Rastafarians rule as professionals

The first image that comes to mind when the word Rasta is mentioned is - well - not a doctor or a lawyer. Most people are more likely to picture a musician in a colourful knitted beanie playing reggae in a cloud of aromatic smoke. This is an image a group of professional men, devoted Rastafarians, are hoping to change about their religion, writes Tina Weavind

The Rastafari movement began in the Jamaican slums in the 1920s and was officially founded on November 2 1930, when Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia. At his coronation he took the name Haile Selassie, meaning "Might of the Trinity".

The movement has its roots in the philosophies of Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican who created a "back to Africa" movement in the US.

The movement does not have a cohesive structure and there is little formal organisation, with some Rastafarians seeing it as more a way of life than a religion.

According to religionfacts.com, some of the unifying beliefs are "the belief in the divinity and/or messiahship of Emperor Haile Selassie I, resistance of oppression, and pride in African heritage".

The Rasta way of life involves the use of marijuana - also known as ganja or holy herb - for religious purposes, and abstinence from alcohol and meat.

Rastafaris reject the term "Rastafarianism" because of the "isms and schisms" that they believe characterise "oppressive and corrupt white society", according to religionfacts.com.

They believe in Jah, a Judeo-Christian god. In general, Rastafari beliefs are based on the Old Testament. Meaning is also found in the "Holy Piby", a version of the Bible compiled by Robert Athlyi Rogers, which removes "the deliberate distortions made by white leaders" during translation into English.

Jah is believed to have taken an earthly form as both Jesus - who Rastafarians say was a black man - and Emperor Haile Selassie. Rastafarians also honour Old Testament prophets like Moses and Elijah.

Rastas don't believe in the afterlife - they think Africa (called Zion) is heaven on earth. True Rastas are believed to be "everliving" or immortal, both physically and spiritually. They try to avoid any influence from"Babylon", which they define as "the white power structure of the West".

Malope Malapane (Ras Malapane)

Ras Malapane is a programme assistant at an international agency in Pretoria - which he may not name for security reasons. He has a BAgric from the University of Limpopo and an honours degree from the University of Pretoria. He also has a certificate in project management from the University of North West.

Ras Malapane worked as a teacher and for the Department of Education before moving on to his current position. He says he has faced a great deal of discrimination in the workplace, most of it generated by his appearance. In his current position, though, he feels he is completely accepted.

Ras Malapane became a Rastafarian in about 1991 while at the University of Limpopo. He was moved by what he learned about the religion and its place in Africa, and how it ties in with what it means to be African. Ras Malapane says he also loves the music.

Despite his degrees, he says finding work has always been difficult. The definition of "well groomed", does not include dreadlocks, and in many places of work the socially accepted notion of "well groomed" is very entrenched.

Another point of discrimination is the issue most commonly associated with the Rasta religion: the smoking of ganja - or marijuana. But Ras Malapane is quick to point out that smoking ganja isn't a light-hearted activity to wile away hours of indolence. Instead, it is an important part of Rasta religious rites, helping believers to cleanse their souls and commune with God.

It's also not compulsory for Rastas to use ganja, and some don't partake at all, while others prefer to drink it as a tea rather than smoke it.

Other guiding rules include abstinence from alcohol and meat. Vegetables should be organic as far as possible.

Ras Malapane says that many of his friends are well qualified, but struggle to get work because of the association with ganja and their "unkempt appearance". Because of these difficulties Ras Malapane says they encourage one another to learn trades or skills they can use to do entrepreneurial work, or work that is outside of formal employment structures.

Alternative work includes music, farming, or getting a technical education to become an electrician or a plumber enabling the Rastafarians to be their own bosses.

The difficulties Rastas face is not limited to adults, says Ras Malapane. Children at school are also affected with parents being told to cut their children's hair. For devoted parents this poses an enormous problem and sometimes the children are simply taken out of school. The upshot is uneducated Rastafarians who are not likely to give the religion a good name.

Ras Malapane says he wants to encourage his fellow Rastafarians to stick with their faith. He hopes many of his fellow believers will find recourse in the Constitution, which allows freedom of worship.

Molatelo Malowa (Ras Afro)

Ras Afro is an advocate at the Pretoria bar. He got his name at the University of Limpopo where he obtained both B.Proc and LLB degrees.

His wife is also a Rasta and they are bringing up their children in the Rasta faith.

Ras Afro says people are born pure - which is a state adult Rastafarians try to regain. Infants have curled and uncut hair and feed only on milk. Children have also never been tainted by eating meat.

