Culture

The Rasta way of life

In Malawian society, we have seen various cultures changing to suit the demands of time.

Rastafarians are a group of people that have been known to lead their own way of life. They are vegetarians, they have certain beliefs and lead their own way of life.

Ronald Nampeya who by his Rastafarian religion is known as Ras Shadreck says the Rastafarian culture will never change.

Born 38 years ago, Ras Shadreck says the secret and exceptional factor that anchors his culture is it’s non-changing nature followed by changes in the world.

“Rastafarian culture emerged from the deep thinking beyond other cultures and it was developed to define the holistic way of living,” says Ras Shadreck.

But what makes up the Rastafarian culture?

Ras Shadreck says the list of their traditions begins from the 10 commandments in the Bible. He says the Rastafarian world is guided by the 10 commandments which to them gives a clear and definite way to live.

In strongest terms, he says any Rastafarian member who disobeys any of the 10 commandments is not a Rasta.

He says they strongly believe in the Bible, but says due to some critical analysis on the context in the Bible, Rastas saw some gaps and decided to develop their own Bible called Kebra Nagast.

“We all believe in the words in the Bible, but because a Rastafarian person believes in critical thinking and analysing contexts, we observed some gaps in the Bible. Some chapters in the Bible were rewritten and this tells us that the reviewed contexts have God and human’s wishes and this might mislead,” he says.

Apart from this, Ras Shadreck says it is by tradition for each of the real Rastafarian member to have dreadlocks.

He says the dreadlock is a vow adopted from one of the great stories in the Bible.

He says the second crucial vow is smoking Indian hemp which they perform as a sacrament to be close to God.

“Indian hemp is a holy herb which attracts God’s attention. It brings us close to God and we believe in that God listens to us when we take the herb,” he says, adding that it is not a must for one to use the herb as it depends with one’s capacity to live by taking the herb.

Ras Shadreck says Rastafarian culture triumphs in the sense that it gives freedom of choice to everyone. He says the religion teaches the best way to live and encourages members to make an informed decision that pleases God.

Nonetheless, according to Ras Shadreck Rastas are not allowed to take any beer. They are also discouraged from eating any type of meat. Ras Shadreck says the reason is that there is life in an animal and it is believed that in animal muscles, blood and bones there are a lot of pathogens which in their culture is believed to be the cause of several diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and many other diseases.

He adds that Rastas do not eat meat because in the Garden of Eden, God showed Adam and Eve the use of plants only for survival and not animals for food.

Furthermore, Rastas do not believe in herbs. They do not solely believe in that there is life for everyone after death.

Ras Shadreck says they believe in that those who do the right thing will live another life after death and those who do the opposite will die once and for good.

Like any other culture, Rastafarian members are allowed to marry.

However, they are not allowed to marry more than one wife. He adds that all children born are submitted to Selasie I upon birth.

Peace is another common practice which Rastas are known for. They are encouraged to tell the truth, enforce peace and follow proper procedures in all their endevours.

Rastas also dedicate some time to prayers.

According to Ras Shadreck Rastas meet once a week at a place which they call Tabernacle to share the word of God. They also believe in doing the right thing to get favours from God and not fast to influence God to favour them.

If you see Rastas not going to school never think it is by tradition. Ras Shadreck says they encourage education on the basis that educated people make informed decisions and contribute to the success of the country.

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