The First Rasta (2011)
1h 26m
Running Time
April 27, 2011Release Date
Plot.
Going far beyond the standard imagery of Rasta—ganja, reggae, and dreadlocks—this cultural history offers an uncensored vision of a movement with complex roots and the exceptional journey of a man who taught an enslaved people how to be proud and impose their culture on the world. In the 1920s Leonard Percival Howell and the First Rastas had a revelation concerning the divinity of Haile Selassie, king of Ethiopia, that established the vision for the most popular mystical movement of the 20th century, Rastafarianism. Although jailed, ridiculed, and treated as insane, Howell, also known as the Gong, established a Rasta community of 4,500 members, the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana. In the late 1950s the community was dispersed, disseminating Rasta teachings throughout the ghettos of the island. A young singer named Bob Marley adopted Howell's message, and through Marley's visions, reggae made its explosion in the music world.
Where to Watch.
Free
Currently The First Rasta is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Kanopy
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
The Abyssinians
Themselves
Marcus Garvey
Self (archive footage)
Max Romeo
Self
Leonard Percival Lowell
Self
Hélène Lee
Director
Hélène Lee
Director
Percy Yip Tong
Executive Producer
Alexandre Perrier
Producer
Media.
Details.
Release DateApril 27, 2011
Original NameLe Premier rasta
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 26m
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
jamaica
rastafarian