I didn't know much about Rastafari lifestyle before yesterday. On the mainland, there were very few to be exposed to. Here on St. Thomas, there is a large farming community of Rastafarians.

Rain poured sporadically this weekend during the 13th annual Rastafari Agricultural and Cultural Food Fair. Thick clouds climbed over the mountaintops and generously watered everything, plant and animal. We all got wet.

 Before, when I thought of Rastafarians, the only thing I imagined they would grow was weed, but Rastafarians actually grow a variety of fruits and vegetables, including papayas, bananas, plantains, lemongrass, starfruit, pomegranates, coconuts, peppers, avocados, okra, tomatoes, bok choy, and squash. Everything is grown sans pesticides or herbicides. Farming is central to their culture. In Rastafari culture, the body is a temple and what is put in it should be pure. Alcohol and fermented foods (pickles and such) are shunned.  

While the USVI chapter of NORML had a strong presence, the fair was largely about promoting agriculture and clean living. Smoking ganja is part of Rastafari culture, however the central beliefs are actually more associated with worshipping God (Jah), taking care of the body and clean living. 

 In modern society, it is easy to forget the importance of agriculture. One of the farmers yesterday told a story of an 11th grade student he had on his farm. He gave the student a sack of corn kernels and instructed him to go into the field and plant the corn. Two minutes later, the student returned and said he was finished. The farmer was astounded and couldn't believe how quickly the student planted all of that corn. He went out to the field to check and found that the young man had planted all of the corn in a single hole instead of spread over the entire field. The moral of his story was that the youth have become disconnected from their agricultural roots and that the production of food is a skill necessary to survival. He lamented that so many young people were growing up in the territory without an understanding of where their food is coming from, without a connection to the Earth.

 The colors red, gold and green (and sometimes black) are tied to the Rastafarian movement. Red is associated with the blood of black Jamaican martyrs, gold with the wealth of Africa, and green with the lushness of Jamaica and Ethiopia. 

Fresh and prepared food was available for purchase. I sampled some of the ital soup. Ital is derived from the word "vital" and this delicious vegetarian soup is made from squash, onion, sweet potato, tofu, corn, carrots, and beans. The stock was sweet and nicely spiced. A diet of ital foods is said to increase Livity, the life energy of the individual. Ital foods seemed to parallel the dietary restrictions found in orthodox Judaism. Although there is no central doctrine regarding dietary restrictions for Rastafarians, there is an avoidance of modified foods, those with preservatives, colorings, or other artificial additives. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plants were offered for sale including many herbs, fruits and ornamentals. In the supermarket stateside, I'd seen plenty of papayas, but never had any idea what kind of plant a papaya came from. Above is a type of taro. It is difficult to go from an area where you know the names of almost all of the plants to an area where you have no idea what each plant is.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Metal utensils and cooking pots are often avoided in favor of wooden or clay implements (clay pots used to serve hot food pictured above).