http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/rss/ United Reggae spreads the inspiring and healing vibrations of Reggae music and culture. An international plateform with news, articles, books, movies, artists, albums. One aim, to promote reggae culture. © United Reggae 2008 en http://www.unitedreggae.com/images/unitedreggae-rss.png http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/rss/ Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:57:54 +0100 http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b129,Dancehall Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:32:29 +0100 Dancehall is at the centre of Jamaican musical and cultural life. From its roots in Kingston in the 1950s to its heyday in the 1980s, Dancehall has conquered the globe, spreading to the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan and beyond. This is its definitive story. The book features hundreds of exclusive photographs and accompanying text that capture a previously unseen era of musical culture, fashion and lifestyle. Dancehall is a culture that encompasses music, fashion, drugs, guns, art, community, technology and more. Born in the 1950s out of the neighbourhood jams of Kingston, Dancehall grew to its height in the 1980s before a massive influx of drugs and guns made the scene too dangerous for many. Beth Lessers book tells this story from its roots to its heights, she photographed and documented a cultural explosion as producers, singers, DJs and soundmen made a living out of the slums of Kingston. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b129,Dancehall http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b128,Jah Rastafari Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:22:59 +0100 The spiritual creed of the Rastafarians (Rastas) of Jamaica have, over the past four decades become a very visible symbol of black cultural struggle for identity and unity internationally by virtue of world renown Rasta Reggae musicians such as Burning Spear, Culture, Bob Marley and the Wailers and many others. Jah Rastafari - Visions of Faith is an analysis of the phenomenon of Rasta by a Jamaican Rastaman; its birth as a reaction to black racial oppression and the search for a viable avenue for its adherents to reconnect back to an African spiritual perspective. Taking into account the widely held misconceptions about Rastas and the sometimes negative connation associated with the movement, the author dissects the rationale for accepting the emperor Haille Selassie I of Ethiopia as God incarnate and the prevailing ideology of Judeo/Christian biblical philosophy as a means to solidify faith. The emphasis here is to see the dynamics of Rasta as an offshoot of much older African/Jamaican spiritual systems, directly influenced by an African spiritual heritage stemming back many thousands of years into the past. This thesis delves extensively into areas of interest to all Rastas such as Conspiracy Theories, Racism as a tool of social control and it's psychologically effects upon black and white populations; social and 'spiritual engineering' by the establishment of church and state; the Mind Control Programs of the Babylon System and the coming establishment of a fascistic New World Order by the Euro/American white supremacist Illuminati organization. All these things are crucial elements in Rasta philosophy including the vibrant international Rasta Reggae music. These ideas have always been central to Rasta and elucidate a clear and conscious paradigm of Rasta philosophy from the very beginning of the movement and expanding the frontiers of pertinent knowledge beyond the existing formula of the creed. The argument here is aimed at an imperative shift towards a more holistic vision of Rasta faith, taking its rightful place in the centre of progressive human consciousness as a powerful, positive evolutionary force. This evolutionary force is designed to liberate the minds of human beings from the shackles of ignorance and illusion thus elevating the soul towards its highest goal; the joyous communion with Jah Rastafari, the Supreme, Eternal, Formless Potency of All Being. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b128,Jah Rastafari http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b127,Who Am I? Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:17:10 +0100 The first-ever Dancehall biography tells the true story behind the rumors, the rivalries, the highs and lows, the hits... And the women... Bob Marley is the king of reggae, and the undisputed king of dancehall is Beenie Man. As a pure phenomenon, Beenie Man is the genre s most prolific all-time hit-maker and a Grammy-winning superstar adored around the world. Starting out as a street urchin, he had to overcome the odds of a grim world in which murder was a way of life, and where crime seemed the only escape. From Kingston s merciless slums, he rose from child wunderkind on sheer guts, charisma and lyrical genius, becoming reggae s first ever Hollywood-style tabloid star. But why is he so special to his fans? Why is he the only one with such hitmaking staying power? And why is there such fierce interest in his life of romantic twists and turns? Who Am I? answers the questions, with the uniqueness and color of dancehall as a backdrop. It is the true story of the reigning and future king, an unfinished life uncompromisingly lit by a pop-culture spotlight. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b127,Who Am I? http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b126,Bob Marley Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:40:50 +0100 One of the twentieth century's most iconic cultural figures, Bob Marley was responsible for popularising reggae music throughout the world. His unique blend of politically conscious lyrics and melody won him legions of fans far beyond the Caribbean. But Marley was no mere pop star: his strong attachment to Rasta beliefs and practices and his fierce hostility to the injustices of 'Babylon' made him an important spokesman for the dispossessed. In this new biography Garry Steckles follows Marley's eventful life through early days in rural Jamaica, arrival in Kingston, first recordings and performances to his spectacular status as an international superstar. Throughout he analyses Marley's political and religious beliefs, while also concentrating on his relationships with fellow musicians, family and influential figures such as Chris Blackwell. A chapter focusing on Marley's long-term legacy explores what the musician contributed to world music and what the religious believer gave to Rastafarianism. