Every year over 80,000 middle-aged women flock to Jamaica in search of the 'big bamboo.' A practice called "rent a rasta." But who are the real Rastafari and ho do they feel about being marketed every
August 19, 2006 (Press Release) --
Sex tourism, a product of slavery, is not new to the Caribbean. Three flights are due into Montego Bay, one from Toronto, one from Fort Lauderdale, the other from London. Every year over 80,000 middle-aged women flock to Jamaica in search of the 'big bamboo.' They are not necessarily into long-term relationships, but many return regularly to their island boy who sport Rastafarian-style dreadlocks, bringing money and gifts like jewelry and designer sneakers, a practice called "rent a rasta."
But who are the real Rastafari and how do they feel about being used to market everything Jamaican?
The first recorded slaving voyage from the UK to West Africa was made in 1562 by Devon born Captain John Hawkins who captured 300 people from what is now Sierra Leone, to be sold as slaves in the Caribbean. The profit he made from that voyage allowed him to get backing and approval for further slaving ventures from Queen Elizabeth I. In fact, Hawkins was knighted shortly after his second successful African venture. His coat of arms depicted the head of an African woman with a chain around her neck.
Rastafari have been greatly underestimated by the outside world. The classical Rastas were sophisticated theological and philosophical thinkers, not cultists worshiping newspaper photos of an African King. They discovered many sophisticated theological concepts for themselves and had retraced many of the Christological and other debates of the early Church. They brought forth a rich cultural and artistic legacy, including some of the twentieth century's most moving hymnography.
RENT a RASTA is an extraordinary glimpse into a paradise laced with cultural misunderstandings and socioeconomic inequities.
Award-winning filmmaker J. Michael Seyfert, a constant commuter between journalism and the creative arts, is leaving behind the limitations of entertainment in favor of a more substantial task: to meaningfully and directly affect the plight of his subjects through his work.
ENGLISH 45 min. / Wide Screen - Digital Dolby surround.
But who are the real Rastafari and how do they feel about being used to market everything Jamaican?
The first recorded slaving voyage from the UK to West Africa was made in 1562 by Devon born Captain John Hawkins who captured 300 people from what is now Sierra Leone, to be sold as slaves in the Caribbean. The profit he made from that voyage allowed him to get backing and approval for further slaving ventures from Queen Elizabeth I. In fact, Hawkins was knighted shortly after his second successful African venture. His coat of arms depicted the head of an African woman with a chain around her neck.
Rastafari have been greatly underestimated by the outside world. The classical Rastas were sophisticated theological and philosophical thinkers, not cultists worshiping newspaper photos of an African King. They discovered many sophisticated theological concepts for themselves and had retraced many of the Christological and other debates of the early Church. They brought forth a rich cultural and artistic legacy, including some of the twentieth century's most moving hymnography.
RENT a RASTA is an extraordinary glimpse into a paradise laced with cultural misunderstandings and socioeconomic inequities.
Award-winning filmmaker J. Michael Seyfert, a constant commuter between journalism and the creative arts, is leaving behind the limitations of entertainment in favor of a more substantial task: to meaningfully and directly affect the plight of his subjects through his work.
ENGLISH 45 min. / Wide Screen - Digital Dolby surround.
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