Giulia Bonacci is in Paris for a few days and we jump at the chance to meet her. She is currently working in Belize on the influence of black nationalism (correct me if I’m wrong) and is planning to fly back very soon. We meet in Belleville and spend hours in a cafe talking about Rastafari, our project and her book.
Based on her intensive research in Shashemene, her doctor thesis describes the history of the Rastafari community that arrived in Ethiopia and their relationship with their new home. The dedication and knowledge of Giulia is astounding: she has created a map based on interviews with elders to trace the forgotten boundaries of Haile Selassie’s gift to the Black community.
We are very happy to discover that the main protagonists of our video have been interviewed and figure in her book as personal accounts (another good reason to read it)
She also has some interesting clues for us. The Italian Rastafari community is a particularly interesting community and not only because of its liveliness. Italy in Rastafari optic has very bad connotations. Rome is Babylon and Italy with its history of colonialism in Ethiopia might be one of the nations with the worst vibes ever. The Italian Rasta community has therefore a very symbolic meaning.
Last but not least, Giulia can speak English as if she just left a Jamaican yard and has studied Amharic. We love it. We can only hope that our ways cross again, and that we make projects meet.
And we will edit her interview shortly, we hope.
Tags: Rasta
