Rastafari and I

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Rastafari and I"

Podcast: The Documentary Podcast (BBC World Service)
Host: Silas Gray
Date: July 31, 2026
Theme: A personal and intergenerational exploration of Rastafari, identity, and belonging, focused on the pilgrimage to Shashamani, Ethiopia, and the legacy of Haile Selassie.

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Episode Overview

Silas Gray embarks on a journey from Oxford, England, to Shashamani, Ethiopia—the spiritual homeland of Rastafari—to come to terms with his inherited name (Silas E. Selassie) and the complicated legacy of Rastafari. Through conversations with his father, elders, peers, and Ethiopians, Silas questions what it means to be Rastafarian today and reflects on generational shifts, faith, identity, and cultural heritage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Legacy and Family Expectations (00:44–04:51)

• Silas’s birthright: Named after Haile Selassie by his proud Jamaican father, symbolizing faith and a spiritual connection to Ethiopia.
• Quote:
  • Silas’s Dad: “Both me and your mother then wanted some sort of name for you that had meaning. So we chose to go biblical... Silas being the messenger of Paul and Emmanuel, as God be with you...” (02:25)
• Silas describes growing up steeped in Rastafarian culture, reggae music, and Ethiopian imagery in Britain.

2. Rastafari’s Origins and Appeal in the Caribbean Diaspora (04:51–06:41)

• The movement’s roots in Jamaican resistance to colonialism and Marcus Garvey’s prophecy about a black king in Africa.
• Haile Selassie’s coronation in 1930 was a pivotal moment.
• The symbolic role of Ethiopia for Jamaicans in the UK, especially the Windrush generation.
• Quote:
  • Silas’s Dad: "And what made me discover Rasta was seeking the truth." (06:14)

3. Inter-Generational Struggles on Faith and Identity (06:30–08:21)

• Silas’s father faced familial rejection for becoming Rastafarian.
• Black British youth in the 1970s struggled for identity in a hostile environment, turning to Rastafari for pride.
• Silas encounters a challenge to his perspective when an Ethiopian taxi driver connects Haile Selassie to his grandparents’ suffering during the 1973 famine.
• Quote:
  • Taxi driver: “Haile Selassie was the reason my grandparents are dead.” (07:49 paraphrased by Silas)

4. Journey to Shashamani, Ethiopia: Myth vs. Reality (08:21–11:49)

• Shashamani, gifted by Haile Selassie, is more ordinary than imagined—few visible signs of Rastafari on arrival.
• Reunion with Oxford acquaintances and local Rastas.
• Quote:
  • Colin Short: “I felt as though this is what I've always wanted...people were easier, you know, so for me, and the thing what I love as well was they hug you. And I'm a hugger.” (10:52)

5. Community, Belonging, and Modern Challenges (11:49–15:18)

• Shashamani offered sanctuary from British hostility and the criminalization of black men.
• Silas notes his experience growing up Black British was less fraught than his elders’.
• At a community concert, Silas observes urgent calls for youth to “carry on the legacy,” feeling a sense of pressure from elders.
• Quote:
  • Silas: “It made me think of my dad. He would have loved tonight... Looking at the youth in the venue made me wonder. How does the next generation here in Shashamani handle the weight of expectations from their elders?” (13:48)

6. A New Generation’s Take: Conversations with Raphael (17:00–18:41)

• Raphael, an Ethiopian-born son of Rastafarians, mirrors Silas’s experiences and expresses the generational challenge of keeping Rastafarian culture alive.
• Quote:
  • Raphael: “What our generation really need to focus on is how to continue the culture and how to keep it for the next, next coming generation...” (17:49)
  • Raphael: “Especially for us who born in it, you know, it's within our heart. It's hard to break away from it...” (18:20)

