In the street trabalho is made: music and religiosity among rastafarians in the periphery of São Paulo

Abstract

Music has become one of the greatest forms of expression for Rastafari, a cultural movement that emerged in 1930 in Jamaica and that during its development established connections between religiosity, politics, leisure and work. Despite its transnationalization being associated with the dissemination of a vehicle of popular culture, reggae music, it is in the nyahbinghi that resides the main spiritual and musical source, being a service (ceremony or spiritual work) where chants (hymns) are sung to the playing of three main drums. In this article, aspects of the organization of a group formed by Rastafarians, the Instituto Cultural Bola de Fogo, will be addressed, presenting reflections on the practice of nyahbinghi from the field work carried out in the ritual-performances that take place in the city. For a better contextualization, I will initially bring some historical considerations about Rastafari and its musicality, which leads to a policy against colonialism and coloniality. Past and present converge, as well as the material and the spiritual, bringing ancestral knowledge and healing benefits. Inserted in peripheral leisure events, one can see the importance of politics and religion emerging in the streets and public spaces in the city.