Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!
“Get Up, Stand Up”- Bob Marley
Are you aware that Bob Marley’s reggae songs have religious and political background behind it? If you answered no, then you must read on to know how the Rastafarian movement came about. If you answered yes, then do you agree that the Rastafarian movement was a form of a counter culture?
The famous Bob Marley was part of the Rastafarian movement, a “"messianic religio-political movement" that began in the Jamaican slums in the 1920s and 30s. The beginnings of this movement began when European powers were colonizing parts of Africa in which they took the African people and treated them as slaves. For the African people, this captivity marked the “suppression of their culture, and they knew the areas of captivity as Babylon”. (Jah.com)
The movement was initially led by a black political leader by the name of Marcus Garvey (a man rastas consider a prophet) and taught his followers to “look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your Redeemer.” This statement was the foundation of the Rastafarian movement. (Jah.com)
This statement was considered a prophecy and was soon followed by the crowning of Haile Selassie I as the Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarian saw this as the fulfillment of Garvey’s words. Haile Selassie, whose real name was Ras (Prince) Tafari Makonnen, became known as the Black Messiah or Jah Rastafari. Selassie is a symbol of salvation and Rasta’s believe he will save blacks from white suppression and reunite them with their African homeland. (Jah.com)
In the mid-1930s the first branch of Rastafari is believed to have been established by Leonard P. Howell in Jamaica. Howell talked of the divinity of Haile Selassie and preached that blacks would one day gain superiority of whites. His message encouraged other people to spread the word of Rastafari, and this marked the first uniting of Rastafarians. It brought hope to blacks that one day they would be free and return to Africa. It also created a path for the movement to move forward. (Jah.com)
Now that the tone has been set regarding the Rastafarian movement, it is essential that I relate this to our class discussions, particularly on the theory of late capitalism and counter hegemony. According to Gramsci, hegemony exists when “the oppressed is conditioned to accept domination through the deployment of ideology”. But in this situation, the Rastafarian movement can be considered as counter-hegemony or counter-culture since it serves as a venue for resistance to its colonizers, particularly the European powers. It serves as an undertaking to weaken and withhold the consent of the oppressed that Gramsci was talking about. It then follows that culture is no longer just affirmative but rather plays an important role in its struggle to fight the hegemonic powers. Furthermore, as we move on to late capitalism, we see that the role of ideology changes as well. Before, ideology was seen as the means of control of the dominant class, as seen in Marxism. Nowadays, using the lens of late capitalism, ideology is transformed into “an an everyday experience manifested in popular culture. The purpose of ideology critique in late capitalism is to uncover and demystify reification, domination and hegemony found in people’s everyday experiences and activities” The Rastafarian movement is a perfect example of this. This is the main reason why I posted the lyrics of Bob Marley’s song, Get Up Stand Up. Music was a vital part of the Rastafarian movement. Bob Marley, the King of Reggae, was influenced by former musicians of Africa such as Nyabinghi. It is the “most integral form of Rastafarian music which is played at groundations, or worship ceremonies, and includes drumming, chanting, dancing, prayer, and the smoking of ganja”. Nyabinghi, which originated in East Africa, spread to Jamaica with the purpose of opposing imperialism. It is also often used to invoke the power of God, or Jah, against oppressors through the use of drums. From Nyabnghi arose Afro-Caribbean music that included influences from the native peoples of Jamaica and European slave owners who encouraged the music as a means of keeping morale high. With this context, it is evident that the music has been part of their lives. It is not the grand and clear-cut kind of ideology that we know of. It is the type of ideology that is embedded in their lives, especially in their music. The Rastafarian music empowered them to “stand up for their rights so to speak”. Music was an integral part of their protest. Due to this, the transformation of the black people occurred-from being silenced into having a voice. These Rastafarians have created their own counter culture out of their oppression and slavery through the use of music that is based on their doctrines.
References:
Religion Facts. (2011). Rastafari. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/a-z-religion-index/rastafarianism.htm#1
Jah.com (2011). Reggae music. Retrieved from
Jah.com (2011). Rastafari movement. Retrieved from
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