About the Book

Rastafari emerged in Jamaica as a group of oppressed people, descendants of enslaved African slaves who tried to resist colonial rule and establish their own sovereignty. But Rastafarians have been heavily persecuted by the government and even their own fellow countrymen. Despite the vicious attempts to suppress the Rastafarian Movement since its inception in the 1930s, Rastafari has grown in popularity beyond the borders of the small island of Jamaica and become a global phenomenon where you find Rastafarians in all parts of the world. But the original intention of Rastafari has been distorted along the way.

In this book, Makonnen Sankofa explains how the original intention of Rastafari as a black liberation movement is often misrepresented today as a mediocre culture. Rastafari is not just about dreadlocks, smoking ganja, vegetarianism and listen to Reggae music. Makonnen wrote the book The Rise of Rastafari to dispel the common misconceptions people have of Rastafari and highlight the core principles of Rastafari such as nation building, repatriation to Africa, resistance to white supremacy and Pan-Africanism.

The Rise of Rastafari gives key in-depth knowledge about the origin of Rastafari which is often untold. Highlighting the pioneers of the Rastafari Movement such as Leonard Howell, Joseph Hibbert, Robert Hinds and Archibald Dunkley. Out of the four early preachers of Rastafari, Leonard Howell was the most popular. Howell is regarded as "The first Rasta". Following the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I in 1930, these four men began preaching Haile Selassie I as a redeemer come to liberate black people from white supremacy and guide them black people back to their ancestral homeland Africa because they have been subject to 400 years of oppression in the Western world through slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism and cultural imperialism.

The Rise of Rastafari book points out the positive contributions Rastafari has made as a Pan-African movement which has helped identify Africans in the diaspora (descendants of enslaved Africans) with their ancestral culture, history and roots. You will find out by reading the book how Rastafari has taken different aspects of Africa such as leaders, tribes and culture and merged them together to create a Pan-African identify/culture. For example, Emperor Haile Selassie I (Ethiopia), Nyahbinghi (Uganda), African drumming, Ashanti tribe (Ghana), Mau Mau Warriors (Kenya).

The Rise of Rastafari contents of the book includes: the black liberation theology of Rastafari, how Rastafari originated, the transatlantic slave trade, post-slavery and colonial Jamaica, the link between Marcus Garvey and Rastafari, the legacy of the Haile Selassie I, the influence of Rastafari in Reggae music, the persecution against Rastafari, and the impact of Rastafari in England.The Rise of Rastafari is a must read for every person who wishes to gain knowledge about the history and experience of African/Caribbean people in the diaspora.