Rastafari In The Visual Arts

From Rastafari Education Daily,
A regular column by kaya, Sep 13, 2005         

Summary: Alan Bagshaw's essay continues

 
The one symbolization that is seen in almost every piece of Rastafarian art is simply the recurring use of four colors: red, green, gold, and black. Red, green, and black were the three colors related with the Marcus Garvey Movement, and the gold was adopted from the Jamaican flag. In fact, almost every country in Africa has two out of these four colors in their flags (shown on the following page) they also seem to share a theme of horizontal or vertical stripes of each color, with gold usually in-between red and green. Each of these colors has symbolic meaning: red stands for the blood of martyrs who died as a result of the African diaspora; green represents the lush vegetation of Africa; gold symbolizes the wealth of Africa that was stolen by European invaders; and black represents the Black African race. The symbolism behind the colors red, green, and gold is best expressed by Faybiene Miranda in her poem,"Red, Green, and Gold": Red, Green, and Gold Red Gold and Green will colour the land For the word of the Rastaman is at hand Red runs the blood of a people who died at the wish of man living in vain Red runs the blood of a people on trial In a court of inequity, sentenced to pain When a man knows his loss he has only to gain. Let the Red Gold and Green shine through the tears and the rains Green is the feilds of Afrika land built by the power of black working hands turning and tilling all day the black earth. Blackhearts sing a song of a day that would come When the work that was sown could be reaped as their own. Gold is the wealth of a land looted and raped by a people who live only to take. A time is at hand when lightning shall sound and thunder will break All those with fear shall cower and quake at the hands of a people Resuming their place in a nation. Repatriated, standing solid and bold In the name of reclaiming the Red, Gold and Green. When a man knows his worth he has only to gain For what was once his shall be his again. -Faybiene Miranda (Faristzaddi, 2nd Itation) These colors, especially red, green, and gold, can be found everywhere in Jamaica, in clothes, painted on tree trunks, drums, and staffs carried at Nyabingi services, and even painted on houses and all the way along wood fences (Faristzaddi, 1st Itation). This poem also addresses the redemption of the Blackhearts, and hints at Revelation. These kinds of biblical themes are found throughout Rastafarian art in the form of Rasta-translations and interpretations of the Bible. The Rastas accept the Old Testament and Book of Revelations, but suspect that Europeans mis-translated the New Testament to make God out as a white man (Snider, 2/4). An Example of a Rastafarian's interpretation of Revelation appears on the following page; it is a painting done by the artist shown with hand on the Bible, Ras Dubrick. The image is not terribly clear, but one can make out a central figure, towards which all other figures are facing. This is the image of Jah, in the form of Ras Tafari, Haile Selassie I, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of Solomon and Sheeba, come down to earth in the Second Coming, the day of Judgement. A crucifix appears in the background, it seems to have a figure on it; that of the unrepenting sinner who gets no forgiveness on Judgement Day. There are several other figures on the left side of the painting, and there seems to be more crucifixes in the background, but this is unclear. The quote from Revelations speaks of the"opening of the book"and the"seven seals"; in the bottom portion of Ras Dubrick's painting is the allusion of an open bible, and in the bottom right-hand corner one can see what appears to be the seven seals. Just the though of Armageddon brings powerful thoughts to mind, but when it is visually projected at you, it is ten times more powerful.Another exceptional painting that involves a biblical translation is actually painted on the side of a small food stand known as"Irie's Vegetarian Delight"in a Kingston suburb. This little food stand is painted on all sides, but the main focus is directly below the exchange counter, where there is a Rastafarian vision of the Last Supper. In this interpretation, Jesus and his Apostles are all black men with natty, kinky dreadlocks, set against a background of stars and planets. The central figure of this piece, which can be seen on the following page, is the Rastafarian's image of Jesus, Haile Selassie. They believe that the"Jesus"spoken of in the Bible is really the former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, who was said to be a direct descendant of King Solomon and Queen Sheeba. Here he is pictured with halo around his head, and hands spread to the sides; he is offering his brethren the holy food. The food cart this appears on is perhaps the best possible place for this painting; a place where Rasta brethren can come to get"ital"food, in other words, food that adheres to their strict diet of vegetables and small fish. Also included in this composition is a separate table with Selassie and his queen in full royal garb, along with the words"Alfa"and"Omega", the divine representations of Jah. Along with the words is the star of Solomon and a lion carrying a flag, both of which are universal Rastafarian symbols, and will be discussed later. On each side of the door to the food stand, there are beautifully elaborate lions, with one paw up and facing the door. The most incredible thing about this piece to me is simply the fact that it is located outdoors, exposed to the elements of nature, and of suburban life. As an artist, I personally take very good care of my artwork, and hate to see it damaged in any slight way. Perhaps this is an indication of what the Rastaman's work really means to him; it is not art for pleasure, it is divine inspiration, a means of tapping the soul and releasing tremendous spiritual energy. One can feel this energy when viewing the"Last Supper". The second most abundant symbol used by Rastafarian artists is that of the Conquering Lion, which coincides with Haile Selassie, the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah (this was a formal title he received as Emperor). Lions are symbolic of pride, which is one of the key concepts of Rastafarianism. Rastas are proud of their African heritage, and they display this in every way possible, from their hairstyle to the way they walk. The lion also represents the male-dominance of the Rasta movement; never are lionesses used in Rastafarian imagery (Barrett, 142). (*Sis Rani Carson, Wombman Artiste, defining Rasta Wombman an her talents of today below)

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