Rasta and Resistance by Horace Campbell

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1. Rasta and Resistance by Horace Campbell

In the very beginning of Rastafari was existed in underground scene among the sympathizers of Marcus Garvey in Jamaica in 1930s. Baskara 2008:39 states that gerakan Rastafari berasal dari suatu penafsiran terhadap Alkitab, aspirasi sosial dan politik kulit hitam, serta ajaran Marcus Mosiah Garvey, tokoh kulit hitam yang berprofesi sebagai penerbit dan organisator di Jamaika. Rastafari movement came from an interpretation of the Bible, social and political aspirations of Blacks, as well as the teaching of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Blacks leaders, who works as a publisher and organizer in Jamaica. From the statement above, Rastafari not only the development of old religious, but the long story of Blacks people affected to the rise of the Rastafari. In this case, the figure of Jamaican movement who take part in the struggle of Blacks people, namely Marcus Garvey, is the important figure of the Rastafari. Garvey was Jamaican who introduced repatriation movement among Blacks people and the founding father of Universal Negro Improvement Association UNIA in 1914. Baskara 2008:39 states that Garvey pula yang melontarkan gagasan ‘Afrika untuk Bangsa Afrika’ dan menyerukan gerakan repatriasi pemulangan kembali masyarakat kulit hitam di luar Afrika. Garvey also floated the idea that Africa for the African Nations and called for the movement of repatriation -coming back- Blacks community outside of Africa. In 1916, Garvey left Jamaica to build UNIA in Harlem, New York. UNIA has more than seven million followers until 1922. His movement supported by many Blacks people who became sympathizers and volunteers in the Garveyism movement. Garvey wrote The Blackman in 1930, it was an article about the Blacks movement and contain of forecast about an emperor of Ethiopia who would led the Blacks people to get their liberation of their own land, Africa. The forecast later become a prophecy of Rastafari followers, and Garvey is claimed as prophet who sent the revelation that predicted Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, would lead the world. Coronation of King Negus named Ras Tafaria in November 2, 1930 in Abyssinia, created new history of Africans people. The poor and oppressed people celebrated the coronation of Haile Selassie I, the title of Ras Tafaria after the coronation. Haile became new Ethiopian emperor and gave hopefulness for the people. Campbell 1987:150 in Rasta and Resistance states that the photo show soldiers and Gloucester Prince of Britain bowing in front of Haile Selassie and sends proud news to all African. The coronation also changes the perspective of Blacks people about the struggle to change their fate and future. The coronation not only influenced the people in Africa, but also Africans descent or Blacks all over the world. Campbell 1987:151 says, “The nationalist of Blacks in Harlem celebrate the coronation, because they see Haile Selassie seems like strong Blacks and he has capacities to recover respectfulness, rights and dignity of Africa people”. The emperor did not disappoint his people when many Blacks peoples rely on him as Ethiopian emperor. Haile gave positive progress to Blacks people proved by his struggle for anticolonial in Uganda which known as Nyabingi confrontation. Campbell 1987:157 says, “Ken Post, in his book Arise Ye Starvelings, state a Jamaica local newspaper contributor wrote in 1935 that the leader of Nyabingi confrontation is taken by Haile Selassie”. Haile also created programs to help Blacks people get their right. Baskara 2008:41 also says, “Selassie lalu melakukan banyak hal untuk Ethiopia, antara lain mengadakan land reform 1942, emansipasi kaum budak 1942 serta revisi dan perluasan konstitusi 1955”. Selassie then do a lot of things for Ethiopia, among others, conduct land reform -1942, the slavery emancipation -1942- and revision and expansion of the constitution -1955. Haile’s programs attracted the attention and response other nation which has similar story of resistant to colonization and discrimination. In Jamaica, the news about Haile’s program and his political strategy increases sympathy among several Jamaicans who majority of them was the Garveyism followers who also identified as the first Rastafari’s believers. Campbell 1987:157 states that the realization get sympathy from Jamaicans whose proclaims that Haile Selassie I was crowned emperor who would free Black people who reads news in local newspaper about Nyabingi. Nyabingi was a rebellion movement of Blacks people in Africa in the nineteenth century. Baskara, 2008:38 Jamaica is an island country lies in the Caribbean Sea and has an area approximately 10.990 km2. Jamaica region is neighbor of Haiti in east, some America country in west and south, and Bahamas Island in north. Jamaica got freedom from England colonization in August 6, 1962 and now has 2.8 billion people. It is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Kingston is the countrys largest city and its capital, with a population of 937,700. Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. Her appointed representative in the country is the Governor-General of Jamaica, currently Patrick Allen. The head of government and Prime Minister of Jamaica is Portia Simpson-Miller. Jamaica is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the bicameral Parliament of Jamaica, consisting of an appointed Senate and a directly elected House of Representatives. Baskara, 2008:55 When Christopher Columbus arrived in Jamaica in 15 th century, the land was inhabited by Indian Arawak tribes. The Arawak indigenous people, originating in South America, settled on the island between 4000 and 1000 BC. The name Jamaica itself came from Arawak word ‘xaymaca’ means jungle and water island. Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494. But, in 1655 English led by Sir William Penn and General Robert Venables, took over the last Spanish fort in Jamaica. The Spanish and the English colonist killed the Arawak tribe because they were perceived as a threat and pests. In the era of colonization, Jamaica potential as a good plantation land in an agricultural system that became seizure by European colonist. Baskara, 2008:55 When Arawak tribe was extinct, the colonist bought slaves from Africa and placed them in Jamaica. The slaver worked at sugar plantation. In 1660, the population of Jamaica was about 4,500 Whites and 1,500 Blacks, but by as early as the 1670s, Blacks people formed a majority of the population. Hope 1947:42 states, “The problem of labor became acute and the planters turned more and more to the use of slaves and thus, in the middle of the seventeenth century, the importation of Africans into the Caribbean islands began in earnest”. By the beginning of the 19 th century, Jamaicas dependence on slave labor and a plantation economy had resulted in Blacks people outnumbering Whites people by a ratio of almost 20 to 1. It is the roots of Africans descent in Jamaica. The interested of Jamaicans people are more increase after Howell joins to persuade people to support Haile Selassie I. Campbell 1987:151 says, “Howell began to teach people to prove their loyalty for the emperor of Ethiopian, not the King of British”. Leonard P. Howell was first propagandist of Rastafari movement. He built Pinnacle Encampment in Kingston and Spanish Town, Jamaica, as the protest movement which adopted from old history of Maroons, the escaped slave who was punished his master. They planed the strategy in the mountain with many fugitives. Hope 1947:45 tells some story about the Maroons, he says, “When the British took Jamaica in the middle of the seventeenth century, most of the slaves promptly escaped to the mountains, where they were frequently joined by other fugitives. These runaways, called Maroons, continuously harassed the planters by stealing, trading with slaves, and enticing them to run away”. The interested of some Jamaican was rapidly transformed into an apotheosis to the emperor. Campbell 1987:147 says, “Some of Jamaicans argued Haile Selassie I was ‘God and Men’ and caused religious controversial between West Christian Church and other Orthodox”. For Rastafari followers, Haile Sellasie I is an answer of Garvey’s prophecy which then became their sacred message. Baskara 2008:41 also says, “Ketika Ras Tafaria Makonnen dinobatkan sebagai raja Ethiopia dengan gelar Haile Sellasie I, maka para pengikut ajaran Garvey menganggap Ras Tafaria sebagai tokoh pembebas”. When Ras Rafaria Makonnen was crowned as King of Ethiopia entitled Haile Sellasie I, then Garveyism follower considers Ras Tafaria as liberators figures. The Rastafari starts to show its existence as a religion among the people in Jamaica and had many followers. Until 1965, the main support came from poor people in Jamaica. Rastafari follower is called Rastaman, and they call Haile Sellasie I as Jah. The title ‘Jah’ is come from ‘Jehova’. Baskara 2008:42 states, “Istilah ‘jah’ sendiri merupakan bentuk singkat dari Jehova Yehovah, Yahweh yang