7. Defining “Rasta”: Wisdom from Elders (19:15–21:14)

• Ras Rubin, an elder in Shashamani, reassures Silas that his quest is itself a Rasta mission and that the essence of Rastafari is a positive vibration rather than strict dogma.
• Quote:
  • Ras Rubin: “A Raster mission you on, you know, maybe. Yeah, you're on a Raster mission. So I don't think a Raster is a vibration, a positive vibration. So you on the right track?” (19:54)
  • Ras Rubin (on Silas’s name): “Nothing wrong with your name, man. It's a blessing that you are. Go and answer to your name. I feel proud of your name.” (20:54)

8. Contesting Haile Selassie’s Legacy: Ethiopian Perspective (21:42–23:40)

• Dr. Johannes Waldemariam, Ethiopian-born scholar, regards Selassie as a complex, even detrimental, ruler for many Ethiopians.
• Quote:
  • Dr. Johannes: “People like me are not about to romanticize Haile Selassie. He represents everything that was evil for us. He was very much of an imperial ruler...There was nothing really progressive about him...” (22:09)
  • But Dr. Johannes expresses empathy for the needs of the diaspora: “He must have been searching... The environment in Britain... is a very difficult place. The racism is intense. So you want some way of explaining your situation. And Haile Selassie was at the right place at the right time.” (23:03)

9. Reconciling Myth, History, and Personal Journey (23:40–27:13)

• Shashamani is revealed as both ordinary and spiritual—a place of community and history, but also not the utopia imagined.
• Silas returns to the UK to share his experiences with his father, expressing gratitude for cultural inheritance but not sure about faith.
• Quote:
  • Silas: “I tell dad I'm down with the culture, but not down with the faith. For now, at least, I think I'll be happy to sit on the fence for the rest of my life.” (25:44)
  • Silas’s Dad: “A Rasterman will tell you it's not a belief, it's knowing. Big difference between believing and knowing. And again, that's part of life. It's part of growing in life. Certainly, the more you go, more, you know.” (26:26)
• Silas embraces the opportunity to use his name and story to connect with others rather than feeling burdened by it.
• Quote:
  • “He didn’t give me a name to trap me in the past. He gave it to me so I’d have the courage to find my own future.” (27:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Both me and your mother then wanted some sort of name for you that had meaning.” – Silas’s Dad (02:25)
• “Haile Selassie was the reason my grandparents are dead.” – Ethiopian taxi driver (07:49, paraphrased by Silas)
• “What made me discover Rasta was seeking the truth.” – Silas’s Dad (06:14)
• “I felt as though this is what I've always wanted...” – Colin Short (10:52)
• “What our generation really need to focus on is how to continue the culture...” – Raphael (17:49)
• “You on a Raster mission. A Raster is a vibration, a positive vibration. So you on the right track?” – Ras Rubin (19:54)
• “He represents everything that was evil for us... There was nothing really progressive about him.” – Dr. Johannes Waldemariam (22:09)
• “A Rasterman will tell you it's not a belief, it's knowing.” – Silas’s Dad (26:26)
• “He didn’t give me a name to trap me in the past. He gave it to me so I’d have the courage to find my own future.” – Silas Gray (27:13)

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Structure with Timestamps

| Segment | Time | |------------------------------------------|-------------| | Silas’s Family Legacy & Naming | 00:44–04:51 | | Rastafari’s Roots & Origins | 04:51–06:41 | | Parental Struggles/Community Formation | 06:30–08:21 | | Visiting Shashamani—Expectations vs. Reality | 08:21–11:49 | | Belonging & Inter-generational Pressures | 11:49–15:18 | | Concert in Shashamani | 13:14–15:18 | | Raphael’s Perspective: Next Generation | 17:00–18:41 | | Reasoning with Ras Rubin (Elder) | 19:15–21:14 | | Ethiopian Perspective: Dr. Johannes | 21:42–23:40 | | Reflections: Blending Identity & Faith | 25:09–27:13 |

