Havana - It was a balmy night on a beachfront lot, and a salty breeze mingled with whiffs of ganja. Hundreds of young Rastafarians, many in dreadlocks or Bob Marley T-shirts, rocked to the steady lilt of live reggae.
"A new generation of black youth is finding its identity, and it is filled with love," cooed singer Consureto, a dark, thin man in flowing African robes. "Yah, man," listeners shouted.
It felt like Kingston or Montego Bay, but the concert took place this month on the outskirts of Havana and was attended by local Afro-Cubans, not rum-sipping tourists. Reggae concerts are increasingly common here, the most visible sign that Rastafarianism, the religion formed in Jamaican slums in the 1930s, is attracting a wave of black followers in officially atheist Cuba.
For some Afro-Cubans, Rastafarianism is a means of individual expression in a society that places a premium on conformity. For others, growing dreadlocks and smoking - or selling - marijuana is a way to attract the attention of dollar-toting tourists. For most, the movement offers spiritual comfort during an economic crisis that has disproportionately hurt Afro-Cubans, already the country's poorest people.
"There is a lot of racial discrimination here. Rastafarianism is a way to create a black identity and build a message of unity," said dreadlocked Elijio Flores. A Rasta who left his low-paying job as an agronomist at a state-run tobacco cooperative in Villa Clara, in the center of the country, Flores, 30, sells bead necklaces in the plazas of Old Havana.
With his 1959 revolution, President Fidel Castro sought to end the racism that has existed since colonial times in Cuba, where a majority of residents are black or of mixed race. But despite advances, blacks remain at the bottom of the economic ladder, and they were hit hardest when the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early '90s stopped the flow of aid from Moscow.
"Young blacks who are products of the revolution have grown up with the message that 'We are all Cubans,' " said Katrin Hansing, an anthropologist at Florida International University in Miami who has studied Rastafarianism in Cuba. "But the economic problems have led them to realize that some Cubans are more Cuban than others, and those Cubans are white. Rastafarianism offers a way to express their frustrations and provides an alternative view of blackness."
The state has shown increased tolerance toward Rastafarianism in recent years as it has eased controls on Catholic and Protestant churches. Still, it doesn't recognize Rastafarianism as a religion or movement. "There are only a few isolated individuals who call themselves Rastas," said Raul Montes of the state Office of Religious Affairs.
Cuban Rastas say they number in the thousands, concentrated in Havana and in Santiago de Cuba, which faces Jamaica from the southeast coast. Though some Rastas meet for weekly Bible study and discussion, and many congregate in specific neighborhoods or parks, most consider themselves part of a free-floating community rather than an organized group.
In the mid-'80s, when Rastas were few, police routinely stopped or briefly jailed them. These days, Rastas say, they are still stopped, particularly if they are seen with white tourists, but further action is rare.
"When I first started to grow dreads, the police would approach me, photograph me and make me pay fines," said Manolo Mayeta, 45, who is one of Cuba's Rasta pioneers. Now Mayeta bundles his dreads beneath a towering tam bearing stripes of red, black and green - the colors of the Jamaican flag - and yellow.
Jamaican students studying medicine here, as well as sailors returning from Caribbean ports, brought Rastafarianism and reggae to Cuba as early as 1979. But they mostly kept to themselves and reggae wasn't - and still isn't - played on state-run radio, which dictates that 80 percent of all music on the airwaves be Cuban. It took until the mid-'80s for small groups of Cubans to adopt Rastafarianism's basic tenets.
These include black empowerment, a rejection of Babylon - the term Rastas use for the white power structure that they believe has subjugated blacks - and a belief that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, who died in 1975, was the second messiah.
The movement grew rapidly in the late '90s amid the economic crisis, when Cuba opened the nation to foreign investment in tourism.
Many foreign companies favored fair-skinned Cubans for jobs in hotels, restaurants and elsewhere, according to Alejandro de la Fuente, a University of Pittsburgh professor and author of the book "A Nation for All: Race, Inequality and Politics in 20th Century Cuba."
Blacks' frustrations have led to various cultural and religious expressions of what it means to be Afro-Cuban, from paintings and sculpture to Rastafarianism and hip-hop. "Blacks are saying, 'We may have lost ground in the economy and in the tourist industry, but we ...cannot be ignored," de la Fuente said.
Many artists and rap groups explore the dynamics of being black in Cuba through overt references to police brutality or racial discrimination. Cuba's half-dozen reggae groups tend to focus on the Rasta goal of togetherness.
