Der Erste Rasta

Far removed from the usual clichés, journalist Hélène Lee tells the story of an adventure and a musical as well as emotional revolution. She traces the footsteps of a charismatic visionary back to the roots of the Rastafari community in the early 20th century: Leonard Percival Howell, also known as "Gong," gathered the first Rastas around him. Lee vividly depicts their lives in Jamaica as well as the further development of Rasta culture—from Harlem in the 1920s to the ghetto of Trench Town on the outskirts of Kingston in the 1950s. A young singer from the background was also drawn to the bubbling atmosphere: Bob Marley. In homage to the great leader Percival Howell, he called himself "Tuff Gong." Howell and Marley both passed away in the same year... 1981.