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Bird's EyeView
Monday, September 23,1996
RASTAFARI Much more than marijuana
Story by Eric Weslander
or some people, Rastafarianism is a complete mystery shrouded in a haze of marijuana smoke. For others, it is nothing more than a synonym for the
nothing more than a synonym for the lively reggae music of artists like Bob Marley.
For Jason Strickland, Rastafarianism is a religion and a way of life.
"That's the hardest part, man: being a Rastaman, knowing you are, and no one else knowing what the hell that is," said Strickland, Lawrence resident.
Rastafarianism or Rasta is a Jamaican-based religion with its roots in the 1920's when Marcus Garvey, a political activist, talked about a Black king who would come to power in Africa and who would call for the reunification of the Black race.
When Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia in 1930, he was given the name Haile Selassie I. which means "power of the holy trinity." Many people saw this as a fulfillment of Garvey's prophecy and viewed Selassie as the second coming of Christ.
Although Selassie died in 1975, his following did not. Rastafarians, who mostly inhabited Jamaica and parts of the United States, came into the public eye with the increased commercial success of reggae musicians like Bob Marley.
like Bob Marley. While the music received most of the attention, Rasta men and women continued to worship Haile Selassie I as a messiah His influence, although often hard to detect, still is seen today throughout the world even in Lawrence.
even in Lawrence.
"I'm saying he's Christ, which means his
Chris Hamilton / KANSAN
Lawrence resident Jason Strickland, a Rastafarian, feels that many people are misinformed about his religion.
body held a spirit besides his own fleshly spirit," Strickland said.
Paul Mirecki, professor of religious studies, said that the ultimate goals of Rastafarianism were peace, justice and clean living.
Strickland said that to him, the most important aspect of Rastafarianism was the Bible.
"Every Rastaman knows his Bible," he said "That's where it comes from; it shows us where we're going."
Strickland, a former KU student, decided to leave school this semester to study religion on his own. He has read books about the Middle East, Africa, Judaism, and Orthodox Christianity. He said that these books were closely related to Rastafarianism.
One of the main factors of his religious conversion to Rasta was the meeting of an elder Rastafarian, who lives just outside of Lawrence. However, Strickland cannot recall the specific moment.
cannot recall the specific moment when he realized that he was a Rastafarian.
"I've known it all along, I just didn't know what to call it," he said.
Resting and praying on the Sabbath are also important elements of the religion.
Strickland stopped eating meat and began to grow dreadlocks, which symbolizes a covenant between Rastafarians and Jah, or God.
Halle Selassie I emperor of Ethiopia In 1930
"Any, outwardly expression of an inward manifestation makes it complete," he said.
Strickland, who is Caucasian, said that although Rasta gained international attention as a Black movement, he did not discuss color with other Rastafarians.
"Every person is a Rasta because we all came from the same creator," he said. "Rasta is a rainbow of fruit flavors."
Rasia is a famous warrior Mirecki, however, said some Rastafarians disagreed with the image of universal acceptance popularized by Bob Marley.
acceptance people. "There are hard-core Rastas who kind of scoff at all of that. They see it as a watering down or selling out," he said. "Knowing how religions begin and develop, people just splinter into groups naturally."
The Rastafarians have a variety of religious practices, such as beating drums and chanting, which Strickland called a physical attack on evil. However, the practice that receives the most attention is the smoking of marjuana, or ganja.
"Not all Rasta people smoke herb, but I choose to," he said. "I've learned that nothing is created evil, but the use of anything can make it evil. If you're not direct in your
"It falls into the category of a ritual." Mirecki said. "To them, it is a sacred substance."
sance. Strickland said that the smoking of ganja was a misinterpreted element of Rastafarianism.
course, it will cause you problems; it will make you demented."
make you laugh.
Strickland said that he blessed his marijuana before he smoked it and focused his mind on Jah as he smoked it. He also said that ganja was a gift from Jah, and it was believed to have first grown on the grave of King Solomon, which was why Rastas
called it wisdom weed.
called it wisdom weed.
Strickland said that he believed
how much that Moses' burning bush was in fact a marijuana plant, and the Holy Grail used at the last supper was actually a pipe. "I've heard Christ gave his apostles herb," he said. "The Holy Grail isn't a cup per se, it's a chalice. A chalice is a pipe - a one-hose hookah."
Mirecki, however, said there was little historical accuracy to this belief. "It's their religion, so they can say that," he said. "But the stories are no longer historically based. Now they are using allegory in Biblical text."
gory to interpret Biblical text.
Stirkland said that his parents had difficulty with his conversion to Rasta.
"They kind of freaked out," he said. "They thought I was joining a cult. But I didn't say anything about it, until I knew in my heart and my mind that it was the right thing for me to do."
me to do.
"No one's asked me for money; I haven't done anything I didn't want to do," he said.
The thing that troubles Strickland the most is the people who are misinformed about his religion.
