Garveyism and Rastafarianism Essay - 3979 Words

Garveyism and Rastafarianism I. Introduction In the twentieth century, two movements have emerged out of Jamaica in protest of black oppression and slavery, both mental and physical. The first to evolve was Garveyism, founded by Marcus Garvey, and was born in the aftermath of the First World War. Rastafarianism was the second movement to emerge, lead by Leonard Howell during the depression years of the 1930’s. Garveyism and Rastafarianism are both resistance movements based on the same ideal: consciousness and essentialism of Africa and its descendants. The founding brethren of the Rastafari movement were Garveyites themselves, although not members of the Universal Negro Improvement Asscioation (UNIA), they agreed with and defended†¦show more content†¦Garvey’s aim was to recontextualize particular aspects of seeming irreconcilable systems of Marxism/Leninism, monarchism, and even of National Socialism for the African of Africa American experience (Zips, 224). Garvey did not feel restricted by established political ideologies, instead he felt free to pick out the best attributes of every government. Ultimately, Garveyism hoped to develop the African continent into a modern network of nations, modeling it after the United States and Western Europe (Lewis , 146). Garvey established the UNIA in Jamaica in the year 1914, two years later he left for the United States in order to gain more momentum for his movement and spread the African unity he had started in Jamaica. Before leaving Jamaica, Garvey made a prophecy of sorts to his followers: â€Å"Look into Africa for the crowning of a black king. He shall be the Redeemer† (Barrett, 67). From this prediction stems most of the discrepancy between Garveyites and Rastafarians, something I will discuss later in this paper. The four main themes that the Garvey movement was built upon were 1) Africa for Africans at home and abroad, 2) unity, 3) self-reliance, and 4) retaining their black pride in the presence of whites (Chevannes, 95). Garvey brought this ideology with him to the United States where he founded an American branch of the UNIA in 1917 and furthered his initiativesShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On The Ethiopian Church Of Egypt991 Words   |  4 PagesRastafarianism is the child of two very distinct and unrelated entities. One parent is Garveyism, an ideology which at its essence is a Black supremacist socio-political movement with the end goal of repatriating African descendants in the diaspora back to Africa and and Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is one of the five   monophysite churches, characterised by their rejection of the Council of Chalcedon 451 AD(Ethiopian) This council was convened in an effort toRead MoreThe Harlem Renaissance : A Time Of Battle For African Americans2917 Words   |  12 Pagescome to characterize both a social marvel, sorted out under the pennant of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and African Communities League (ACL), and a period of dark renaissance, in which Garveyism and the idea of dark racial pride got to be synonymous, (Holly, 132). Garveyism as an ideological development started in dark Harlem in the spring of 1918, and after that thrived all through the dark world. Almost a thousand UNIA divisions were framed, and a huge number of individualsRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesus to survive and thrive This page intentionally left blank Foreword One of the most useful things about Ennis Edmondss Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers is that it correctly traces the connection between the emergence of Rastafarianism and the history of resistance and black consciousness that has been part of the Jamaican experience for years. The truth is that there has always been a committed Jamaican counter- culture that celebrates and sees redemption in Africa and rejectsRead More African Music of the Rastafari, the Rasta Community, the Dreads4350 Words   |  18 Pagesmelting pot of African and indigenous Afro-European forms of music such as Kumina, burru, myal, Revivalism, Pocomania and other church variations. At this time, Count Ossie was making regular trips to reason with other Rasta brethren on Garveyism, Rastafarianism, black culture, and blackman redemption. It was there that Count Ossie learned to play the burru drums. As the late Ossie told it, he first learned to play the funde, and then went on to master the akete (Potash 9). Ossie’s teacher was