The Rastafarianism is a culture, a way of understanding life, not a religion; it is a movement with a spiritual nature that was developed in Jamaica, where the black population was victim of a brutal oppression. With the abolition of slavery the descendants of slaves revalued their spiritual beliefs once repressed, developing the Rastafari movement, a philosophy based on not accepting the values imposed by the dominant system, Babylon. 

Rastafarianism combines the beliefs of African origin with narratives of the Old Testament, being the Bible a tool of analysis, meditation and wisdom. The story tells that Makeda, Queen of Saba, now Ethiopia, visited Jerusalem and fell in love with King Solomon, she returned home where she had his son, which rose to the throne as Menelik I. In 1930 the 225th descendant of the Menelik lineage , Ras Tafari Makonnen, was crowned emperor of Ethiopia under the name of Haile Selassie, Lion of the Judah Tribe, which according to biblical interpretation is the representative of God on earth, the Messiah in his second coming. Rastafarians believe they are the reincarnation of the lost tribes of Israel and its true heirs, whose redemption will come with the return to Ethiopia, where according to the Old Testament was the Garden of Eden. 

The image of Selassie as a god starts circulating and the teachings of Rastafari started being preached. They spread into the Jamaican society of the 30s and 40s, where poorest ghettos of Kingston rasta communities were born. The Reggae music emerges as a form of expression, the music of Jah, a song full of hope and peace, filled with messages of protest which encourages marginal ghettos of Jamaica to take up for their rights and not to surrender in the fight against Babylon, with performers such as Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley. 

The Rastafari knows that life is sacred bond with Jah, based on peace and love, the brotherhood of men and women, existing in the here and now “and not in a “life after life”. They consider the Ganja as a sacred herb since it was found near the tomb of King Solomon, being the sacrament that helps meditation and to enter in communion with Jah. They follow a vegetarian and almost raw fish diet, they don’t consume meat, alcohol or tobacco, in order to keep the body pure and live virtuously. The “Dreadlocks” symbolize the roots of the towns, which is natural hair that is not combed and cut, like the lion`s hair. 

Rastafarianism is a movement widely accepted, being a coherent doctrine that has spread around the globe, for many the best life´s philosophy. In Costa Rica`s Caribbean, Rastafarianism is present in everyday life, the Jamaican descendants maintain their roots and their flag is of red, green and yellow colours. 

Fotografias de Paco Salmerón y Sophie Andrieux

Texto de Juan Carlos Lorite y Paco Salmerón