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Concluding Insights

• Generational Shift: While the first wave of Rastafarians embraced the faith to combat exclusion and find pride, the newer generation (like Silas and Raphael) wrestles more with cultural heritage versus religious commitment.
• Complex Legacy: Haile Selassie remains a contested figure—lionized by the diaspora, problematized by Ethiopians, including Dr. Johannes.
• Identity as Ongoing Story: Silas finds at least provisional peace in using his Rastafari legacy as a tool for connection, not dogma: “I may never be in or out... The story connects me to a lot of people, and whether the beliefs are right or wrong kind of doesn't really matter.” (26:09)

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The episode is a poignant, introspective look at how faith, family, and history shape the ways we find meaning, reconciliation, and community across generations and continents.

Transcript

[Silas Gray]

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[Silas Gray]

Nyabingi Drums are the sacred heartbeat of the Rastafari faith. I stood listening to them in Shashamani in Ethiopia, the place I was taught is the homeland, the promised land.

[Colin Short]

I felt at home. I felt these are my people.

[Teddy Dan]

When I came here, I saw so much people that I knew from Jamaica, from England, from America. So this is where I love.

[Silas Gray]

I'm named after Haile Selassie, Rastafari's spiritual figurehead. So I feel like I should be at home in Shashamani too. But as I listened to the drums, I wasn't sure whether I'd come home or if I was trying to live a dream that was never really mine. This is the documentary from the BBC World Service. I'm Silas Gray, and in this episode of Heart and Soul, I travel to Ethiopia for the first time. As I ask, can I find a way to feel comfortable with this legacy I've inherited through my name, a legacy bestowed on me by my dad. Before I set off for Ethiopia. I went to see him. Why did you decide to name me after Haile Selassie?

[Silas's Dad]

I was immensely proud I was gonna have a son. I was immensely proud that my son was going to be born. The year 1992, a centenary of the King.

[Silas Gray]

The King being Haile Selassie, who was born in 1892 in Ethiopia.

[Silas's Dad]

Both me and your mother then wanted some sort of name for you that had meaning. So we chose to go biblical. So we chose the name Silas. Silas being the messenger of Paul and Emmanuel, as God be with you now, when I put them together or you write them on paper, your name will

[Silas Gray]

call Silas E. Silas E. Selassie.

[Silas's Dad]

We celebrated that year. You know what I mean?

[Silas Gray]

We're in my dad's living room in Oxford, a small city in the south of England, the place where I grew up. He's a short raster man with glasses who wears a bandana to cover his deteriorating dreadlocks. There are three brown Leather armchairs and we're both sitting in our usual spots. Obviously, I've wanted to go to Ethiopia for ages, but the reason why I haven't gone in all this time is because I felt guilty.

[Colin Short]

Maybe

[Silas Gray]

the guilt stems from I'm going there to discover some stuff to like, you know, see the place. I'm also going to to challenge.

[Silas's Dad]

Okay, I expected that from you.

[Silas Gray]

Anyway, I'm gonna go and sort of prove it's just another place. Throughout my Childhood in the 90s and noughties, Ethiopia felt like much more than just another place on the map. It's over 5,000 miles away from Oxford, yet Ethiopia was all around me. And it still is. Ornaments and ashtrays colored in Ethiopia's flag colours of red, gold and green crowd the shelves. Portraits of Emperor Haile Selassie watch over the space from the walls. And then there's the soundtrack. Constant booming references to Ethiopia and Haile Selassie in the roots, reggae and dub music my dad has always played on repeat.

[Silas's Dad]

I didn't buy the album, but I had bought some singles.

[Silas Gray]

Oh, your sound system needs to play.

[Silas's Dad]

Yeah.

[Silas Gray]

In fact, when I was growing up, it took me a while to realize I'm not actually Ethiopian myself. As it turns out, I'm Jamaican and so is my dad. His dad, my granddad, moved over to England in the early 1960s as part of the Windrush generation.

[Advertisement Voice]

The Empire Windrush brings to Britain 500 Jamaicans.

