Rastafarianism : a Nairobi case study

Abstract

The origin of the Church in Africa is often associated with the coming of Western missionaries sometime in the nineteenth century after the birth of Christ. This, however, is a misnomer, for there have been African expressions of Christianity dating back to the fourth century AD. Egypt, Nubia (Cush) and Ethiopia (Abyssinia) each had Christian religious statements as direct informants to their respective cultures. In particular, Ethiopian Christianity and history survives as an ideological source for the emergence and sustenance of several modern African Christian cults, sects and denominations. One of the most popular African Christian expressions is that of Rastafarianism. Since its humble beginnings in the 1930's on the island of Jamaica, Rastafarianism has risen to become a universal phenomenon, captivating the hearts and minds of millions of African people all over the world. In addition, many whites have also embraced Rastafarianism as its beliefs have been drastically modified over the past thirty years. The African Evangelical Church and African governments have been at odds with Rastafarianism from the time of its inception. This conflict, however, is more than theological, it is also socio-cultural and socio-economical. The city of Nairobi, Kenya is an interesting microcosm of the relationship between Rastafarianism, the Evangelical Church and African government. As such Nairobi serves as the geographical locus of a case study approach to Rastafarian analysis and dialogue with other societal institutions. The story of Rastafarianism is an important one, having many implications to current African society and its institutions, namely the Church and State. That is the nature of this study, and it is pursued from an African perspective as distinct from the .missionary or ecumenical approaches to the telling and interpretation of African history.