Kappa Sigma and Phi Kappa
Psif fraternities, for example, sponsor an annual "Rasta Revolution" party that features reggae music and attire.
"It's a pretty good theme party because it's easy to dress up for," said Andrew Klein, St. Louis junior and Kappa Sigma president.
it probably has absolutely nothing to do with the beliefs of a Rastafarian."
Strickland said that the name of the party meant "Christ Revolution"
"That's definitely something to keep in mind, Iguess," Klein said.
Strickland said the events of Rastafarianism were present in everyone's life.
"Only so many of us, though, will realize that," he said.
Students gain valuable experience by studying abroad
By Nicholas C. Charalambous
Kansan staff writer
Leaving home for college used to be a big enough adventure for young people stifled by small towns and small-town ways. Now students who want to satisfy their curiosity for the wider world are packing their bags to study abroad. It's the new rite of passage for students whose expectations are growing in a world in which geographical boundaries are shrinking.
shrinking.
"Every person should study abroad," said Amy Austin, Broomfield, Colo., senior. Austin spent a year at Santiago De Compostela in Spain. Austin said she was able to travel to Europe for the first time and improve her Spanish language skills — all while earning academic credit. It was the smart way to see the world.
to see the world.
"We get so wrapped up in the life that we are leading here, we don't realize there is a lot more out there," she said. "Now I have a different perspective on my priorities. They are not to get out of school and make lots of money."
make lots of money.
Last year, 809 students, including 62 students from the School of Architecture and Urban Design and 54 students from the School of Business, took part in KU study abroad programs in more than 30 countries. In 1991, that number was a little less than 500.
Most study abroad directors agree there is a growing demand among students to study outside the United States. The University of Kansas has long
been recognized as a leader in international education, said John Pearson, chairman of NAFAA, an association of international educators. But representatives at peer institutions, such as the University of North Carolina and the University of Colorado-Boulder, say they still are waiting for administrators to respond to the trend.
At the University of Kansas, it already has. In fact. Kansas is in the vanguard of universities hoping to drive the trend by setting ambitious targets for study abroad.
In one of his first speeches to faculty and staff, Chancellor Robert Hemenway said he wanted 2,000 students to study abroad by the year 2000.
students to study abroad A year before Hemenway's speech, Michigan State University established a study-abroad task force. Michigan State now sends 1,200 students on foreign study programs and wants to increase that number to 2,800 by the year 2006.
We are going to see a change that will come from the "top down," said Madge Hubbard, program director of the study abroad office at the University of North Carolina.
Hemenway said international education was the mark of a high-quality university. He is committed to finding scholarship money so the opportunity to study abroad can be extended to more students.
That would please students like Lata Murti, Topeka junior, who is finding it difficult to raise the estimated $6,400 for a semester in Costa Rica next spring.
Nancy Mitchell, assistant director of the Office of Study Abroad, said she noticed a difference in students' outbooks after they return.
dents outlooks after they return.
"Thethey feel confident about doing other things," she said. "They say, I have the capability to deal with the situation at hand; I'm creative, I'm intelligent, I can survive."
And dynamic, independent, and adaptable graduates are increasingly in demand. The University's new mission of internationalism borrows much of its momentum from technology which has allowed corporations to enter global markets.
Margareta O'Connell, director of the Office of Study Abroad, said studying abroad no longer was a luxury, but a necessity.
"We're living in an ever more interrelated world," she said. "We are a global village. We all work together. It's always easy to buy from a country, but to sell you have to be convincing and have that special cultural awareness."
O'Connell advises students to come to the University prepared to study abroad. Parents and students should discuss foreign study as part of the cost of undergraduate education, and students should arrange their courses so that studying abroad applies directly to their major and doesn't delay their graduation, she said.
Michael Delaney, director of programs at the study abroad office at the University of Colorado-Boulder, said that in 1985, no business students studied abroad. The business school now sends abroad a
The KU School of Business has stopped short of requiring students to study abroad for the Master of Business Administration program, but it is now strongly advised.
higher proportion of its students than any other school on campus.
school on campus. "They know where their bread is going to be buttered." he said.
"International business is here to stay and we better understand it," Fred Madaus, director of Career Services for Engineering and Business. "Even if companies are doing 100 percent of their business in the United States, they still have to compete."
the University could students without study abroad experience could be shut out of some career opportunities.
Michael Vande Berg, director of the office of study abroad at Michigan State University, said more universities may emphasize study abroad to enhance the employability of their graduates and to help with freshman recruitment. But he said the purpose also was lofter than raw economics.
was longer than law enforcement. "Going abroad is necessary to deal closely with multicultural issues which face us," Vande Berg said. "Humans in general don't deal with cultural difference very well until they are forced to confront it."
Kristin George, Vienna, Va., senior agreed.
"I'm much more sympathetic to foreign issues, of being new to a country and not understanding the culture," she said. "I reach out more to international students after having been one."
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