HomepageHowcomyoucomRaceandHistoryRootsWomenTrinicenter
Homepage
Rastafari Speaks Archive
Buy Books
ARCHIVE HOMEMESSAGE BOARDREASONING FORUMARTICLESNEWS WEBLOG

Read Only : Rastafari Speaks Reasoning Archives

Repatriation Forum

obeah
In Response To: Re: Contextualizing Rastafari ()

Well once again I only have a few minutes on the computer so I won't address all your points. Just wanted to make a brief comment about obeah.
What you must understand is that obeah in the English-speaking Caribbean is not really equivalent to Vodun/Candomble etc. It tends to be (not saying it ALWAYS is) a much less complete carryover of African traditions, because the British suppressed these traditions more heavily than the Catholic colonizers whose saints, etc. provided a convenient cover for the reverence of the African powers. Hence what survives tends to be a hodgepodge of spells, rituals, herbal knowledge etc., heavily mixed with European 'magical' books and with little of the spiritual context of the original African traditions from which they derived. Obeah tends (again, not saying ALWAYS) to be used for negative ends, cursing people who one is jealous of or in competition with, things like that- due, I'm sure, to the dog-eat-dog shituation created by slavery and colonialism. There are also a great many unscrupulous conmen who call themselves "obeahmen/women" and will readily take people's life-savings in exchange for some mumbo-jumbo. People will spend all their money on an obeahman trying to get a U.S. visa when if they knew how things really run they woulda just take the money and bribe an immigration official. (Not condoning that state of affairs, but that is how tings a run). So the opposition of some Rastaman to obeah must be understood in this light (although Biblical fundamentalism contributed as well). One should also note that it's Rastas such as Mutabaruka and Attorney Miguel Lorne who spearheaded efforts to legalize obeah in Jamaica.
The above does not apply to what is called obeah in Suriname, where the African traditions are much more well-preserved. I guess I'm really speaking for Guyana which is the only place I really know in the Caribbean. Again, not saying ALL obeahman/woman are confidence tricksters or use any power they have for the negative, but it seems like most are.

Messages In This Thread

We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal.
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Rastafari is beyond Judeo-Christianity
***Gmoney(gman)***
Re: Rastafari is beyond Judeo-Christianity
Re: Rastafari is beyond Judeo-Christianity
Re: Rastafari is beyond Judeo-Christianity
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
Re: Contextualizing Rastafari
obeah
Re: obeah
Re: obeah
Re: obeah
Re: obeah
Re: obeah
Re: obeah
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal
Re: We all worship One God!!! Response To: Ras Hal


FAIR USE NOTICE:
This site may at times contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml


Copyright © 2003-2014 RastafariSpeaks.com & AfricaSpeaks.com