Joanne Benta lIterature work on Brother Man by Roger Mais.

Roger Mais

Roger Mais was born on 11th August 1905 in Kingston Jamaica, into a 'brown,' respectable, middle range landowning, middle class family and came to maturity in the 1930's. Mais, had not only the artistic gift, but made the decision to develop that gift into a life of letters was, at the time he began writing still unusual for a west indian, let alone a brown middle class man. It involved him in learning about the black underclass with the kind of innocent but informed creative attention that made it possible to report back accurately in the three novels that were published towards the sudden end of his short life.(he died of cancer at age 49).
　
What does the critic says about Brother Man book?

Brother Man- (1954) is a novel by Roger Mais about a messianic folk Rastafarian healer, "Bar Man" (in dialect). John Power. The plot follows the superstructure of Christ's story, with other characters resembling Mary Magdelene etc. The book is extremely significant as it is the first serious representation of rastafarianism in literature, and Roger Mais foresaw the defining power of the Rasta movement of Jamaican society 20 years before the era of Bob Marley and Reggae Mainstream.
It is also significant as an exploration of life in the Jamaican Ghetto, and how the people relate to their leaders, making them deities and throwing them away when they fail to entertain them.
The Religious aspect in regards to Rastafarians:

Rastafari is also spelled Ras Tafari. Religious and political movement began in Jamaica in the 1930's and was adopted by many groups around the globe, that combines Protestant, Christianity, Mysticism and a pan- African political conciousness.
Rastafarianism is not highly organized religion, it is a movement and an ideology. Many Rastafarians say that it is not a religion at all, but a "way of life" Most Rastafarians do not claim any sect or denomination, and thus encourage one another to find faith and inspiration within themselves. Rastafarian religion is about love, God and living life as natural as possible. Rastas have a huge belief in God.:



by: Joanne Benta