Rastafarian stories transfer ideas of unity and dismantling hierarchical power structures while spreading hate and discrimination. Chamberlin chooses to focus on the positive aspects of the Rastafarian belief as an example of how stories can connect and reconnect people through finding common ground. Throughout the book, If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories?: Finding Common Ground Chamberlin goes on at lengths about borders and contradictions, places where reality and imagination meet. Myths are one of these places. And Chamberlin believes that “Rastafarianism may be the only genuine myth to have emerged from the settlement and slavery in the New World.” (187). He points to the Rastafarian history and language to elucidate his point but avoids the negative aspects that could challenge his argument.
Chamberlin first points to Rastafarian stories expressed through reggae. He explains that stories are places where things happen that don’t, and things are that are not. (82). He then goes on to say, “One of the stories that catches this contradiction as well as any is to be found in Rastafari and its musical expression in reggae, in which the Biblical story of Jewish exile and return is made over into the African experience of slavery in the Americas.” (83). Rastafarianism finds common ground between exiles, whether from Jerusalem or slaves brought to the Americas. Chamberlin explains that it is a “myth of dispossession and dislocation, of wandering and exile, and of home; and it draws on that other great account of racial and religious conflict, seemingly the site of some of the world’s most intense antagonism, the Bible.” (194). One of the songs that Chamberlin doesn’t mention but captures the essence of wandering, exile, and home is Exodus by Bob Marley. The line “movement of Jah people” represents both the physical and emotional diaspora from the past; however, Marley also uses the language to refer to the future, “We’re leaving Babylon/We’re going to our Fatherland.” These two lines capture the semblance of the African and Jewish exile story while uniting people with the repetition of the word we.
One of the ways that people exclude and include people is through language. Rastafarians use Dread Talk to incorporate their ideas and beliefs in the English language. For instance, “understand” becomes “overstand;” and “site up” means both “see” and “overstand,” but always in the further sense of standing up in one’s own place as in the Exodus. One of the most familiar features of dread talk involves the use of “I,” celebrating both the sanctity of the self (as in “I and I” for “we”)….” (195). This language is often heard in reggae songs with an anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist and liberating ideology. For instance, the use of I and I can be found the song Crazy Baldhead by Bob Marley. However, even though reggae and Rastafarianism have many positive messages, it also discriminates.
Jamaica has been criticized for its homophobic culture, and much of it is due to the Rastafarian religion. Rastafarians have a selective use of the Hebrew Scriptures that results in opposition to homosexuality. (Hewitt 169). The anti-gay rhetoric has also leaked into the popular culture. “Rastafari ideology and Dance hall musical narrative have influenced the evolution of a highly toxic life denying environment that creates negative social factors, including the strong stigma associated with AIDS and homosexuality that engenders intolerance and even violence.” (Hewitt 169). For more on this, click here. Chamberlin also chooses not to mention that the man Rastafarian’s worship, the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, was tolerant of slavery, human-tracking, and indifferent to the suffering of his people. (Thomson). Visit The Guardian to find out more about Haile Selassie. Even though Chamberlin avoids mentioning these crucial aspects of Rastafarianism, it may have strengthened his ideas about borders and contradictions. After all, many Rastafarians are descendants of slaves and yet worship a man that endorsed slavery.
Works Cited
Chamberin, Edward J. If This Is Your Land, Where Are Your Stories?: Finding Common Ground. Vintage Canada, 2010.
Hewitt, Roderick. “The Influences of Conservative Christianity, Rastafari and Dance Hall Music within Jamaica on Homophobia and Stigma against People Living with HIV and AIDS.” Alternation, Dec. 2016.
Thomson, Ian. “King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia by Asfa-Wossen Asserate – Review.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Dec. 2015, www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/24/king-of- kings-haile-selassie-ethiopia-asfa-wossen-asserate-review.
Hi Nolan,
Ever since I first read your post, I kept thinking about it. But I had to finish Chamberlin’s book first to see what he had to say. Interesting that he didn’t mention these negative aspects of Rastafarianism. You say “it may have strengthened his ideas about borders and contradictions. After all, many Rastafarians are descendants of slaves and yet worship a man that endorsed slavery.” That is a good example of contradiction, but it also seems to me that just as Rastafarianism selected parts of an Abrahamic religion that worked for them, Chamberlin also selected specific parts of Rastafarianism that helped him make a point in his book.
Thanks for enlightening me on those negative aspects; I think Rastafarianism gets brushed off too easily as the land of Bob Marley and pot, but I see now it merits deeper thought. The myth-making of “dread talk” was really interesting to me — when I read the lyrics to Exodus, I came upon the word “downpression” which is a mixture of oppression and down (at first I thought it meant depression, so I had to look it up!)
Their use of language to liberate is a good example of one answer to Chamberlin’s question, “where are your stories?” although now I also would seek out the stories of people who have discriminated by Rastafarians. I’m interested if you think there’s a way to connect the stories of Indigenous people of Canada and the Rastafarians?
Hi Andrea,
Thanks for taking the time to read my post and replying to it. I agree with you that it “also seems to me that just as Rastafarianism selected parts of an Abrahamic religion that worked for them, Chamberline also selected specific parts of Rastafarianism that helped him make a point in his book.” I think Chamberlin does a pretty good job at connecting Rastafarianism and the Indigenous people of Canada through the idea of true and untrue, oppressed classes, etc. I think there are other ways to connect the stories as well. It’s interesting that the Rastafarians created their own religion in a response of oppression whereas many indigenous people in Canada seemed to accept the Christian religion even though many Christians destroyed their way of life. I’d like to compare the two histories and cultures to see why some accepted the religion whereas others created their own.