
With a history stretching back to mid-1930s black street preachers in Kingston, Jamaica, especially their response to the coronation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I (1892-1975) on November 2, 1930, the Rastafari religious movement now numbers one million global followers. Even more come to appreciate this faith – “livity,” in the language of the Rastafari – through reggae music, which serves as the primary mechanism of transmission for the movement’s message of peace, love, and black somebodiness. From Dubtonic Kru’s “Marcus Garvey” to Early B’s “Visit of King Selassie,” reggae has created an aural chronicle of decisive moments in Rastafari’s developing history, and this lecture re-tells the story of Rastafari from the perspective of those who practice, or “sing,” its faith.