The Rastafarian Movement has its origins during the eighteenth century; British landowners needed a large workforce and imported several African slaves to Jamaica to work on sugar plantations. These slaves fought to keep their African traditions. (Abram, Hamann, “The Rastafarian Movement”) Rastafari theology was greatly influenced by Marcus Garvey, when he began his teachings in the 1920’s, and led the “Back to Africa Movement”. In 1927 Garvey once said to his followers that their king shall be crowned in Africa. In 1930 a man named Ras Tafari Makonnen became emperor of Ethiopia; at his coronation he took the name Haile Selassi, “Might of the Trinity”.
In turn these changes affected attitudes of the British government and public opinion and undoubtedly influenced key decisions about both expansion and dismantlement in Africa. Britain's first intervention in Africa occurred in Egypt. Egypt was part of the Turkish Empire in 1882 but discontent lead to national revolts that scared Britain. Following the purchase of the Suez Canal shares in 1875, British financial and trading interests had grown in the area. Britain could not allow her investments in Egypt jeopardized, as Egypt was a vital route to India.
This dissertation focuses on the reaction to colonialism from 1900 to 1964 in Northern Rhodesia. It will begin by giving a brief general historical review of colonialism in Africa, details of the racial attitudes of the British, then proceeds to discuss their respective political administration and finally the reaction of the natives to colonialism. Between the 1870s and 1900s, Africa faced heavy European imperialist aggression, diplomatic pressures, military invasions, and eventual conquest and colonization. At the same time, African societies put up various forms of resistance against the attempt to colonize their countries and impose foreign domination. By the early twentieth century, however, much of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, had been colonized by European powers.
Rastafari is a young, Africa-centred religion which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, following the coronation of Haile Selassie I as King of Ethiopia in 1930. Rastafarians believe Haile Selassie I is God and that he will return to the African members of the black community who are living in exile as the result of colonisation and the slave trade. (www.bbc.co.uk) Marcus Garvey a political activist developed the idea of Rastafari ideology because he wanted to improve the status of his fellow black people. There are approximately one million people worldwide adherents of Rastafari as a faith. The 2001 census found 5,000 Rastafarians living in England and Wales (bbc.co.uk) Rastafarians are known by different names such as Rasta, sufferers, locks men, and dreadlocks or dreads.
To what extend was the colonisation and decolonisation of Britain’s Africa driven by individuals within Africa? Before the 1870’s Africa was largely unknown to the outside world but, in the 1880’s the scramble of Africa began, where European counties, especially Britain all wanted to colonise Africa. Was the whole reason for British colonising Africa economically or strategically driven or was it led by individuals in Africa (men on the spot) or was it more of a top down process led by the government in Britain? And even though Britain fought so hard to control large parts of Africa it is clear that after World II Britain’s empire was declining especially after India gain independence in 1947. However, the British did try to revive their African empire in the late 40’s and early 50’s but their sudden fall into a steep imperial decline with the Suez crises saw individuals like Macmillan to acknowledge that decolonisation was the only way forward, as it would be more beneficial for Britain to decolonise than to resist the rise of nationalism.
To really understand what the rastafarians are all about; let’s take a brief look at their history. The movement began back in the 1930’s in Kingston Jamaica under the inspiration and teachings of world renowned Marcus Mosiah Garvey. During a time of struggle, racism, “class-ism,” and discrimination against blacks, Garvey went about the business of teaching and enlightening blacks that to improve their condition, they must establish their own “world” back in Africa On November 2, 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia and took on the name Haile Selassie (Might of the Trinity) plus additional titles including “Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah,” and “Elect of God and King of the Kings of Ethiopia.” This was when the rastafarians who had been listening to Marcus Garvey for a while, became convinced that he, Ras Tafari Makonnen, was the one the African Messiah who had come and liberate all Africans from their oppressors. This belief led to the birth of the Rastafarian movement. Leader Leonard Howell took control and led the group to initiate six fundamentals principles of Rastafarian belief.
The Rise of Colonialism in Africa Between 1870 and 1900, Europe set out to colonize Africa for their raw materials. Africa was up against invasions of Europe's military and diplomatic pressures. This did not happen without a fight, and Africans were not happy about this attempt to be colonized. With the exception of Ethiopia and Liveria, Africa had been colonized by Europe by the early twentieth century. Europe wanted to set up and colonize in Africa, mainly because of Africa's raw materials it was purely economic.
Sub-Saharan Africa had much longer exposure to Islamic culture influences than to European cultural influences. Scholars and merchants learned to use the Arabic language to communicate with visiting North Africans and to read the Quran. Islamic beliefs and practices as well as Islamic legal and administrative systems were prominent in African trading cities on the southern edge of the Saharan and on the Swahili coast. During the three and a half centuries of contact between Europe and Africa before 1800, Africans yielded minimal territory to Europeans. Local African kings scrutinized the European trading posts that they permitted along the Gold and Slave Coasts and collected profitable rents and fees from these traders and merchants.
Regional Outline for: Sub-Saharan Africa | |8000 – 600 CE |600 – 1450 CE |1450-1750 CE |1750 – 1914 CE |1914 - Present | |Politics |Pharaoh/queen (living incarnation of |Kingship legitimized by Islam, |leaders cooperated with slave |Re-colonization of Africa; Sierra |Decolonization of Africa; attempt at | | |sun god), internal disorder, |‘People of The Book’, Bantu |traders; monarchy |Leone, Liberia ; coastal kingdoms |representative government; involved | | |invasions (900 BCE), irrigation |(stateless societies) | |ruled by warlords/merchants; |in WWII; renewed independence |
After permeating African society, Muslim merchants began capturing slaves and selling them to buyers in Arabia, where slaves were prized as status symbols. The Muslim slave trade operated throughout the Indian Ocean in order to reach Arabia and Southeast Asia. Lastly, change came to the Indian Ocean’s commerce when European’s became involved, beginning around 1500. The Portuguese, English, and Dutch vied for control of the spice trade in the Indian Ocean region. Eventually the Dutch monopolized the spice trade by capturing various nutmeg and clove producing islands and destroying regions that proved to be competition.