The Institute of Jamaica presents public lecture on Rastafari

The Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) through its division, National Museum Jamaica will host its first public lecture and discussion on the 1960 Rastafari movement in Kingston on Sunday, August 4th, commencing at 2 p.m. in the IOJ Lecture Hall.

Pre-eminent Marcus Garvey and Africanist scholar, Professor Robert Hill, will begin with a summary of his intriguing findings that shed new light on why the Rastafari report was commissioned in 1960 and how the report was developed.

Professor Hill’s assessment of the growing tensions that had built up during the 1950’s between the authorities, civil society and the Rastafari community will reveal a great deal about the way the Rastafari were viewed as well as the politics and society of the Independence period in Jamaica.

The aim of the commission was to provide reliable information on the nature of the Rastafari Movement, to understand their demands (such as Repatriation to Africa) and to improve their ances in Jamaica.

A team of researchers from the University College of the West Indies did a two-week study of the Rastafari and published their findings in a forty page report that first appeared serially in the daily newspaper. The report was completed by M.G. Smith, Roy Augier and Rex Nettleford and was called “Report on the Rastafari Movement in Kingston Jamaica”. It was published in 1960.

Based on the recommendations of the report, a team of eight persons toured Ethiopia and four other African countries for the purpose of studying the feasibility of migration of Jamaicans to Africa.

The Africa Mission was comprised of government officials, academics and Rastafari. The Rastafari Report has for a long time been considered a landmark moment in the relationship between Rastafari and the Jamaican authorities.

Discussion

Following the lecture, there will be a specially commissioned interview with Professor Sir Roy Augier.  Sir Roy Augier is Professor Emeritus in History at the UWI, Fellow of the Institute of Jamaica and the only surviving member of the team that carried out the 1960 report. He will discuss the aims of the report, how it was undertaken and his involvement with the players who directed and formulated its drafting.

Dr. Clinton Hutton and Jerry Small, both well-known commentators and academics, will respond to what they have seen and heard. They will also facilitate questions from the audience.

The exhibition ‘Rastafari’ (July 2013-July 2014) will provide a forum for discussion, debate and engagement with the many issues that continue to face the Rastafari Movement.  The exhibition is a collaborative effort between the National Museum Jamaica and the Rastafari Millennium Council. Visitors will get the opportunity to tour the exhibition after the lecture and discussion.


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