Rastafari's Existential Future: Pan-Africanism to Afro-futurism

Rastafari and Afrofuturism: The Evolution of a Movement

Rastafari is a religion, theology, and philosophy that has been historically entwined and infused with Pan-African ethos from Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie. However, it is also a dynamic, evolving, and growing movement that has strands of Afrofuturism embedded within it. Rasta is not just a religion but a response to slavery, possible annihilation, and colonial European impositions. Rasta has retained the memory of Africa but has also dared to imagine a black man's space in the future when the rest of humanity relegated African people to the trash heap of history.

 

Rastafarianism, which originated in Jamaica in the 1930s, as a religious and cultural movement that drews on the experiences and perspectives of people of African descent. Rastafarians believe in the divinity of Haile Selassie, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, and emphasizes the importance of community and collective action in resisting oppression.

Rastafari for me is an existential philosophy and as such the connections between black existentialism and Rastafarianism are evident in the emphasis on collective action and resistance to oppression. Both philosophies reject the idea that individuals can achieve liberation or meaning in isolation and instead emphasize the need for collective struggle and solidarity. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes individual freedom and choice, and the need for individuals to create meaning in their lives. Black and African existentialism is a subfield of existentialism that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of black people and those of African descent. This philosophy emerged as a response to the dominant Eurocentric philosophical traditions that did not adequately address the unique experiences and perspectives of people of color.

One of the key thinkers in the development of black existentialism is Frantz Fanon, a Martinique-born psychiatrist and philosopher who lived and worked in Algeria during its struggle for independence from France. Fanon's work, particularly his books "Black Skin, White Masks" and "The Wretched of the Earth," explores the psychological impact of colonialism and racism on black people and the need for collective action to resist these forces.

Afrofuturism is a literary and cultural aesthetic that combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western cosmologies. First coined by Mark Dery in 1993, Afrofuturism addresses themes and concerns of the African Diaspora through a technoculture and science fiction lens, encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afrodiasporic experiences. Afrofuturism has four main avenues of expression: art, literature, music, and film.

 

Afrofuturism within music represents a diaspora of music that is non-traditional, focusing around the topic of blackness and space. This includes the work of George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock, and Sun-Ra. In literature, science, technology, art, music, and aesthetics, Afrofuturism has opened an avenue for things/issues that were seen as not so cool to be embraced, making them part and parcel of our lives. Now put in the context of all this... Max Romeo's "Am gonna put on an Ironshirt (spacesuit) and chase Satan out of Earth, Gonna send him to outer space, to find another race!"

Some examples of Afrofuturism in cinema you may have seen are Besouro, Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, Kaena the Prophecy and District 9. Ytasha Womack the author of Afrofuturism: the World of Black Sci-Fi Fantasy and Fantasy Culture, contends that with Afrofuturism “You’re a universal being that’s in a three-dimensional space. Afrofuturism allows black people to see our lives more fully than the present allows – emotionally, technologically, temporally and politically."

 Afrofuturism has had its impact in literature, science and technology, art, music and aesthetics. It has opened an avenue for things/issues that were seen as not so cool to be embraced. They have become part and parcel of our lives. In the 21st century, Afrofuturism continues to evolve and gain momentum. This has been pushed by writers and musicians. Some of the most notable musicians that have been at the forefront include Lupe Fiasco, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Solange, and many more. Afrofuturism is now taking over the media. Young people are being exposed to and technology has allowed black people to explore their own identities. 

Rastafari is Afrofuturistic because it is a movement that has dared to imagine a future beyond the circumstances of the present. Rasta has retained the memory of Africa while also creating a space for black people to envision their place in the future. This is evident in the way that Rastafari has embraced technology and incorporated it into its culture. The use of sound systems, dubbing, and other forms of electronic music has been a staple of Rasta culture since its inception. Rastafari has also embraced the use of media to spread its message, including the use of radio stations, television shows, and social media.

Rastafari is also Afrofuturistic because it has created a space for black people to embrace their identity and culture in a world that has historically rejected them. Rastafari has created a space where black people can come together and celebrate their heritage, culture, and spirituality. This has been achieved through the creation of festivals, gatherings, and other forms of communal celebrations.

Furthermore, Rastafari has been at the forefront of the Pan-African movement, which aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent. Rastafari has played an important role in advocating for the rights of black people globally and has been instrumental in promoting the ideas of Pan-Africanism. This is evident in the way that Rastafari has embraced the teachings of Marcus Garvey, who advocated for the unity and empowerment of black people globally.