As one grows older, says Ras Afro, the influence of society moves one away from the faith, but by working towards it one can largely regain the original state of purity by following the Rasta laws. Becoming a Rasta is not something that happens on a particular day but is a continuous process to perfection.

Ras Afro's parents were deeply critical of his beliefs and threatened to stop supporting him at university if he didn't cut his dreadlocks. In order to get his law degree, he was forced to take this radical step. Ras Afro says he has faced discrimination in all parts of life - at home, in the education system and in the workplace.

Like Ras Malapane, Ras Afro says the major point of discrimination is the Rasta appearance. He says a colonial mentality dictates how people should look and if they don't conform, they are often not accepted.

Rastafarians believe dreadlocks should only be cut in a cleansing ritual, such as would be performed if the person's next of kin died.

Ras Afro says his appearance is difficult for some of his potential clients to accept. The people who employ his services generally have an understanding of the Rasta religion and of Black Consciousness. He says people often think he looks like a criminal.

Asked about the potential conflict between working in a legal environment and smoking ganja, an illicit substance, Ras Afro says the Constitution upholds the freedom of people to practise their religion, and so the use of ganja for religious purposes can't be illegal. However, he says he knows of no legal precedent in which permission has been granted for the use of ganja on religious grounds. Rastafarians, he says, are concerned with the laws of God, not the laws of men when they are clearly unjust.

By the same token, Ras Afro says Rastafarians don't believe homosexuality is acceptable - even though same-sex marriages are legal in the country. In the Rasta faith, he says, believers obey the laws of the Most High rather than laws made by men. Rastafarians do not practise homosexuality and he believes there is no reference justifying homosexuality in the Bible or in the teachings of Rastafarians.

Rastafarians use the King James version of the Bible, which they believe to be its original translation and one that has not been manipulated, mistranslated or misinterpreted. Other references for the faith are the speeches of Haile Selassie, which are regarded as the third Testament, and the Holy Piby, a document from Ethiopia written by one of the original Rastafarians. Ubuntu is a core principle, as is selflessness.

Rasta churches, called Nyabinghis, can be found in Grasmere in Limpopo and Orange Farm in Gauteng.

Ras Afro says living in the city makes it very difficult to be a Rastafarian. The faith dictates that believers live as naturally as possible, which includes eating only organic vegetables and staying pure in body and soul. In the dog-eat-dog life of the city people don't trust each other, and children don't play together even if they are neighbours. The corrupting influence of television - or "tell-lie-vision" - is everywhere.

Limpopo, says Ras Afro, is a Garden of Eden for Rastafarians. It is a place to find solace, a place Rastas can get close to their roots.

Dr Makgale Makgoga (Ras Blackroots)

Ras Blackroots is a 38-year-old medical doctor who trained at Medunsa. His parents were Rastafarians and he was brought up in the Rasta faith. Ras Blackroots says he faced no discrimination as a child - in fact, the reggae music the family played was loved by everyone and this brought people together. He is bringing up his own children in the faith as well.

His patients are often quite shocked when they are first introduced to him at the state hospital in Groblersdal. But the people he treats come to trust him, and actually seek him out. Ras Blackroots says Rastafarians try to be committed in everything they do, and this commitment is something he tries to apply in his work. "People are not stupid, educated or not. If you do your job with commitment, people can see it and they respond to it."

Asked about his colleagues' response to him, Ras Blackroots says because of the access to information people have, most embrace him and his faith. Many people, including his colleagues and those in the broader community, know what it means to be a Rasta because of all the available information.

Ras Blackroots says the Rasta community is growing, and an established community already exists in the Marble Hall and Groblersdal areas of Limpopo. A local chief has put aside some land for them to develop and use for their own projects and gardens and on which a church can be built. The gardens are especially important, because it is a vital element of the Rastafarian faith that they eat food uncontaminated by chemicals and fertilisers.

Ras Blackroots says the perception that Rastas are just ganja smokers or "potheads" is wrong. Ganja is used very specifically in the sacraments to purify the user, which is why it is called the holy herb. But further than that, the potential marijuana has as a natural resource has not been fully explored in this country.

In addition to the variety of uses there are for the physical product - hemp - on a chemical level it also has a number of useful medicinal properties, such as in the reduction of nausea and pain.

Ras Blackroots goes on to say, though, that he has some reservations about how ready South Africans are for marijuana to be legalised. Many people use it as a front to take other drugs such as mandrax or heroin. These people then start misbehaving and the ganja is blamed. Ras Blackroots says this really makes him sad, because there is so much that is beneficial about the plant.