"My message is peace, love, one unity, one God," said Luis Alberto Figueras, who in 1990 founded Cocoman, the first reggae band here, and now fronts the group Paso Firme, or Steady Step.
Cuban Rastas have added homegrown elements to the movement. Many, like the Havana-based painter Ariel Diaz Garcia, practice Santeria, the religion African slaves brought to Cuba that remains a mainstay of Afro-Cuban life.
"Rastafarianism is my personal philosophy, while Santeria is my religion," explained Diaz, 38, who has used elements of both in his paintings.
The soft-spoken, bearded Diaz also sees no contradiction between the atheist teachings of communist Cuba and the religious tenets of either Rastafarianism or Santeria. "While socialism is an important step in my life, it is not enough to feed the spirit," he said.
Other Rastas, however, see Rastafarianism as an alternative to communism. "I studied Marxism in school but it is lies. Where are the opportunities for all Cubans that we were taught about?" asked Carlos, 23, a Rasta who works as a salsa dancer. Like many here, he didn't want his full name used for fear of reprisals from the state.
Some Cuban Rastas consider themselves purer than their Jamaican counterparts, who they say have been corrupted by gangs. "The Rastas of Kingston accept Babylon. They have been involved in drugs and violence," Mayeta said.
Rastas in Cuba, which imposes stiff fines and jail time for drug use, also are far less open about smoking marijuana than their counterparts in Jamaica.
As Cuba's Rastafarianism grows, some worry it is being reduced to a fashion statement. However it evolves, the movement signals that after four decades of strict party rule here, the will to be different is thriving.
Posted: Fri 14 Jan 2005 20:44 Post subject: Cuban Rastafarian
A lot of Cuban Rastas are also the descendants of West Indian immigrants in Cuba. There's a large population of West Indians and Haitian descended people on the island. For example actor George Stanford Brown from Roots and The Rookies is from Havana, Cuba.
Yes - Several of my husbands best friends- in fact all of them - two are from Haiti and two are from Jamaica (their parents or grandparents)"Reggaeton" is super hot on the island now - I was hard pressed to hear salsa anywhere. It was all Reggaeton - blasting everywhere - Los Orishas, etc.
A superb documentary about the origins and development of Rastafarian culture in Cuba. This 40 minute documentary offers a very compelling look into the lives of the Cuban Rastafarian community through a series of interviews. Life in Cuban presents Rastafarians with a unique and challenging set of circumstances in which to develop their religious and revolutionary culture.
Spanish with English subtitles.
Awarded first prize documentary at the Arlene Grocery 2004 NYC film festival.
Cuba's Rastas: the religious, the philosophical and those making a fashion statement
The Jamaica Observer, April 11, 2004.
Rastas neither cut their hair nor comb it, based on an interpretation of the Bible, nor do they eat meat or consume drugs - legal or illegal - with the exception of marijuana, which they consider sacred.
HAVANA, Cuba (IPS) - Long dreadlocks stuffed into trademark red, black, green and yellow tams (knitted caps), which sometimes carry a symbol of an Afro-Cuban religion or even a US flag, Bob Marley t-shirts and camouflage pants - that is the typical look of Cuba's young Rastafarians, a growing urban presence.
The Rastas of this socialist island nation are mainly found in Havana and tend to be young Afro-Cuban men from poor neighbourhoods, who seem to carry Reggae music in their blood.
"People don't look on us kindly," Yosvany Reyes, a 27-year-old craftsman, told IPS. "In Cuba, people don't know very much about what being a Rastafarian means. They generally think we're dirty drug addicts or bums who just wander around the streets not doing anything."
"They think we're like rock 'n' rollers or rappers, people who just have a different look or have adopted different cultural codes. But being a Rastafarian is a way of thinking, a philosophy, another way of looking at life," he said.
Reyes can be seen just about every afternoon chatting with his girlfriend and three or four "brothers" on a bench in Parque Central, a busy park in Old Havana. He defines himself as a "pure Rastafarian", but says not all of the local Rastas are like that.
"It's true that evil can be found in many people. There are young people who adopt the Rastafarian symbols as a way to make a living. They know that young black men who look like us are a great attraction for the tourists," he said.
Reyes complained that these "false" Rastafarians, who he said are often involved in prostitution and drug - including cocaine - rackets, are responsible for society's distorted image of the movement.
