The black township of Daveyton, on the East Rand, was established in 1955. Like
residents of other townships on the Rand, its residents found themselves faced
with social, economic and political problems, even after the liberation in 1994.
The emergence, acceptance and spread of Rastafarianism as a way of life was in
direct reaction to these problems. Rastafarianism originated in the Caribbean
island of Jamaica as a direct reaction to slavery. Its emergence in Africa was in
reaction to colonialism, while in South Africa it was due to colonialism and
apartheid. In Daveyton, the organisation came into being in 1997 and was
formalised in 2002. The reason for the formalisation of the Movement after 1994
was to present a united force against the government and society who seemed
reluctant to recognise the Rastafarian freedom of worship. Accordingly,
Rastafarianism is millennial in nature given the reasons for its emergence.
Instead of choosing to suppress their experience of oppression and suffering,
Rastafarians have chosen to incorporate these experiences and make them part of
their worldview. These memories of oppression become evident in the way they
have chosen to express them namely by forging their group identity. This is
reflected in the nature of their organisation, belief systems and practice that differ
from other organisations. This unique identity makes Rastafarianism unpopular
with the government, some religious movements and some members of the
community. However, in spite of this unpopularity, the Movement is becoming
more acceptable owing to its dynamic nature and concern with contemporary
problems facing society. This is shown by a change in the way the Movement is
perceived by some members of society. In addition, more people have accepted
their lifestyle. Therefore, Rastafarians have managed to shape a separate identity
and a culture based on past and present experiences.
The research methodology followed in gathering information for this study is the
integration of secondary sources and written primary sources with oral history
and participant observation. However, the bulk of information was gathered
through participant observation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/6870 |
| Date | 02 April 2009 |
| Creators | Chawane, Midas Harold |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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