books about rasta

[just1]

Hello,
for a research i m seeking for some books about rastafari and rastafarians.
i already have "chanting down babylon - the rastafari reader" and a few other books but i need your advice or links with some stuff that is more "materially" linked with rasta, i was wondering if it was for example some biographies of people that went to rasta or something like that, something more linked with the beliefs and not only the music like so much biographies of artists. Or some clear descriptions of gatherings, congregations or stuff like that. Or if you know some "rough" sources that hadnt been reworked.
if you know something about this it would be really kind and helpful.

[Vinnie]

havent read this piece myself but knowing the author mortimo 'kumi' planno it should be pretty interesting

Earth Most Strangest Man: the Rastafarian

some info about the man who learned rastas to read in jamaica:


"Brother Kumi as he was affectionately called, was born in 1929 on the 6th of September in Cuba. He arrived in Jamaica in the early 1930s with his mother (Jamaican), May Parks, father Miguel Planno (a Cuban Tobacconist) and 3 older siblings.

Planno grew up in the West Kingston district and came to national prominence in the early 1950s through his articulate and defiant involvement with the Rastafari Movement, then in its first two decades, as one of if earliest dreadlocked youth leaders. He was a founding member of the Rastafari Movement Association, which held the Ethiopian World Federation Chater 37, and was instrumental in many initiatives including the First Universal Grounation of Rastafari in Back-O-Wall in March 1958; the University ISER - Report of the Rastafari Movement in Kingston Jamaica 1960; the Fact Finding Mission to Africa, 1961; the visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I to Jamaica in 1966; the development and Management of Bob Marley and the Wailers; the repatriation of several families and individuals to Shashamanie Ethiopia throughout the 1960s; the arrival of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jamaica in 1970; the Peace Concert 1978 among other initiatives.

Planno was well known for his intellectual acumen, letters to the press and his famous autobiographical text "The Earth Most Strangest Man: the Rastafarian". He has toured Africa on three separate occasions visiting a total of 15 countries there and has been invited to give lecture/tours in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

In 1998, the Faculty of Social Sciences made Bro. Kumi its inaugural Folk Philosopher through a one year fellowship where he pursued his autobiographical writings through an attachment to the department of Government. Subsequently Planno became a sinecure attached to the Institute of Caribbean Studies which facilitated his continued work up until the end.

Since 1984 Planno's health had been compromised by a number of complications (glandular, cardiac, gastric and circulation issues). Increasingly from 2001 after suffering a heart attack Planno has been in and out of hospital, and in July of 2005 his right leg was amputated.

Though Mortimo Planno may be most remembered for his role on the occasion of the Emperor Haile Selassie I's visit to Jamaica when he restored order to a state where protocol has disappeared, he is perhaps most of all the archetype of a Rastafari ecumenical leader and operated in this manner for some forty odd years. His command was one with words, and when he opened his mouth all were forced to recognise his power."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwKERl_dCx0

[just1]

thanks a lot, i didnt know about this man, it seems really interesting and hopefully his book is availlable on the web (if you are interested: http://www.cifas.us/caribbean/most_strangest.html) and it's exactly what i needed.
Have a nice day!

[Vinnie]

great!

ive d/l it

now lets have a good reading

i hope you will share the results of your research with us
im sure there are some other board members equally interested in that as me

[just1]

Thanks, for your interrest!
The only one problem is that i'll write it in french... but i ll gladly give you a report or why not a translation, but it can be difficult because it will a work of about 80 pages or more.
For a first explanation, i'm finishing my master in psychology, so it would be a masterwork in psychology about rasta, first of all, rasta means something in me (and in you i guess), it is not senseless but in my case i couldnt understant it if i didnt know a bit of history and way of living of jamaicans. So i just want to try to understand in which way rasta is a way to give meaning to an experience of life for a human in a particular situation. in a quick way trough a study of rasta i just want understand a bit about man. Why rasta? i think just because it's the thing that made me realise the power of meanings because these stories sounded very strange to me or even stupid and at least i found it not silly at all, in a way i understood it. But in fact it's hard to name this understanding, if i can place explanations in these (universal) feelings i would be happy.
but i m not sure it's gonna work, because people here are not really interested in these particular questions and cultures...
if i post it it will be next year, remember it

