Documentary · New Zealand · 1996 · 44m

Dread

Director

Merata Mita

Cast

Te Hoko Whitu as Self Derek Fox as Reporter Io as Self King Glory as Self Tigi Ness as Self Mahuta Tuhura as Self

Crew

Richard Rautjoki — Editor Merata Mita — Writer Richard Rautjoki — Producer

Tagline

"I aroha to them. It was not their fault that they had strayed because of the conditioning. Colonisation."

Synopsis

An East Coast community in Ruatōria, New Zealand attempts to live in autarchy according to the tenets of their movement. Bob Marley, a prophet of our electronic age, is the soundtrack to the everyday lives of these Māori who feel closer to their own roots by observing a blend of Afro-Carribean Rastafarianism and the Ringatū faith. Merata Mita's camera respectfully portrays this singular cultural dialogue. The outsider cultures of Jamaicans, Ethiopians and Māori have come together, vibrating to a common cosmic chord. They find an underground brotherhood, across continents and seas.

Mood & Themes