Kenya: Rastafarians hope to soon be able to legally smoke cannabis

In the heart of a Nairobi slum, in a room covered with portraits of the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie and Pan-African heroes, Rastafarians hope to soon see lifted what they consider an "oppression" against their beliefs: the ban on smoking cannabis.

On July 15, the Kenyan justice system will decide whether, as demanded by the Rastafarians, the consumption of "ganja" should be allowed to them in the name of freedom of religion enshrined in the Constitution.

Rastafarianism, a political and spiritual movement, was born in Jamaica in the 1930s, at the time of the coronation of Haile Selassie (emperor from 1930 to 1936, then from 1941 to 1974), whom it considers the messiah come to save the black people.

Now widespread throughout the world, its followers describe themselves as mystics, pan-Africanists, anti-colonialists and vegetarians.

They typically wear dreadlocks and advocate practicing meditation through marijuana use.

In 2019, by ruling that the expulsion of a student from her school because of her dreadlocks violated freedom of religion, the Kenyan justice system de facto recognized Rastafarianism as a religion.

Despite this legal victory, Kenyan Rastafarians say they are still stigmatized, whether for their dreadlocks or their cannabis use.

"Rastaman, stop!"

People "look at your hair, call you 'rastaman' (...), say you smoke ganja and associate you with many bad things," explains Moses Mudachi Isavwa, 50, who, like his fellow believers, has chosen a new name.

He renamed himself Ras Masinde — "Ras" means king in Amharic, the language of the Ethiopian empire, and "Masinde" is the first name of a Kenyan anti-colonial and then pro-democracy activist — and says he is proud to wear dreadlocks, like the Mau Mau insurgents before him, who were brutally suppressed in the 1950s by the British colonial system in Kenya.

He also wants to be a "freedom fighter", saying he is fighting for the "persecuted who are now rotting in jail (...) simply because they were caught with maybe a joint of ganja".

"Smoking weed (...) is part of our culture. We must therefore defend it," explains Mwendwa Wambua, alias Ras Prophet, 55, spokesperson for the Rastafari Society of Kenya (RSK), who launched the present legal action and also happens to be the father of the plaintiff who won in 2019.

The police "come to your house and search it. They don't even want you to have two joints to smoke" and "can take you to prison," says the man who calls himself a "prophet" and whose long dreadlocks are wrapped in a beanie.

Optimism regarding the court decision

"Every time I walk down the street," a policeman tells me "hey, Rastaman, stop," and "open my bag to check" that it does not contain cannabis, adds Ras Masinde.

Under Kenyan law, possession of cannabis for personal use is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a heavy fine.

While the number of Rastafarians in Kenya is difficult to estimate, Ras Prophet asserts that the movement is attracting more and more people, especially young people.

About ten days before the Kenyan court's decision, the "prophet" and a handful of Rastas gathered to pray, sing and smoke on the occasion of the "sabbath" (Saturday), a day of worship and rest.

Their modest meeting place in Kibera, Kenya's largest slum in central Nairobi, also houses the Haile Selassie Foundation, created by Rastafarians to steer young people away from crime by training them in weaving, jewelry making, percussion instruments, and teaching them their way of life.

The Rastafarians say they are optimistic about the outcome of their legal action, which has been ongoing since 2021. A positive decision could change their lives, allowing them to no longer have to hide from law enforcement.