These videos, possibly the first ever videotaping of the Rastafari, were filmed August 5th, 1969 in the shanty that housed the Ethiopian World Federation Local 37 in Salt Lane, Kingston, Jamaica. Lambros Comitas, an anthropology professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, taped these events at the request and invitation of Mortimo Planno, a powerful and striking figure. Kumi, as known by his friends, played a pivotal role in the public unfolding of the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica. He also played a critically important part in initiating the politically potent study of that movement. As part of his lifelong dedication to the movement, he participated as a Rastafarian member in the historic Government Mission to Africa, a mission sent to explore the possibilities of repatriation. These films contain Rastafarian rites and an Amharic lesson.
