When in 2000, a strange guy with a mane of unkempt hair braided in many braids in a three-color beret flashed on the TV screens, calling itself an incomprehensible but sonorous “DeCel”, they started talking about him as a new manifestation of youth culture. Grebenshchikov also added fuel to the fire , too, often striking a scandal and wearing a tricolor hat. And the mysterious word "rastaman" went to the people.
History of the phenomenon
When asking the question "Rastaman is who," do not rush to turn to explanatory dictionaries. Alas, there is no such concept there yet. As well as in the dictionaries of jargon,
idiomatic expressions , etc. But young people are quite willing to juggle them, and journalists and writers, reflecting our daily reality, catching it, transfer it to the pages of the media and to their works. But serious culturologists and ethnographers can shed light, explaining to us, the rastaman is who. This is the name of the Rastafarians, or Rasta, and in simple terms - Africans living in America or Europe, born outside their native continent and having citizenship of other countries. Those. representatives of a special culture that they inherited from their ancestors-slaves brought to the Old and New Worlds in an era when a person was equated with ordinary goods. This movement originated in the center of the slave trade, in Jamaica and Haiti. His supporters with all their might burst into the lands of their Africa. Ethiopia was considered her heart. Therefore, a rastaman is someone who supports the ideology of returning blacks to their historical homeland. In a broader sense, the main idea of the movement is the juxtaposition of its values and the culture of white civilization. It is connected with ethnic religious searches dedicated to the god Jah, and with mythology dating back to antiquity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the answer to the question “Rastaman is who” is: this is an African who stands for the painless, non-violent return of the “Ethiopians” (all blacks) to their own “promised land”, as well as for the liberation of all mankind, all creatures living plants etc. from all possible forms of oppression. In connection with this definition, one cannot help but recall the famous Ethiopian king who ruled in the middle of the twentieth century - Rastafaray. By his name this socio-philosophical doctrine and course got its name.
From philosophy to the street
Having gone to the masses, the African American subculture took a wide step to march across almost the whole world. Like hippies, its carriers proclaimed a free lifestyle, a protest against the foundations and morality of society, actively smoked cannabis and propagandized it as one of the manifestations of individual independence. A special style even appeared in music - reggae, which arose from the religious tunes of Africans. The most prominent representative of the current was Bob Marley. And in Russia, “Aquarium” and “Sunday” picked up external attributes and a rhythmic stream, and some other groups naturally rethought them in their own way. The same Decel was famous as a rapper. And the motto of the Rastamans of the whole world “from Babylon we must return to the land of our ancestors” is no longer relevant in this case. And in the years 90-2000, Russia was captured by “razdomaniya”. And the image of a drug addict smoked “into smoke” from the “Give Youth” program turned out to be very vital.
Street children
Freedom of expression sometimes takes on very bizarre forms. Young people are especially prone to it. And therefore, at one time such a question was very relevant: "How to become a rastaman?" What are the external attributes and distinctive features of the clan? It turns out pretty simple! Grow yourself a head of hair, which, once braided in dreadlocks, you can not untangle for 5-6 months. Wash, by the way, is also not necessary. The more patchy it is, the more vividly it will remind African braids and a lion's mane. Pull on a large beret consisting of red, yellow, and green stripes. These are the colors of the national Ethiopian flag. And it is from them that the rastaman takes. A wide tunic shirt, the same pants pulled together with a strap at the waist, and sandals on bare feet - the “outfit” of the street child is ready! Oh yes, do not forget about the joint with grass, otherwise the image will be incomplete.
Dress up in it and feel your freedom and kinship with black brothers! Just do not flirt for a long time!