Reggae: A Story of Race, Religion and Redemption - The Appalachian, Boone

Feb. 14, 2024.

In the 1960s, as race tensions were high across the globe, one island in the Caribbean found a way to spread a message of peace and hope among the oppressed, shouting their fight songs for the world to hear. Born from the mento and ska music popular in the area in the 40s and 50s, a new sound emerged on the island of Jamaica: Reggae. Reggae, in its early days, could be heard from every street corner in Jamaica as the style gained traction and popularity across the island.

Since the very beginning of reggae music, the message has always been about peace, love, justice and resistance to the oppression Black people face every day. Amongst the various inspirations for reggae music is a religious movement that emerged in the 1930s across several African and Caribbean countries. The music draws inspiration from the Rastafaria religion, a sect of Christianity.

Drawing from the Old Testament of the Bible, Rastas believed Jah, or God, was testing African people through slavery and economic injustice, and that Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I was the new coming of Christ. Many Jamaican Rastas are the descendants of African slaves who were taught Christianity while enslaved on the island. Although it is difficult to determine the number of Rastas that are practicing around the globe, their messages of love and hope are what live on through reggae, spreading far and wide, even into the little mountain town of Boone. Moments before their performance, the light-filled stage was set to host Rastacoustic. This set was filled primarily with Bob Marley songs.

Susan Mills is a professor of music education at App State and played in a reggae band for 12 years. She said reggae music pulls partially from gospel and religious tunes. “You can imagine, as with many oppressed people, they turned to religion as an escape from poverty and poor social conditions,” Mills said. “The lyrics of these songs were typically laments about the social conditions in Jamaica and the negative consequences for people involved. The music represents that organized spirituality.”...
https://theappalachianonline.com/reggae-a-story-of-race-religion-and-redemption/