Boboshanti Documentary

There seemed to be many things that confirmed our image of Rastafarians in the video, and a few things that stood out as being different. One of the first things that I noticed was the language that the Rastafarians spoke. Rather than the Patois that we learned about, these people spoke relatively good English, seemingly without their additional verbal idiosyncracies. Many characteristics seemed familiar from our reading, though. The Rastafarian community was full of the traditional Rasta colors (red, green, and yellow), particularly in the colors of the houses and Rastas' dress. The Rasta spiritual leader also spoke about their required use of dreadlocks (a symbol we commonly associate with Rastas), but in addition he described how in the Boboshanti community the dreadlocks must be wrapped in a turban as a symbol of the ancient Ethiopian dress. In the beginning of the video, they spoke about the most dedicated spiritual leaders preparing to cross the Atlantic to go to Ethiopia, confirming their desire for repatriation that we read about. In fact, I believe that one Rasta mentioned that Bobo means 'African children'. The community also showed a devout biblicism. Many signs were shown in the village containing biblical passages or messages. The Boboshanti community is also unique in that they celebrate the sabbath. This community also attempts to live off the land, taking great care of their fields. In fact, many villages have no electricity or running water, so they must use the land to make up for these comforts. I also think I saw one brief clip of a Rasta smoking a Ganja joint. One last thing that I noticed as confirming out discussion in class was that the Boboshantis did not have traditional jobs, but instead had only little side jobs such as manufacturing brooms and selling them inside. This is characteristic of their negative view of Babylon, which they associate with the "system", so they attempt to refrain from participating in the "system" by making money by their own means.