Product Description

Going far beyond the standard imagery of Rasta - ganja, reggae, and dreadlocks - this cultural history offers an uncensored vision of a movement with complex roots and the exceptional journey of a man who taught an enslaved people how to be proud and impose their culture on the world. In the 1920s Leonard Percival Howell and the First Rastas had a revelation concerning the divinity of Haile Selassie, king of Ethiopia, that established the vision for the most popular mystical movement of the 20th century, Rastafarianism. Although jailed, ridiculed, and treated as insane, Howell, also known as the Gong, established a Rasta community of 4,500 members, the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana. In the late 1950s the community was dispersed, disseminating Rasta teachings throughout the ghettos of the island. A young singer named Bob Marley adopted Howell's message, and through Marley's visions, reggae made its explosion in the music world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #286306 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"Engaging account." -- Library Journal, June 1, 2003. "Insightful look at one of the most influential mystical movements of the twentieth century." -- Booklist. "Clear-eyed political history." -- Kirkus. "A smashing yarn." -- The Beat. "Absolutely fascinating ... a compelling must read for anyone who even pretends to be a reggae or ska fan." -- Dirty Linen. "An ambitious project and an unqualified success." -- All About Jazz. "Exacting and lushly written, the book is worthy of the highest esteem." -- Relix. "A journalistic detective story." -- Ugly Things. "Gets to the roots of what would become Jamaica's two greatest exports: reggae music and Rastafarianism." -- Global Rhythym. "Written with careful verve, 'The First Rasta' reads like a novel-fitting for the story of such a fantastic figure." -- Caribbean Beat.

Ugly Things
"A journalistic detective story."

Global Rhythm
"Gets to the roots of what would become Jamaica’s two greatest exports: reggae music and Rastafarianism."