Editing Rastafari (section)

=== International spread and decline: 1970–present ===

In the mid-1970s, reggae's international popularity exploded.{{sfn|King|2002|p=96}} The most successful reggae artist, [[Bob Marley]], played a major role in introducing Rastafari themes to audiences across the world.{{sfn|Cashmore|1983|p=108}} Reggae's popularity led to a growth in "pseudo-Rastafarians", individuals who listened to reggae and wore Rasta clothing but did not share its belief system.{{sfn|King|2002|pp=100, 102}} Many Rastas were angered by this, believing it commercialised their religion.{{sfn|King|2002|p=102}}

[[File:Bob-Marley-in-Concert Zurich 05-30-80.jpg|thumb|left|Reggae musician Bob Marley did much to raise international awareness of the Rastafari movement in the 1970s.]]

Through reggae, Rasta musicians became increasingly important in Jamaica's political life during the 1970s.{{sfn|Clarke|1986|p=53}} To bolster his popularity with the electorate, Jamaican Prime Minister [[Michael Manley]] employed Rasta imagery and courted support from Marley and other reggae musicians.{{sfnm|1a1=Clarke|1y=1986|1p=52|2a1=Lewis|2y=1993|2p=12|3a1=Lewis|3y=1994|3pp=290–291|4a1=King|4y=2002|4pp=105, 108–111}} Manley described Rastas as a "beautiful and remarkable people"{{sfn|Barrett|1997|p=ix}} and carried a cane which he claimed was a gift from Haile Selassie.{{sfnm|1a1=Barrett|1y=1997|1p=220|2a1=King|2y=1998|2p=41|3a1=King|3y=2002|3pp=91–92|4a1=Edmonds|4y=2012|4p=27}} Following Manley's example, Jamaican political parties increasingly employed Rasta language, symbols, and reggae references in their campaigns,{{sfnm|1a1=Lewis|1y=1994|1p=12|2a1=Lewis|2y=1994|2p=291|3a1=Edmonds|3y=2012|3p=27}} while Rasta symbols became increasingly mainstream in Jamaican society.{{sfn|King|2002|p=106}} This helped to confer greater legitimacy on Rastafari,{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=27}} with reggae and Rasta imagery being increasingly presented as a core part of Jamaica's [[cultural heritage]] for the growing tourist industry.{{sfn|King|2002|pp=121–122}} In the 1980s, a Rasta, [[Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah]], became a senator in the Jamaican Parliament.{{sfn|Semaj|2013|p=98}}

Enthusiasm for Rastafari was likely dampened by the death of Haile Selassie in 1975 and that of Marley in 1981.{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=28}} During the 1980s, the number of Rastas in Jamaica declined,{{sfn|King|2002|p=120}} with Pentecostal and other [[Charismatic Christianity|Charismatic Christian]] groups proving more successful at attracting young recruits.{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=29}} Several prominent Rastas converted to Christianity,{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=29}} and two of those who did so—[[Judy Mowatt]] and [[Tommy Cowan]]—maintained that Marley had converted to Christianity, in the form of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, during his final days.{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|pp=29–30}} The significance of Rastafari messages in reggae also declined with the growing popularity of [[dancehall]], a Jamaican musical genre that typically foregrounded lyrical themes of hyper-masculinity, violence, and sexual activity rather than religious symbolism.{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=30}}

The mid-1990s saw a revival of Rastafari-focused reggae associated with musicians like [[Anthony B]], [[Buju Banton]], [[Luciano (singer)|Luciano]], [[Sizzla]], and [[Capleton]].{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|p=30}} From the 1990s, Jamaica also witnessed the growth of organised political activity within the Rasta community, seen for instance through campaigns for the legalisation of cannabis and the creation of political parties like the [[Jamaican Alliance Movement]] and the [[Imperial Ethiopian World Federation Incorporated Political Party]], none of which attained more than minimal electoral support.{{sfn|Edmonds|2012|pp=30–31}} In 1995, the Rastafari Centralization Organization was established in Jamaica as an attempt to organise the Rastafari community.{{sfn|Barnett|2002|p=56}}