White Rasta

Jamaica's Rastafarians, members of a religious cult who seek ritual enlightenment smoking cannabis, originally worshiped Haile Selassie, the former emperor of Ethiopia as the "Black Messiah".

As much a social movement objecting to the enslavement of Africa's peoples as it was a religious sect, Rastafarianism drew greatly upon the philosophy of Marcus Garvey. Like Garvey they preached that their fellow blacks "lost" in the diaspora should discard their "inferiority complex" and cherish their roots in Mother Africa. Thus the symbols of the original Rastafarian are the "Garvey" colors: red, gold, and green. The color Red stands for the Church Triumphant and represents the blood of black martyrs. The Yellow stands for Africa's great mineral wealth while Green symbolizes the beauty and vegetation of "Zion" the Rasta's ultimate "Promised Land".

But the Rastafarian's true distinguishing feature is his dreadlocks, a habit based on a biblical injunction against cutting one's hair. The anti-establishment cult remained a local Jamaican phenomenon until the popularity of reggae, with its poetic assault against oppression, became global thanks to the legendary and dread-locked Bob Marley.

Since then wearing dreadlocks has lost its religious symbolism and become a fashionable worldwide style. That aping, or 'follow-fashion" (as we Jamaicans might snippily say) has diluted its revolutionary message. Yet the Rastas' commitment to revere and preserve the Earth, coupled with their insistence to only eat organically grown fruit and vegetables has raised the social consciousness of an entire generation. Now idealists the world over understand their own fate is intricately tied to the black Rastafarian concept of physical and spiritual "purity and liberation".

"Human beings face the greatest challenge in the history of our species. We face the destruction of the life support systems on which our very existence depends, and we face it because of our own activity."--Nandor Tanczos, former Green Party New Zealand M.P and self-described "Rasta"

Ironically, in the same year the United States elects its first black president, the first white Rasta to be elected quits government. Here is Tanckos' valedictory address announcing his resignation from the New Zealand Parliament.
pt 1)


In the 21st Century--Society's Conscience Needs Voices of All Colors
Tánczos's Hungarian-born father fled the Hungarian Communist regime in 1957; his South African-born mother has Khoi, Dutch, and German ancestry. Tánczos completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree at the University of Waikato, and a diploma in sustainable land management at Unitec. He is the only parliamentarian in the world with a qualification in permaculture design. He co-founded Hempstore Aotearoa, a business that produces hemp-related products such as cosmetics and clothing.

Tanczos ends by displaying just why the time for being patient with destructive corporate policies is running out...