Going far beyond the standard imagery of Rasta—ganja; reggae; and dreadlocks—this cultural history offers an uncensored vision of a movement with complex roots and the exceptional journey of a man who taught an enslaved people how to be proud and impose their culture on the world. In the 1920s Leonard Percival Howell and the First Rastas had a revelation concerning the divinity of Haile Selassie; king of Ethiopia; that established the vision for the most popular mystical movement of the 20th century; Rastafarianism. Although jailed; ridiculed; and treated as insane; Howell; also known as the Gong; established a Rasta community of 4;500 members; the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana. In the late 1950s the community was dispersed; disseminating Rasta teachings throughout the ghettos of the island. A young singer named Bob Marley adopted Howell's message; and through Marley's visions; reggae made its explosion in the music world.
#1710799 in Books Key Porter Books Ltd 1998-11-01PDF # 1 9.50 x 1.20 x 6.60l; #File Name: 1550139894377 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating but Highly SpeculativeBy John A Lee IIIMany people are aware of the notion of pre-Columbian contact with America by the Norse. What many are not aware of is that there are also many other theories and legends of pre-Columbian contact by other culture. This book addresses on such possibility but does so in a different manner than most. Instead of positing a one or a few trip by isolated explorers it looks at the presence of an entire European culture.This is not as far fetched as it may seem at first. Much of the story takes place in Europe with known; albeit barely known; people. The author calls these people the Albans since we do not know what they called themselves. They are a pre-Celtic people who inhabited the eastern seaboard and survived as crofters and fishermen. Over time they were driven to the British Isles by the Celts. From there; they were driven on to Iceland by the Norse. For this much; there exists historical documentation. From there the speculation takes over but it is not wild or completely unsupported.As the Norse people move westward; so too did the Albans in an attempt to stay ahead of their enemies. They went to Greenland and then to North America. They maintained trade links with Europe trading products such as walrus ivory and marine mammal oil. Eventually they settled in Newfoundland where they were eventually assimilated by the local peoples or wiped out by the still advancing Norse. Such; anyhow; is the author's theory.As presented; these theories are well reasoned; make use of existing anomalies in the archeological and historical records and are non-fantastic in that they do not involve UFOs. They fly in the face of much academic wisdom but these same academics have often shown themselves to be suspect. In the end; however; these remain just theories. The proof is lacking or never existed.Farley Mowat does a wonderful job of telling the story. He clearly distinguishes between his own theories; those of others and makes a good effort to present what evidence does exist. That which is speculation is clearly labeled as such. This is a serious academic effort that is hampered only by the paucity of evidence and entrenched academic interests. Mostly though; it is an enjoyable read.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Mystery PeopleBy Steve GellerAs usual; Farley Mowat tells a great story.The Farfarers are a mysterious seafaring people called "Albans". If Mowat is right; the Albans were not Celt; not Goth; but a much more ancient people inhabiting Europe; like the Basque.Mowat connects Albans on the northwest coast of Europe to the Picts of Scotland and to the Jakatars of Newfoundland. The Albans were driven out of Europe by the Romans; north into the Hebrides; then west to North America by Viking raids. In this book; the Vikings are the bad guys.There's a lot of speculation here; but it makes sense. Ancient cairns in northern Canada may well be markers left by the real first European discoverers of America.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Two works shufflrd together.By Stanford Mommaerts-BrownThe pace​ was choppy. Would have preferred scholarly and fictional parts to have been presented separately.
