RASTAFARIAN SYMBOLISM in the Visual Arts

The words of Ras"T", captured by Leonard E. Barrett, Sr. in his book The Rastafarians, are an excellent representation of the Rastaman's struggle to survive as an artist in Jamaica. They also reveal the core concept of Rastafarianism itself; the idea that one is born with Rasta inside them, and a true Rasta lives every second of every day in spiritual contact with Jah, Rastafari. One cannot be a Sunday worshiper of Rastafarianism. For the Rastafarian artist, every stroke of every painting or each chip of wood from the sculpture is inspired by Jah. (Photo to the right is of Kapo, Pocomanian Sculptor)

Despite the problems such as lack of materials, and difficulties in getting exposure for their work, many members of the Rastafarian movement have turned to artistic expression in order to convey the Rastaman's message, and also as a means of out-letting their spirituality. These expressions include visual art, music, and poetry. In some cases, the Rastas use their artistic ability to create crafts and"folk art"such as jewelry and figurines, which are purchased by tourists. Prior to the mid 1900's, Jamaicans were known for their talent in ceramics and sculpting, but the majority of these artists were from elite White and East Indian communities. The first Jamaican sculptor to be known internationally was Kapo, the famous Pukumina leader, whose works were all composed under religious inspiration (Barrett, 186). The birth of Rastafarianism created an important outlet for African-rooted artistic creativity, and the Rastafarian artists became the first ones to appear from a grassroots community. This incredible outburst of creativity is described by Barrett as follows:"from the primitive paintings of Ras Dizzy to the superb etchings of Ras Daniel Heartman; from the rough sculpture of Ras Canute who works under the coconut tree in front of the Casa Montego in Montego Bay to the refined pieces in Joe James Gallery in front of the Holiday Inn at Rose Hall, St. James - Rastafarian and Rastafarian inspired art can be found everywhere."(Barrett, 186).

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During the 1960's, there was a rise in political awareness of the Rastafarians, along with an effort to aid them in the routinization of their movement with the rest of Jamaican society. This effort was instigated by the present Prime Minister, Edward Seaga, who was a noted anthropologist and sociologist. One of the results of this awareness was the participation of Rastafarians in the Jamaica National Festivals; in which many Rastas received medals for exceptional pieces of wood work (Barrett, 161). An example of a Rastafarian head-carving can be seen on the following page. The figure is bearded with long hair, not quite in dreadlocks, but long enough to frame the face. The expression on his face is stern, with down-turned mouth and hard, staring eyes. This is a typical"intimidation image"of the Rastafarian; it represents the characteristics of the Rastaman that created the negative attitudes towards Rastafarianism on the parts of other Jamaicans. The Rastaman's wild appearance and intimidating walk were originally looked down upon by other Jamaicans, the Jamaicans didn't see into the souls of the Rastas, where the true beauty is. The skin areas of the wood-carving on the following page are not smoothed, but still contain the chisel-marks, giving the face a course texture. Here we can see the rough exterior of the Rastaman, yet it is retained in a beautiful carving that encaptures the observer; truely representative of the typical Rastaman's personality."Rastafarian heads"similar to this one have sold for as much as 500 dollars (Barrett, 186).