Yes Rasta

By Patrick Cariou and Perry Henzell

Essay by Perry Henzell A look into the secluded world of Rastafarians, a culture and religion closed to outsiders. With these bold portraits and landscapes, Cariou indelibly captures the strict, separatist, jungle-dwelling, fruit-of-the-land lifestyle, popularised by reggae legends Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. The book's release follows that of a collaborative reggae CD. With 105 tritone photos. '...the photos will stun you with the beauty of their locations and the poise and tranquillity of their subjects' - Newsday

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576870731
• ISBN13: 9781576870730
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: powerHouse Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 3.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 10.1" x 12.7"

Customer Reviews

great

Yes Rasta is the best photography book on Rasta, an extraordinary photo documentary on people never seen before

Dreadlocks, Cultural Roots, And The Healing Of The Nations

I visited Jamaica many times in the fifteen years following my first Negril holiday in 1977. I was in search of Rastafarianism and reggae music. Of the natural mystic blowing through the air.My first morning in Negril I left my tourist hotel for a walk along the beach toward town. After a while of walking on the white sand and enjoying the glorious sunrise, I noticed two dread-locked men standing off to the side smoking a spliff and gazing out to sea. They were more like an apparition than flesh and blood but then they saw me staring. Smiles of incredible radiance slowly spread out upon their faces as they turned toward me and they nodded graciously. I felt their blessing like a wave of force across the beach. They had such tremendous presence, those two men. Such an aura of power.Patrick Cariou's homage to Rastafarianism takes this mesmeric presence of the Rastaman as the focus for his deeply moving, sensationally well-executed portfolio of black and white photographs of Jamaica and of its Rasta Nation. The portraits of these men of all ages are among the best I have ever seen. Partly this results from the great technical skill Cariou brings to his work. But clearly the strength of this collection is in the way the subjects felt about their photographer. The way in which they responded to his lens emotionally.There is one photograph of an elderly Rasta with matted locks down to the ground that is so remarkable. He stands for his portrait with his pancake-flattened dreadlock over one shoulder extending right to his feet in a sumptuous arc. His arms are extended at his sides and his stance suggests submission to fate, his attitude such a natural state of grace. But what makes this image so unforgettable is the communication you can feel between this man and his photographer. His willingness to open himself emotionally for his portrait. The unconditionality of his pose.Aside from portraits of individuals, there are also numerous photographs of adult men with their children in this gorgeous collection. Of men working in their ganja fields, preparing ital for their meals, smoking the bounty of the marijuana harvest. And there are photographs of Jamaica itself that capture just amazingly the dramatic mood of the mountains and of the thick, jungle-like vegetation that there abounds. And of the dwellings in which these people live and worship.In the few inspired pages of text at the beginning of this book Perry Henzell captures the paradox of the Rasta people when he says that 'they projected the humility of the social outcast but bore the high stride of a visionary on the move..." Yes Rasta understands this essential paradox well and visually transmits a view of life informed by it with tremendous sensitivity and respect. I could not imagine a better result

yes rasta

this book is a long awaited contribution to the knowledge base of Rastafarian culture. This book is a work of art, compassion and livity. In recent times there has been academic writings of the world of rastafari. This knowledge helps to expand our ways of knowing and provides us with a history of a people that is often lost in other worldviews. The pictures that Patrick captures gives us a visual of strength and dignity of his subjects in their own settings. He and his co-author give praises to the struggle for equal rights and justice and honors the plight of those who have been oppressed. Patrick is very skillful with the lens of the camera and provides us with the powerful images of the faces of Rastafarians in the hills, the beach and on the road. A beautiful tabletop book to pass along to friends for the upcoming holidays.I give thanks everytime for a remarkable book.