ON FRIDAY, 30 April, Rastas started their freedom day celebrations.
The three-day celebration of their people being led out of slavery in Egypt by the moon was held in Lusaka, Tshwane.
They told Daily Sun that in earlier times, they would travel to different places in Africa for the celebration.
Kenneth Hlatshwayo (54), a Rasta big brother, said they had gathered to make the occasion special.
“We feel good to celebrate this day. We play reggae music and teach young people about the importance of our culture,” he said.
“We differ from other religions because we use marijuana as a herb of life and to heal. We love smoking marijuana as it helps us meditate and connect with God and our souls. We don’t allow zol, but ganja, in our community.”
Hlatshwayo said zol was not part of the movement because it was a mixture of tobacco and other drugs.
“As Rastafari, we believe in peace and don’t allow anything to jeopardise our culture and its celebration.”
Hlatshwayo said it was important to give praise to Haile Selassie, the father of the religion.
“Our plea is for people to love Rastafarians and give them respect. We are not criminals,” he said.
Rastafarian elder Chancy Siko Nyirenda (51) said they were celebrating the good things their movement encouraged. “We love to be together and discuss our life,” he said.
Nyirenda said they regarded hair as part of their bodies and a symbol of their religion, so they didn’t get chiskop cuts.
Rastafarian musician Lucky “Yellow” Ndaba (53) entertained the crowd with African drums.
