In class on Friday, we were discussing whether Rastafarianism could exist without the conditions of political oppression from which it was born. It seems to me to be a complicated question, but I feel that were the Rastas to escape oppression (which to some extent they have), their beliefs would have to evolve in order to address a new set of challenges and issues. Rastafarianism grew out of the specific conditions in Jamaica, and the environment that the Rastas viewed as Babylon. If the Rastas somehow achieved a successful repatriation movement, many of their beliefs would no longer apply to their new environment. Probably, the Rastas would find that Africa did not live up to the perfect ideal that it is in their minds. An example of this is the group of repatriated Rastas who have yet to even achieve citizenship in Ethiopia. In this sense, the Rastafarian movement would inevitably evolve to deal with their new circumstances and goals, and though it would still be the same movement with many of the same symbols and core beliefs intact, within a few generations it would probably be different in many ways, too.

In some respects, I think that the Rastas are faced with this question, of being forced to evolve because of a change in the environmental conditions, now in Jamaica. This is caused by the overall acceptance and commercial exploitation of the Rastafarian image and symbols. The result of this dilution of Rasta culture into the broader Jamaican and even international culture, is that Rastas are no longer looked upon as lazy, violent drug-peddlers, but as bearers of the counter-culture. As Edmonds points out in chapter 5 of his book, many Rasta symbols and ideas were used by politicians in the 1972 elections in Jamaica. However, it may be the case that these tactics were merely political ploys, more examples of 'polytricks'. Because of these changes to the general view of Rastas, the Babylonian system has seemingly accomodated the Rastas, however the overall conditions for the Rastas have changed little. In other words, Babylon has appeased the Rastas somewhat by changing the general cultural view of them, making them feel like valued members of the culture, but the essential goals of the Rastas, such as reducing poverty and achieving repatriation, have not been reached. Now, the Rastas are faced with the task of evolving their beliefs and methods within Jamaican culture to truly achieve their goals.