One cannot mention Jamaica and not think of Bob Marley.
And when Bob Marley is mentioned, more often than not the word Rasta pops up.
Marley and his music might as well be the Jamaican flag with an association as strong as this.
In music videos of reggae records, we almost always see Rastafarians in the video.
We are familiar with their color: red, yellow, green.
The beat of their music is unmistakable.
The Rastafarian movement started in Jamaica in the 1930s.
Rastafarians do not consider the Rastafarian movement as a religion.
They don't even consider the word Rastafarianism as they do not wish to be labeled as a schism or a section of another religion or group.
They consider the Rastafarianism movement as a way of life.
The Rastafarian movement was established in line with the "back-to-Africa" sentiments of the African-Jamaican population in Jamaica in the 1930s.
Several popular back-to-Africa movements were formed in different nations with African populations during that time.
They believe that Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, is God's physical embodiment.
They believe that Haile Selassie will deliver the Africans in Jamaica from oppression.
Haile Selassie traces his lineage back to the time of the prophet, to that of King Solomon.
Bob Marley, the Rastafari movement's most famous member, greatly helped in spreading the essence of the movement: a world of perfect peace, love and harmony.
His songs talk about freedom of the African man and the return to Zion.
The Rastafarian movement believes that Africa, also called Zion, is the original birthplace of mankind.