[Silas Gray]

Jamaica is where the Rastafari movement began in the 1920s. Black people in Jamaica wanted to be free from a white colonial system and repatriate back to Africa. Around this time, the black political activist Marcus Garvey famously told his followers, look to Africa, where a black king shall be crowned.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

Through the spectacles of Ethiopia.

[Silas Gray]

So when Rastafari Makonnen was crowned Emperor haile Selassie in 1930, the movement found both its name and its spiritual figurehead built on Christianity, the Rastafari movement saw the Emperor as a living black messiah who would lead them out of exile four decades later. In the 1970s, Bob Marley spread the word of Rastafari, which in turn had a strong influence on second generation Jamaicans in the uk. Like my dad, he was searching for freedom from the system too.

[Silas's Dad]

I always thought I was a mixed race guy, but for some reason I was predominantly named as being black and being black. Towards talking back in the 70s, we didn't fit in. I mean, there was nothing for us to go to, nothing for us to hang on to, nothing for us to look up to. As a black person, I would say as a black person, I mean, I want to know the truth.

[Teddy Dan]

And.

[Silas's Dad]

And what made me discover Rasta was seeking the truth.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

Really?

[Silas Gray]

Dad, I've always wanted to ask you, how did your dad feel when you became Rastafarian?

[Silas's Dad]

He would disown me. These are his own exact words. If you put dumb locks on your head, don't call me your father again.

[Raphael]

Wow.

[Silas Gray]

Finding Rasta clearly wasn't an easy ride for my dad. It was an identity he had to fight for. And because it cost him so much, I've always known how desperately he wants me to carry on that legacy. When I was young, Rastafarians were cool. People used to say to me, yo, is that your dad? He's well cool. Reggae was cool. There was a pride in belonging to an alternative culture. But one day, my feelings about Rastafari and everything my dad has taught me was challenged. Maybe around 10 years ago. I was in my mid-20s, living in South London. I jumped in a taxi on the way to work. I noticed the air freshener was an Ethiopian flag. I told the taxi driver proudly, hey, I'm named after Haile Selassie. He looked at me and smiled at my naivety. He said coldly, haile Selassie was the reason my grandparents are dead. It turns out the version of Haile Selassie I grew up with didn't include what happened at the end of his rule in 1973. ITV program this Week broke the news of a famine that had spread across parts of Ethiopia. And criticism grew over how Haile Selassie handled it. Once they had cattle, land and houses, they sold them all to buy food. Now they have only their rags.

[Advertisement Voice]

They're destitute.

[Silas Gray]

That could have been how the taxi driver's grandparents died. For the last decade, carrying Haile Selassie around has felt heavy. And now I need to find a way I can either shake it off or at least sit comfortably with my association to a controversial figure and the movement that follows him. So I'm going to do something that dad has never done and book a flight straight to Ethiopia. 160 miles southwest of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, is a dusty rural city called Shashamani. It's become the spiritual homeland of Rastafari. I think I half expected Shashamani's roads to be be paved in the Rastafarian and Ethiopian colors of red, gold and green. But they're not, of course. And as I wander around, I can't even see any dreadlocks. But there is at least one Rastafarian who I know. Colin Short, Rasterman glasses from Oxford.

[Colin Short]

Yeah.

[Raphael]

Yeah.

[Silas Gray]

Yeah, man.

[Teddy Dan]

Yeah, man. Good together.

[Silas Gray]

Yeah, wicked. Bless up, man. So good to see you. Good to see you here in Ethiopia.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

Yeah, man.

[Silas Gray]

I know Teddy Dan from back in Oxford. He knows my dad, and I grew up playing with his sons. He took the leap and moved out here in 1986. And although he still travels, Shashamani is a place he proudly calls his home. My father's never been here, so I wanted to come and explore. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Teddy gave me the backstory as to how Rastafarians came to encounter the land of Shashamani.

