Stuart Samuels, director | photo: Len D. Henry
Most of my previous documentaries deal with the relationship of popular culture and history. Music is a universal language, but the stories are local as well as global. This film is part of my documentary approach, taking global pop culture and through comparison and contrast and illuminate how different cultures and society deal with similar pop cultural phenomena.
Rasta and Bob Marley have a deep and continuing connection to Canadian and global culture. His music influence is truly local and global–worldwide.
RasTa presents a point of view documentary approach. By treating this movement and this journey in a global perspective, the film will be able to highlight what is unique about the way the story of Rasta and the influence of Marley play a role in Canadian and world culture.
The history of Rastafari and the influence of Marley in Canada stand in stark contrast to the way the movement and lifestyle have developed throughout the world.
Canada’s multi-cultural landscape, especially in Toronto, treats Rastafarians in a way that is significantly different from the “ghetto” like experiences in places like South Africa; the contentious issues surrounding the story of Rastafarians in Jamaica; the way it has developed and spread in the UK.
Showing the connection between Rasta and Hindu culture and Judaism, is part of the story of how Rasta has been accepted and flourishes in places like Toronto where connections between different ethnic groups and religions are part of the multi-cultural landscape.
Stuart Samuels
Director/Producer
