Rastafari
A Jamaican spiritual and political movement that turned toward Africa, Ethiopia and Black liberation under colonial rule. Reggae carried Rastafari language and ideas around the world, but Rastafari is much bigger than reggae.
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Rastafari emerged in Jamaica in the early 1930s after the coronation of Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia, shaped by Black biblical interpretation, anti-colonial thought, Pan-Africanism and the search for African dignity and repatriation. Leonard Howell became one of its foundational preachers, while other early leaders and communities developed their own teachings. Rastafari faced ridicule, discrimination and state violence in Jamaica before becoming far more visible nationally and internationally. Nyahbinghi gatherings, language, dreadlocks, ideas of Babylon and Zion, and the movement’s relationship to Africa entered reggae’s cultural vocabulary. That relationship is deep, especially in roots reggae, but a religion and way of life should never be reduced to a music genre.
Where the history is argued
- Rastafari has multiple mansions, communities and theological interpretations; no single paragraph can stand for every practitioner.
- Marcus Garvey influenced the political world around early Rastafari, but he did not found the movement.
How they stand with the others
Spirit ofRoots reggae carried Rastafari ideas globally, but reggae listeners, reggae artists and Rastafari practitioners are not interchangeable groups.
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Last checked 1 September 2026