A Rastafarian in Jamaica, where the movement started, smokes a marijuana pipe.
Rastafarianism is defined as a religion, philosophy, or world view. Since it emerged in the slums of another Caribbean island nation, Jamaica, in the 1930s, the movement has become truly international, winning followers throughout the Caribbean and the entire world.
Rastafarian communities believe that Haile Selassie I, emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 until his downfall in 1974 (he died the following year), was the incarnation of God on earth, the second messiah.
The Bible is their gospel, and they see Africa as the mother of life and birthplace of humanity. Their basic dogma includes black empowerment and a rejection of "Babylon" - the white power structure.
Rastas also believe that Jah (God) can be found in every person, and they identify with Reggae music as a symbol of spirituality and protest, especially since the days of legendary Jamaican Rastafarian singer-songwriter Bob Marley (1945-1981).
Rastas neither cut their hair nor comb it, based on an interpretation of the Bible, nor do they eat meat or consume drugs - legal or illegal - with the exception of marijuana, which they consider sacred. They reject homosexuality, abortion and birth control, and in traditional Rastafarian belief, women are subservient to men.
According to Katrin Hansing, an anthropologist at Florida International University in Miami, "Not only is (Rastafarianism) now recognised as one of the leading Afro-Caribbean religions, but also as one of the most popular cultural trends in the world".
She points out that "Rastafari communities and dreadlocked-inspired youth" can be found in Central America and Brazil, North America and Europe, many parts of Africa, and among the Maoris in New Zealand, Native Americans in the United States, and young people in Japan.
"The movement has been diffused in very unguided and haphazard ways through the medium of culture, particularly music, mediated via technology and consumer capitalism," says Hansing in her study 'Rasta, race and revolution: transnational connections in socialist Cuba'.
Hansing describes how Rastafarianism has been adapted, redefined and "reinvented" in Cuba in accordance with local circumstances.
As a cultural phenomenon, she adds, Rastafarianism is caught up in an ongoing process of 'Cubanisation'. According to the researcher, there are three manifestations of the movement in Cuba: the religious Rastas, the philosophical Rastas, and the Rastas who are making a fashion statement.
Practically unknown a decade ago, Cuba's Rastafarians began to grow in number and visibility in the mid-1990s.
That decade witnessed a severe economic crisis in Cuba triggered by the loss of the country's main trading partners, the Soviet Union and the east European socialist bloc; an opening up of the island to foreign tourism; and growing religious tolerance.
In a survey of Cuban Rastafarians headed by sociologist Angie Alejandra Larena, respondents complained of racial discrimination in Cuba, in the shape of stereotypes and prejudice towards blacks.
The Rastas interviewed by Larena, a researcher with the government Centre for Psychological and Sociological Research, said they have no leaders, and are opposed to the monolithic character of the socialist system.
However, "the heterogeneity, the different positions, the fact that they do not recognise internal leaders, and their scant weight in society in both quantitative and qualitative terms" make it very unlikely that Rastas will act in favour of social change, adds the researcher.
By smoking marijuana, the "pure" Rastas are breaking the law. But what most worries Reyes is not the possibility of being arrested for smoking ganja, but the "people who hang around, pretending to be Rastas, to get money from the European tourists".
"They are responsible for the bad reputation we have in Cuba, and also for the lack of information. Sometimes, even among us we find people who don't really know what it's all about. They think it's just a question of not combing their hair," he complained.
Ariel Diaz Garcia, born in Havana, worked as a musician, started to paint aged 31 and studied painting
on Academia de Arte San Alejandro 1995 to 1999. Since then has made a name for himself in Havana with exhibitions in art galleries, cultural centres and painting in public space. Body painting means both to him - expressing African identity in Cubas present day reality and an appropriate art form for his world`s economic situation. Ariel Diaz Garcia has realized body painting projects since 2001, such as Painting Havana Art Project, the main focus of this film.
Ariel Díaz García, nacido en La Habana, trabajaba como musico, empezó a pintar a las 31 años; estudió pintura en Academia de Arte San Alejandro desde 95 hasta 99. Desde entonces se hizo un Nombre en La Habana atraves de exposiciones en galerías y en centros culturales y pintura en espacio publico. Pintar sobre cuerpo desnudo para él significa expresar identidad Africana los dos: Expresar identidad Africana tal como una forma de arte adecuada a la situación económica de su entorno. Efectua actos de Bodypainting desde 2001 como el Proyecto de Arte Pintando Habana.
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