[Colin Short]

Gave a 500 acar land.

[Teddy Dan]

Yeah.

[Colin Short]

And he gave it to the black people of the world outside.

[Silas's Dad]

Okay.

[Colin Short]

And it's the rest of Aryans know that keep the promise of the land and end up coming to the land.

[Silas Gray]

When he arrived in Shashamani in the 1980s, the dream was still in its golden era. At its peak, estimates suggest between 1,000 and 2,500 Rastafarians from all over the world made up the community.

[Colin Short]

I felt as though this is what I've always wanted. When I came home, people were easier, you know, so for me, and the thing what I love as well was they hug you. And I'm a hugger. I love to. I don't meet people. I don't really hug them.

[Silas Gray]

Shashamani became a sanctuary for Teddy and other Rastafari, the antidote to a Britain that felt like it didn't want them.

[Colin Short]

I grew in England, where all black youths, especially male, should be criminalized. Whether we do anything or didn't do nothing, that criminalization threat was always there amongst we.

[Silas Gray]

I grew up in a different time, and whilst my experience in Britain hasn't been perfect, it was vastly different from the overt hostility my dad and Teddy faced. Black British culture was everywhere. On the television, in music, and on the football pitch. Because of that, I've never felt the desperate need to look across the ocean or an entire continent just to find my people. Maybe that's the reason why being Rasta hasn't had the same appeal for me as it did for my dad. Okay, okay, cool. See you in a bit. Teddy sensed I was looking for something more than just a history lesson, and he told me about a concert taking place that evening. I headed downtown to a yard with big concrete walls half covered by one of those corrugated iron roofs. As I entered Nyabingi, drums were blessing the venue while people started to flood in. I saw three generations of Rastafari under one roof. Original pioneers with silver locks and red, gold and green attire standing alongside the local kids in their European football shirts. Today There are about 400 Rastafari living in Shashamani and it felt like they were all there that night.

[Raphael]

Jamaicans that migrated, I can say, or repatriate.

[Silas Gray]

When I introduce myself as Silas, faces lit up. I was welcomed as one of them, a Rasta, so he's named me after Haile Selassie. Someone named Silas is like Selassie. There was an all too familiar smell of marijuana smoke, elders speaking, Jamaican patois and West Indian food selling out the back. I was having a great time. I like this. This is like being here. It feels like the dance I go to in England.

[Teddy Dan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Silas Gray]

It feels like the Yardi dances. But there was something that kept happening throughout the night that really irked me. Between almost every song, someone would grab the mic and give a serious and quite urgent speech. To be honest, it was a bit of a vibe kill. There was chanting and a sense of devotion. A reminder that Rastafari is not just a culture, but for some, it's also a deeply disciplined faith. And then, like a sermon from the stage, came these desperate pleads for the youth to carry on the legacy. And even though they weren't talking to me, I felt that familiar pressure. It made me think of my dad. He would have loved tonight. Looking at the youth in the venue made me wonder. How does the next generation here in Shashamani handle the weight of expectations from their elders? And what does being Rastafari mean to them? As the night went on and the vibe died down, I decided to switch off my recorder and leave. You're listening to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

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[Raphael]

Everybody asks me the first thing, even my English. They say I speak better English than them.

[Silas Gray]

The morning after the concert, I spoke with Raphael. He's about my age, and in many ways he's my Ethiopian mirror image. We're both sons of the movement, shaped by our father's convictions. But unlike me, Rafael has spent his whole life navigating all of this right inside of the promised land. Like I was saying, it was really beautiful yesterday, seeing the community together. Like, I'm not a youth here, but in the moment, I felt like I put myself in the shoes of the Rastafari youth here. And it made me feel this sense of pressure. Like the elders are saying, carry our culture, carry this legacy. I haven't gone through what my dad's gone through, and I wonder if that's why Rasta hasn't caught me in the way it caught him.

