I am really grateful for capturing this research not only in written but also in film. After a month or so of having published Sankofa: Voices of Rastafari from Ethiopia and disseminated it to the participants, on the night of 27 April 2020 I have found out the transition of Mama Ijahnya Christian. One of the main participants in my research during the fieldwork and after I left via social media. She was also my inspiration to commit to do a research on the matriarchy of Rastafari movement which I have witnessed in the making of it during my field research. It is a very fascinating and fulfilling work. I have discussed it with her and she was so happy and encouraged me and she even gave me materials to read and documentaries to watch.
I was happy she has witnessed the fruit of this work. And therefore I decided to celebrate her by bringing out her gracious voice forward and remind people what kind of person she was. On 28th of April I shared this eulogy for her on my facebook and compiled a 4:23 minutes video from my research collection. It has got a great response and got many views and still is. People shared it on social media; Rastafari radio station shared the voice; Newspapers who wrote about her story also featured it.
This post is part of a series. It was first published on the Innovative Research Methods website (May 2020). Other posts:
- Projecting Rastafari Voices through film
- The Rastafari in Ethiopia: Challenges and Paradoxes of Belonging
- Documentary: Sankofa, voices of the Rastafari from Ethiopia