[Vinnie]

not to worry... i speak french!

do some research on their religious side (bible king james version) and the black movement in america

mutabaruka has some points of view
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcbCqD2kp4E

marcus garvey (the prophet) was very important... black star liner... repatriation principle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDtc7uIy ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JcjXO7w ... re=related
when you listen to this martin luther king must have been influenced by this man and its as moving!

soundsystem and the reggae music came alongside of the movement altho niyabingi was the foundation music

listen to the speech of HIM at the league of nations (which was copied by bob marley WAR)

His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia visits Jamaica i think had a profound psychologique impact
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rZlVkBw ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wuVeHpBtJw

looking forward for the final result

[just1]

ah ok, so it will be easier
thanks for the links, i ll take a look and see what i can do with it.
but the problem perhaps is more to find what are really doing the rastas, because you can have some stuffs about selassie but he wasnt himself a rasta, so you cant study with this, you must find what people believe and then you can compare perhaps with the source (for example the speech of the king you linked).
For example if you have any idea of what's happening (do some ceremonies take place or things like that? and what are they saying?) on the grounation day? What's happening when rastas gather? not just what we think it's happening but something we can rely to and be sure that we are'nt creating an "alter" that's in fact our own imagination. these kind of little things are really hard to find. Even in all the books we find little about the clear difference of ideology between niyabinghi and the 12 tribe, or perhaps things like we see on wiki : "Bobos greet each other using the formal address "My Lord" and are most notable for their wearing of turbans and long flowing robes as well as brooms they carry with them, which signify cleanliness", the problem is that i can't do a lot with this sentence because i need to know what it really means to the people and it certainy doesnt mean fully the same for each people, but one thing is clear, i cant interpret it like this with my western way of thinking...
It's why the book of mortimo planno will be so useful, thanks again.
otherwise, i ordered a version of the kebra nagast with comments of rastafarians on it, it seems quite interesting (http://www.amazon.fr/Kebra-Negast-Rasta ... 0312167938) also in the "rastafarian reader" there is a commented version of "the promised key" of leonard howell.
by the way if you have other ideas i'm always interested

have a nice day

[Vinnie]

yes you are right
i was only trying to show what influenced rastas
as for the culture itself in jamaica well im not an expert on the matter
so i hope someone will correct me when i say some foolishness

as you have mentioned before rastas is not an homogenic religeous movement but all seems to me following the bible making them christians
like you have orthodox, protestant, catolics you have rastas
altho some of them believe selassie is the reincarnation of jesus christ and some dont but i guess it goes deeper than that

im reading plannos script and so far i havent read much about the rasta rituels itself maybe its still ahead but does already state in what (a certain fraction of) rastas believe in

i have read the kebra negast once, lend it to a friend but never got it returned

i dont think you will get much more help on this forum

get in touch with my good friend humble tafari
he can help you further
http://www.wildfiyah.com/wisdom.html
tell him i send you
vinnie - soul remedy

good luck

[Vinnie]

so i hope someone will correct me when i say some foolishness

as you have mentioned before rastas is not an homogenic religeous movement but all seems to me following the bible making them christians
like you have orthodox, protestant, catolics you have rastas
altho some of them believe selassie is the reincarnation of jesus christ and some dont but i guess it goes deeper than that

but on the other end rastas know of the old testament and king david and solomon

so perhaps more jewish orientated than christianity

altho i dont think its important to lable a movement as long as they believe which is the point of any religion
imo...

[just1]

thanks for the contact. I ll ask him for help if needed.

you are right, but as you see, to label is useless as you say. but the point is the real question behind the label is "what are they believing?". as you wrote, it's even hard to tell if they are more jewish orientated or christian, in a way it s not very important because the old testament is a common ground. My problem with this is to try not to put a label like "rastas think that" etc if i dont know what they really think. it's quite hard when it s heterogenic because you never can tell "they think that", nobody think the same, and with rasta and the concept of I & I it s much harder because the heterogeneity even inside. I think that the most interesting thing to study here. at least for the question of identity. i ll have either to try to find these major concepts or to question 1 people about his faith to understand how he came to jah, that the more psychological way but not easy.