The headquarters of the Rastafarian faith in the UK is being brought back to life with an exhibition its organiser hopes will help to dispel myths about the religion, which continues to be a big influence in popular culture from music and food to fashion. will tell the story of the temple at St Agnes Place in south London, which was founded in 1972 after Rastafarians took control of the building. It became the focal point for a religion that was imported from Jamaica after it emerged in the 1930s.
By the late 20th century, the faith had become a worldwide phenomenon, , who stayed at St Agnes Place in the 70s. Dr Aleema Gray, whose arts organisation is hosting the pop-up exhibition at Brixton House, hopes the event – which features a film about the building – will add nuance to a story that often begins and ends with Marley. Dr Gray said: “It was about being self-sustainable: there was the mechanic, there was the plumber, people were putting in their two shillings.
But then there’s the organisational elements of it: St Agnes Place became the HQ of the Ethiopian World Federation, so there’s this black futuristic idea of looking towards Africa.” Located on a street in Kennington, south London, the HQ consisted of several homes that had been turned into one expansive dwelling. The religion started a moral panic after the Shades of Grey report on police-West Indian relations, released in the mid-70s, described the Birmingham-based Rasta community as “a criminalised s.
