Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Roughing it

Watching the video of the bobo village exposes most obviously their natural and traditional way of life.  They believe that Babylon is evil partly because of their dependence on artificial things like homes and food, addressed in the next paragraph.  Many villages of this variety have scant plumbing and even less electricity services.  The most conservative Rastas live in the mountains (borrowing from ancient Egyptian beliefs that they are literally closer to God) in these primitive conditions on principle.  This acceptance of a simple life is part of the Rastafari culture and connection to African roots.  All the people in the video seem to have a pleasant disposition despite knowing they could live more luxuriously, unlike many in Africa.  They live in huts to feel a connection to their promised land in Ethiopia and avoid the distractions of life in complex society.  Society also represents the almost institutionalized segregation a racial mistreatment the black Jamaicans experienced as recently as the forties.  These villages offer judgement-free structure, with psalm reading starting at 3am.  The impoverished living situations of the very religious Rastas are a vehicle for more focused attention on Jah and their theological studies.  

This guy is dumping out water because they don't have drains.

This emphasis on natural living extends beyond their literal habitat.  Rastas avoid chemicals as much as possible and try to live on organic foods only.  Because of their typically impoverishe living situation (it is much easier to live organically in an isolated situation like the video), the money for all-natural foods is often scarce and makes this practice difficult.  They are mainly vegetarian but eat the occasional meat that is from a list of specific and vegetarian animals.  This is to avoid developing a predatory nature from the food they eat.  The deep connection they have to their religion facilitates the sacrifices necessary to consume properly within the confines of Rastafarianism. 

1 comment:

  1. The fact that the Rastafari have such a dedication towards not consuming "or becoming poisoned by" such things as mass grown genetically modified or chemically enriched substances that we take for granted is intensely interesting. You do a great job of explaining this from the perspective of a Bobo shanti and are very careful to understand first why they will reject these things and why that may be a good idea considering their living situation and their goals as Rastas. I also find the anti-predatory qualities they promote through their eating habits, making sure never to become selfishly dependent on any one source of food.

    ReplyDelete