Chanting Down Babylon: Rastafarian Reader - Tapa dura

This anthology explores Rastafari religion, culture and politics in Jamaica and other parts of the African diaspora. An Afro-Caribbean religious and cultural movement in the 1930s, today Rastafari has close to one million adherents. The basic message of Rastafari - the dismantling of all oppressive institutions and the liberation of humankind - strongly appeals even to non-believers who are capivated by reggae music, the lyrics and the "immortal spirit" of its practitioner, Bob Marley. Probing into Rastafari's belief system, political goals and cultural expression, the contributors to this volume emphasize the importance of Africana history and the Caribbean context.