In conclusion, the connections between black existentialism, Rastafarianism, Pan-Africanism, and Afrofuturism are evident in the emphasis on collective action, resistance to oppression, and the creation of new narratives and representations of black people. These philosophies and movements offer alternative visions of the future that are grounded in the experiences and perspectives of people of African descent and emphasize the importance of cultural and political unity in achieving liberation and meaning. Rastafari is an Afrofuturistic movement because it has dared to imagine a future beyond the circumstances of the present. Rasta has retained the memory of Africa while also creating a space for black people to envision their place in the future. Rastafari is techno-organic and has embraced technology, media, and communal celebrations to create a space where black people can come together and celebrate their heritage, culture, and spirituality. Rastafari has been at the forefront of the Pan-African movement, advocating for the right and rights!!!

Heartbreak: Rasta Errol’s Tale

“Hearts can break. Yes, hearts can break. Sometimes I think it would be better if we died when they did, but we don't.”
~Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis

“Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart!”
~Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

My heart breaks often at least 3 times a year… that’s the way it is in Jamaica. Friends die. Yes they do, and die tragically too. Last year at this time I lost a sistren, Anieta Robinson. Her struggle was a short fight with cancer. By the time I heard and bought turmeric and noni to go look for her, she was gone. So she has been in my meditation as of late, especially since from time to time I review my role in my communities, be it the Rastafari community, my geographical space, my family or the artist community. So while these thoughts are floating about in my mind that at 4am while waiting for the Knutsford Express to go to a seminar on Monitoring and Evaluation, in Kingston on behalf of The Rastafari Coral Garden Benevolent Society, that a breddrin and member who is going to Kingston as well says, Yannick, yuh hear wah happen to Rasta Errol? Oh how I have grown to hate that question… the answer when I say no, is never him win Lotto! Nope; the answer 9 time out of ten is “him dead”. This occasion was scarcely different. When I said “no” the answer was, “Them stab him up a Arcade”. And as I feel the old familiar jolt of shock, all I can think is AGAIN!

So now as I am supposed to be having the time of my life watching Putin’s World Cup, my mind is a constant kaleidoscope of emotion, racing back and forth from planning the future, to grief to, happy as Ronaldo and Mbappi blazes the score sheets, celebrating Senegal, weeping for Germany, remembering Errol, Anieta, Likkle Dread, Chrissy, the army of fallen soldiers, writing proposals, chasing paper, being there for my daughter, considering the future of the nation, the future of the race, the future of my family, am I hovering close to St. James Infirmary, is there a pension for me, will I escape poverty, what is the future for me when I become an elder??? As all this is churning in my mind, my heartbreaks for myself, it breaks for Errol, it breaks when I consider the existential plight of Rastafari. Yet from this I reaffirm, why it is I am a community activist, why I am a member of the Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society!

The purpose of the organization is to alleviate the distress of the vulnerable Rastafari community. We provide relief and care to those who to varying degree have been excluded from society, disenfranchised or have been rendered voiceless – the elderly, neglected and victims of the 1963 atrocity. As a result of the actions of a few persons in Coral Gardens in 1963, the entire Rastafari community was officially targeted by the State of newly-independent Jamaica. This led to extreme brutality, imprisonment and death of many Rastafari sons and daughters across Jamaica by the police, army and other citizens of Jamaica. The Rastafari Coral Gardens Benevolent Society was registered under the Friendly Societies Act to keep alive the memory of the Coral Gardens atrocities and the denial of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of members of the Rastafari community.

Rasta Errol at 60 years old was a member of the RCGBS. At his age he was more than qualified to be a beneficiary. The last two times I saw Errol was at UWI out by the airport, we had been at a seminar for Capacity Building by Mona Social Services (MSS). The last time would be Sunday June 10, 2018 at The People’s Arcade at an RCGBS meeting. There he handed me some herb and a bottle of Spurlina. He showed me his MSS certificate which he had gotten framed. I was thankful as someone who ought to be getting was still giving… I didn't know it would be the last time I would see him.

As I perused the INTERNET to possibly understand what the media may know I found this meager report of a mighty man. “Reports from the Barrett Town Police are that, about 9am [on Tuesday, June 12], Cooke was walking in the People’s Arcade when he was pounced on by a group of men armed with knives, who attacked him and inflicted several wounds to his upper body.” The JCF stated that Cooke was taken to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. Investigations are continuing. Sometimes people wonder within the Rastafari community and outside it… if our collective efforts are necessary or valid… it is lives like Errol’s, life lived exceptionally is why we must organize and central. It is to prevent the ending of lives in such tragedies and tragic manner is why we must organize to secure the future of Jamaica's pan African heart. SELAH.