The First Rasta

Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism

Helene Lee, Stephen Davis

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Paperback

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English

Chicago Review Press
01 January 2004

Reggae; Other non-Christian religions; Popular culture

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.

By: Helene Lee
Introduction by: Stephen Davis
Imprint: Chicago Review Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 228mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 435g
ISBN: 9781556525582
ISBN 10: 1556525583
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 01 January 2004
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Helene Lee is a journalist for Liberation, specializing in the music of Africa and the Caribbean. Stephen Davis is the author of Bob Marley, Hammer of the Gods, and Walk This Way. He lives in Milton, Massachusetts.

Reviews for The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism

""Powerful historical and social forces come together in Lee's extraordinarily useful book. The First Rasta moves with a truth seeker's determination through the slums of Trenchtown and Jamaica's back country, revealing a dauntingly complex landscape and history in which oral history is often more reliable than the written record."" -- Publishers Weekly ""Incredible ... a spellbinding saga ... Lee's insightful combination of toughness and sensitivity is amazing."" -- The Beat ""The loose threads of Rasta history [are] impressively woven into a flag of green, red, and gold ... a clear-eyed political history."" -- Kirkus Reviews