idealized Africa began to take hold among black slaves in the Americas.

New Developments In the late s, a radical version of Rastafarianism, known as the Youth Black Faith, emerged from the slums of the Jamaican capital of Kingston.

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