A rastafarian urban garden to confront Covid in South Africa
Type de matériel :
44
The article describes the evolution of a small Rastafarian community developing artistic projects at the Drill Hall, a former army barrack turned heritage site in Johannesburg. It analyses the strategies and belief forms developed once activities funding the community came to a brutal halt at the onset of Covid. In particular, it shows how the urban garden created in the space is both a vegetable garden and a garden of Simples. Its exploitation is based on South African Rastafarianism, the evolution of which has itself been marked by a series of eclectic influences whose underpinnings and contradictions are examined in this article. The Rasta community asserts the need to stay together to fight Covid while taking care of nature and consuming vegetables to preserve their well-being and balance, which indicates their inscription in a form of eco-vigilance. Additionally, they are influenced by social media and globalized rumors portraying Covid as a deliberate conspiracy. Overall, the adaptation of the community to Covid is a local illustration of the way the epidemic has struck South Africa against a backdrop of global issues and tensions.
Réseaux sociaux