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b126,Bob Marley http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b125,Jamaican Food Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:21:06 +0100 The historical study of food and the anthropology of food are recent and growing fields of scholarly inquiry. Why people eat what they do and how they prepare it is an important means of studying a culture. It can reveal much about a culture's crop production, economy, eating rituals, preparation methods, festivals, foodways, history and environmental care, and degradation. This beautifully illustrated book by one of the Caribbean's pre-eminent historians, B.W. Higman, sheds new light on food and cultural practices in Jamaica from the time of the earliest Taino inhabitants through the introduction of different foodways by enslaved cultures, to creole adaptations to the fast-food phenomena of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. The author examines the shift in Jamaican food practices over time, from the Tainos' use of bitter cassava to the Maroons' introduction of jerk pork, and the population's love affair with the fruits of the island such as paw paw, guava, star apple, and avocado pear. In this well-written and accessible study, the author traces how endemic animals, delicacies such as the turtle, ringtail pigeon, black land crab and mountain mullet, barely retained their popular status into the early twentieth century and are now almost completely forgotten, their populations dramatically depleted, often endangered. The two main sections of the book deal separately with plants and animals. Plants are grouped together according to the parts of them used as food: roots, stalks and leaves, fruits and seeds. Generally, all aspects of a particular plant have been discussed together and the plant as a whole has been located in its dominant use. Animals are treated in the same way, putting all of their uses in a single place but grouped into biological families http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b125,Jamaican Food http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b124,Jahmaica Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:02:34 +0100 This book is a great history of Rastafari. Contains much information not previously available. The detail on the early days of Rasta is simply amazing. Howell, Pinnacle, Dunkley, 1961 Mission, Red Hills, His Majesty's 1966 visit, right through 1990. Balanced, thoughtful and brilliant in it's detail, van Dijk has given the world a tremendous historical account of Rasta. Nowhere else are the foundation days of Rastafari more accurately recounted. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b124,Jahmaica http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b123,Pharcel Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:33:39 +0100 Pharcel, a runaway slave, is heavily sought by all the political forces on the small island of Dominica - the white English colonists, the revolutionary French, and the rebellious mulattos - for his role in the slave uprisings. Torn between loyalty to his race and a strong personal desire for freedom and acceptance by the colonial powers and the rising mulatto influence, he walks a razor's edge of duplicity and ambivalence until his natural rebelliousness is pitted against the full force of colonial power. In the end, he succumbs to an irresistible and nearly fatal attraction for the wife of a French planter. But in a fit of ruthless rage, Pharcel sets the colony ablaze. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b123,Pharcel http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b122, The Dirty South Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:42:21 +0100 Set in Brixton, 20 years after the race riots, The Dirty South follows the adventures of Bricky teenager Dennis Huggins as he drifts into the easy, dangerous life of the shotter - or drug dealer - and discovers that hard as the struggle for respect on the streets is, the struggle for love is harder still. At least Dennis has involved parents looking out for him; too many of his friends have no guidance other than that offered by their fellow shotters, or the dubiously motivated black Muslims. Wheatle brilliantly evokes the temptations of the thug life for young black men growing up in London's Dirty South - a fast, compelling novel that offers no easy answers, but refuses to shy away from asking the difficult questions. http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b122, The Dirty South http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b121,Marcus Garvey Tue, 30 Oct 2007 08:37:15 +0100 Garvey's powerful and influential message remains as relevant today as it was almost a hundred years ago and in this 120th anniversary of his birth, his life, message and exploits are captured in text by Suzanne Francis Brown and in brilliant colour illustration by Jean-Jacques Vayssieres in the same style that brought to life the story of another Back hero, Olaudah Equiano for young readers around the world http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b121,Marcus Garvey http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b120,Spearhead of the Nazarites Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:59:02 +0100 In this book is a collection of unique Poems, Stories and Meditations, beautiful, frightening, stunning and autobiographical. Here Jalisha attemp to reveal to us the Mystic Revelation of Jah Rastafari. 'Spearhead of the Nazarites' was the first book written by the young Mystic in 1988. Excerpt DRUMHEART - Page 217 I am the voice of hope in the world I am the eternal youth of nature In the depths of the material world Lieth hid the water which welleth up In the fountain of immortality The glory of the sun have i absorbed In my locks From the vibration of my drum i draw Down the spirit into the body of man Into his fallen soul i breathe the hope of redemption Through me cometh to man the courage to struggle against bondage in which he is placed http://www.unitedreggae.com/books/b120,Spearhead of the Nazarites