[Raphael]

We passed that stage. What our generation really need to focus on is how to continue the culture and how to kept it for the next, next coming generation. When all these elders pass away, all right, what's gonna happen is this culture is gonna continue. Is we gonna take it up serious like them? Because in their time, they were very serious in the culture and everything. And that's why it's still alive and we want to keep it alive. I want to be one of the person. Want to keep it alive.

[Silas Gray]

Yeah. Do you consider yourself Rasta?

[Raphael]

Of course.

[Silas Gray]

Would you consider me Rasta?

[Raphael]

Yes, of course. Especially for us who born in it, you know, it's within our heart. It's hard to break away from it because we were born in it, you know, within time. Yes. You can also represent yourself as a Rasta.

[Silas Gray]

Raphael, a bit like myself, wants to carry the culture of Rastafari. The language, the music, the traditions. He says the fire doesn't burn as bright for him as it did for his dad, but he still very much considers himself to be a Rastafarian. I, on the other hand, am not sure if I'd do enough to be considered one. Nor am I sure if I want to be considered one. I needed to get some clarity on what it takes. Nice. We find a spot and we have a nice reason. Yeah, yeah.

[Teddy Dan]

But please don't make it too long.

[Silas Gray]

Ras Rubin is an elder who's lived in Shashamani for 20 years, although he's been Rastafarian for over 60. He's seen the struggle and the history, and he's met a thousand people like me. I wondered if he saw a Rastafarian sitting in front of him.

[Teddy Dan]

You good?

[Silas Gray]

So we sat down for a reasoning sharing of deep wisdom. I've experienced some. Some struggle in life, but not like my dad has. And I wonder if maybe that's why I haven't really found Rasta. Because

[Teddy Dan]

look what you're there, look what you're doing now. A Raster mission you on, you know, maybe. Yeah, you're on a Raster mission. So I don't think a Raster is a vibration, a positive vibration. So you on the right track?

[Silas Gray]

Ras Rubin told me that just by being here and asking these questions, I was showing myself to be a Raster, a Rasta on a mission. But to me, this mission feels like more of a challenge since I'm still unsure of the man at the top of it. Like I said, I'm named after Haile Selassie.

[Teddy Dan]

Yeah.

[Silas Gray]

And I've always been quite proud of it, of course, until very recently. I've met some Ethiopians who have told me some of the problematic things he may have done. And it's made me sort of battle with this legacy that I have. Calling his name.

[Teddy Dan]

Nothing wrong with your name, man. It's a blessing that you are. Go and answer to your name. I feel proud of your name. Nothing wrong with. Sorry I didn't have his full name. Emperor. I. Sorry I didn't get that name.

[Silas Gray]

That's right. Russ Rubin's take on Haile Selassie is similar to my dad's.

[Silas's Dad]

There's good and bad and everything. People can look to another side of or could have a different point of view than him. I stand by what he said, what he done to me. We need to do the right thing. And it was about truth. It was all about truth. There's corruption everywhere in everything and everyone, and everyone there is good and bad,

[Silas Gray]

but history isn't that simple.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

My name is Johannes Waldemariam. I was born in Eritrea, although I grew up in Addis Aba. But I was very close to Haile Selassie's palace as a child. You know, I used to walk across the palace to go to school.

[Silas Gray]

Dr. Johannes moved to the US to go to university. He then became a college professor and has worked in international relations and political science for the past 25 years.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

People like me are not about to romanticize Haile Selassie. He represents everything that was evil for us. He was very much of an imperial ruler. Divide and rule was his way. I mean, there was serious hierarchy. The famine that existed in Welllo in 1973, which he was very indifferent to until it was exposed by a British journalist. There was a lot of hiding and trying to cover up. So there was nothing really progressive about him. The reputation that he got was very misplaced, in my view.

[Silas Gray]

I told Dr. Johannes about my dad. He was very much ostracized by Britain. Lots of racism. He found a sense of identity and pride when there was a black king during that time.