ditemukan dalam Mazmur 68:4 dalam kitab versi Raja James”. The term jah itself is a abbreviation form of Jehovah -Jehovah, Yahweh- that is found in Psalms -68: 4- in the bible version of the King James. They also identified themselves into “I and I”, it refers to we or us, the connectives of men and Jah. Baskara, 2008:49. The existence of Ratafari in Jamaica is close related to nationalism of Africa. Campbell 1987:231 states that the Rastaman becoming part of Pan-Africans which has great desire to liberate Africa. As religion, Rastafari has rules of life or basic belief and also has religious rituals which are held by its followers. Rastafari is also the religious phenomenon that is difficult to categorize, but seen from their interpretation of the bible and history of offspring they believe, can be said that the Rastafari as a form which combines Judaism and Christianity. Baskara, 2008:38. They believe that Zion is the holly place as a heaven lies in Ethiopia. Rastaman believe that all oppressor, discriminator, and colonialist are an embodiment of evils, called as Babylonians. Campbell 1987:230 states, “The Babylon is the symbol of oppression. It related to downpressors power of imperialism”. Baskara 2008:38 give his statement that says, “Secara sosial, Rastafari adalah respons orang-orang kulit hitam atas perlakuan diskriminatif oleh orang kulit putih. Diskriminasi itu terjadi di Jamaika ketika pada tahun 1930an orang-orang kulit hitam berada pada tingkat tatanan sosial paling bawah, sementara orang-orang kulit putih dan agama mereka -umumnya Kristen- berada di tingkat teratas”. Socially, Rastafari is a response to the blacks over discriminatory treatment by whites. The discrimination occurred in Jamaica in the 1930s when the blacks are at the bottom level of the social order, while the white people and their religion -commonly Christian-at the top level. Furthermore, Baskara 2008:38 also states that Rastafarian juga merupakan perlawanan atas warisan kesombongan Babylonia Babel, seperti yang tercermin dalam otoritarianisme fasis Mussolini yang menjajah tanah suci kaum rasta, Ethiopia, pada tahun 1935. Rastafarians also a resistance against the arrogance of Babylonia – Babel – such as reflected in fascist authoritarianism of Mussolini who colonize the sacred land of Rastaman, Ethiopia, in 1935. The Rastaman identified himself into natural approach such as Africa culture. It is why symbols of Rastafari are identic with nature and wild endemic animal of Africa. Baskara 2008:75 says, “Hidup dekat dan menjadi bagian dari alam dianggap sebagai sifat Afrika. Pendekatan Afrika terhadap hidup dengan alam ini terlihat dalam simbolisasi dreadlock, ganja, makanan, upacara keagamaan, dan segala aspek kehidupan”.Living close to and become a part of nature regarded as properties of Africa. African approach to living with nature is seen in symbolization dreadlock, marijuana, food, religious ceremonies, and all aspects of life. It is why Rastafari doctrine is very different from the norms of the Whites, in some case it also a rejection to Whites people’s habits. Based on the statement above, it can be said that Rastaman also have their own rules about lifestyle. Rastaman has hairstyle characteristic known as Dreadlockand they didn’t eat fish and pork, and some of them live as vegetarian. The Dreadlock of Rastaman hairs intended to respect Jah, in other hand, it is also based on their interpretation to the bible. Other reason, they claimed that their bodies is sacred and hair shave is prohibited, for them shaving hair is the common think of Whites, they called Baldheads. Baskara 2008: 80 states that bagi orang-orang Rasta, pisau cukur, gunting, dan sisir adalah tiga alat yang ditemukan oleh bangsa Babylonia dan Romawi. For Rasta people, razor, scissors and combs are three tools invented by the Babylonians and Romans. Rastaman also use marijuana as a ritual or pray and they didn’t drink alcohol. In addition, Baskara 2008:76 says, “Rastafari juga mengenal tipe-tipe upacara keagamaan.Upacara ini biasanya berupa acara sederhana di mana orang-orang Rasta berkumpul, menghisap ganja, dan berdiskusi soal isu-isu etika, sosial, dan keagamaan. Orang yang menghisap ganja menyebut aktivitasnya itu sebagai doa”. Rastafari is also familiar with the types of religious ceremonies. The ceremony is usually a simple event where the Rasta people gather, smoke marijuana, and discuss the issues of ethical, social, and religious. People who smoke marijuana refer to this activity as a prayer.

2.2. Bob Marley: The Spirit of Freedom by Nando Baskara