Izvorni znanstveni članak
Rastafarianism in Croatia
Perasović Benjamin
; Institut društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar
Sažetak
The aim of the paper is to look at the Rastafari movement in Croatia, its beliefs and possible spiritual practices. The Rastafari movement emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s and its roots can be traced back to the tradition of Marcus Garvey’s movement and preaching. For the Rasta adherents Garvey’s words about the “forthcoming coronation of the black king” are a prophecy which was fulfilled in 1930 when the Ethiopian king Tafari was crowned and took the royal name of Haile Sellasie. “Ras” meaning king, the name Tafari and Jah from the Old Testament is the most frequent exclamation used by the Rastafarians to express their deep belief in the Messiah who has come back, in God who will help the suffering black people to free themselves from slavery and neocolonial chains and return to Africa, the Heavenly Kingdom. The Rastafari movement was originally Jamaican but with Jamaican migrations and reggae music it has spread to other countries. For several generations of reggae musicians music has been the principal medium through which they have talked about their religion and passed their messages about God; gatherings similar to religious services have been accompanied by reggae music. Croatian Rastafarians owe their beginning to the universal power of music and the practice of starting subcultural lifestyles based on various music styles. If we look at their presence on the domestic reggae scene and interviews with some twenty members of the scene plus about thirty reggae musicians, we can conclude that Rastafarian beliefs exist in Croatia. They are basically expressed in the classical and familiar Christianity on the one hand, and in modern forms of the New Age spiritual practices on the other. The Rastafari movement has never become a unique religious doctrine even in the country of its origin; the adherents have never wanted to build a church or a similar hierarchical organization. It is therefore natural that in Croatia there are only some elements of the movement linked to the reggae and other subculture scenes of the young people. In view of their dynamics and (re)defining of subcultural situations, it is obvious that Rastafarianism is not a clearly defined area. However, the survey so far shows its remarkable presence in some parts of the Croatian subcultural and alternative scene.
Ključne riječi
rastafarianism; reggae scene; (sub)culture of the young people; Croatian society
Hrčak ID:
20660
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.2.2008.
Posjeta: 8.211 *