[Dr. Johannes Waldemariam]

I understand people like your dad. And in fact, what I have is, to some extent, some appreciation, because he must have been searching. He wants to believe in something because he probably felt very alienated in Britain. The environment in Britain, a European country for an African or a Caribbean immigrant, is a very difficult place. The racism is intense. So you want some way of explaining your situation. And Haile Selassie was at the right place at the right time.

[Silas Gray]

Hearing Dr. Yohannes take on Haile Selassie helped me realize something about Shashamani. It's not just a promised land for Rastafarians. It's a small part of a big country with a long and complex history. The streets aren't paved with gold or red or green. Shashamani has a lot of beauty, but also has its shortcomings. Ultimately, it's just another place. Although in saying that, it's a place my dad should probably visit. Should my dad come here?

[Teddy Dan]

Huh?

[Silas Gray]

Should he come?

[Teddy Dan]

He is a black man.

[Silas Gray]

The black Rastafarian man. Yeah.

[Teddy Dan]

Liberty. Exercising liberty. Freedom.

[Silas Gray]

Would you recommend Shashamani to him?

[Colin Short]

Any day, anytime, any hour? I would tell him it's good for me and it would be good for him. Shashamani is how you live with people, is how you actually is within yourself. It's really a spiritual place.

[Silas Gray]

It has been spiritual. Well, it's been a cultural experience. And I can't wait to tell my dad.

[Silas's Dad]

Wait a minute. Let me just Put a kettle on.

[Silas Gray]

I'm back at my dad's house. It's the day before Father's Day when we're due to DJ together. Yeah, I've got all the. Abby, you. After going through some records, we sat down and I shared some stories of my experience with him. I guess I want to say thank you for giving me access to that community. Like all the cultural things that surround Rastafari, I'm really grateful to be part of and to indulge in.

[Silas's Dad]

That's a blessing. Same way.

[Silas Gray]

Yeah. I tell dad I'm down with the culture, but not down with the faith. For now, at least, I think I'll be happy to sit on the fence for the rest of my life. I feel like Rastafari is something that I may end up never being in.

[Colin Short]

Or out.

[Silas Gray]

Or out. Yeah, exactly. I really love gathering this knowledge and sharing it in a way that isn't evangelical. He wasn't here.

[Silas's Dad]

Let him hear.

[Silas Gray]

The story connects me to a lot of people, and whether the beliefs are right or wrong kind of doesn't really matter. It's a story that's shared by many, and because it's shared by many, it connects us to a community.

[Silas's Dad]

A Rasterman will tell you it's not a belief, it's knowing. Big difference between believing and knowing. And again, that's part of life. It's part of growing in life. Certainly, the more you go, more, you

[Silas Gray]

know, I feel there's a generation that didn't grow up with the hostility of Britain at the time. Didn't grow up. You know, there was just a completely different experience. But there's people like me who are my age with parents like you, who I share an experience with, and I'm connected to them and. And I guess, yeah, I'm looking forward to playing records with you and, like, you know, tracing that generational lineage somehow.

[Teddy Dan]

Yeah.

[Silas Gray]

I used to think my name, Silas E. Selassie, was a heavy weight I had to carry, attaching me to a controversial figure I didn't understand. Now I see it as an opportunity to tell stories of my lineage and connect with people with similar backgrounds. The story keeps being told and the frequency keeps playing. My dad and I look at Rastafari through different lenses, but this journey hasn't pushed us apart. It's brought us closer than we've ever been, because I finally see that he didn't give me a name to trap me in the past. He gave it to me so I'd have the courage to find my own future. You've been listening to Rastafariani. A reduced listening production for BBC World Service. This episode was hosted and produced by me, Silas Gray. The executive producer was Peggy Sutton. Bob Marley was singing Open your hearts and look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living? You know Exodus Movement of J People?

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[Silas's Dad]

I.

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