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‘I want my kids to be righteous and Rasta’: By AYANDA SITOLE

Emndeni is alive with the sounds of children squealing with delight as they bounce on a bright green jumping castle. It is Tshimologo Mofolo’s first birthday and her parents have pulled out all the stops.

Outside the house — which is dotted with red, green and yellow balloons, the colours of the Rastafari — the adults are swaying to the upbeat sounds of reggae. Jabulisile Mofolo, like many of the women who have come to celebrate her daughter’s birthday, is dressed conservatively. She wears a long floral dress and her long sleeved shirt is buttoned to the top, her dreadlocks tied up under a black turban.

The modest attire and the family atmosphere are a bit at odds with the impression some in Soweto have of Rastas, who are often criticised for their appearance. “When people see a hobo in the streets and he has dreadlocks, they think he’s a Rasta, so they stereotype us and assume that all Rastas are homeless and dirty,” says 25-year-old Amlak Alpha, a friend of Mofolo.

He says that dreadlocks are a sign of the Rasta faith, the length of their hair representing their wisdom and the years they have been loyal to their religion, acting like “antennae” to connect them to their ancestors, God and Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974 and considered by the Rastas to be a living God.

But it is not just strangers in the township who have a bad impression of Rastas — some of their own families reject the religion, especially at first. “In my home, my mother was surprised when I told her I was Rasta,” Mofolo says. “But soon she grew to understand that it’s what brings me purpose and peace. She’s learned to accept me … we want our daughter to grow up knowing her African heritage, which is a part of our Rasta culture.”

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‘Celebration of life, God and love’
The nights are mainly about listening to reggae and live poetry; they meditate on marijuana and praise Selassie. Alcohol and cigarettes are strictly forbidden, although they smoke beedies, which are made from tendu leaves and natural tobacco, with no chemicals added.

The Rastafari call these sessions a celebration of life, God and love. Women prepare vegetarian food (without salt) which is laid out for the crowd, and Rastafari memorabilia, such as badges and posters, are on sale.

Most Saturday mornings are spent in church and some of the Rastas who gather at the party have attended what they call a “sabbath”. There are formal Rasta churches — one in Berea, Johannesburg and another in Pretoria — but the Soweto Rastafari meet on a hill in Dobsonville.

“We prefer to pray in the mountain because it is a part of nature and makes us feel like we become a part of the element,” says Amlak Alpha.

Ruby Maketha, a respected elder in the Rasta community, cradles a baby, while a toddler tugs on her skirt. She and her husband, Mcedisi Mzondo, have five children and have committed their lives to Rastafari for more than a decade.

They share their opinions about the importance of raising a Rasta family in modern society.

“I want my children to grow up Rasta and to be righteous and conscious,” says Maketha.

“To know the difference between what is good and bad, and I can already see that in them. If my child­ren grow up and decide that they no longer want to follow our custom I will be disappointed, but I cannot control what they do. I know that one day they will come back to the ways that we have taught them.”

Mzondo describes the meaning of Rastafari, which he feels is often misunderstood.

“Rastafari is about love,” he says. “If we live according to the love that God has given us, we can bring back Heaven on Earth. “God is not a person in the sky. He lives among us and we can be like the Garden of Eden, as it should be on Earth.”

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-04-08-i-want-my-kids-to-be-righteous-and-rasta

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