The Meanings of Colors

The symbol I am choosing to discuss in this post are the colors that Rastafarians use throughout their lives to symbolize different origins of their movement. In the video the houses are painted red, green, and yellow. There is also a flag outside of the houses made of black, green, and yellow. Each color has significance in the culture of Rastafarians. According to Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers, the green, red, and gold are to signify Ethiopia, which is a huge part of the Rastafarian movement because it is the “Promised Land.” The color black signifies the color of most Rastafarian followers’ skin. This is especially significant because the movement was founded as a source of rebellion against the establishment of Jamaican government.

*Go to 0:16 (I could not figure out how to do the still shot)

I chose to talk about the colors seen in Rastafarian communes because it relates the movement to other religions. Christianity uses colors as symbols as I would guess other religions do as well. Colors can indicate a certain season of the year, purity, or evil. These associations to color also seep into our general culture. The color red can be a representation of the blood of martyrs in both Rastafari and Catholicism.

The meanings of the colors for Rastafarians seem to be an easy association because this is how other religions or movements would use the colors. The painting of the houses is an odd use of the colors, but the colors are used in so many different ways that it is not a striking utilization.