Hidden pluralities: Rastafari in the South West and the house where God lived

Sobers, Shawn

Abstract

In this keynote presentation Sobers discusses the intricacies of the Rastafari faith, how it has been underestimated as a cultural movement, and how its legacies have local, national and global significance.
The paper is presented in three parts.

1 – Roots - What is Rastafari? Who is Rastafari?
2 – The House where God Lived (includes a film clip of ‘Footsteps of the Emperor’, (Directed by Sobers).
3 – Future opportunities and securing legacies.

The paper tells the story of the first days of the Rastafari movement and its founders in the 1930s. It takes us on a journey from Jamaica, Ethiopia, to the surprising city of Bath in South West England, (where Emperor Haile Selassie I lived for four years, in a property called Fairfield House). Sobers argues that the Rastafari faith and the legacies of the Emperor have much to teach us in the context of family, political and spiritual affairs.

• Presentation Conference Type: Keynote
• Conference Name: National Conference for Religious Education Advisers
• Start Date: Jul 2, 2018
• End Date: Jul 3, 2018
• Acceptance Date: Jul 3, 2018
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: religious education, rastafari, ethiopia, jamaica, bath, fairfield house, haile selassie,
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/864963
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : National Conference for Religious Education Advisers