Jamaica's traditional healers | DW Documentary

Reggae, marijuana and dreadlocks. When it comes to Jamaica's Rastafari movement, that’s the cliché,. But in fact, the Jamaican Rasta live a nature-loving and mindful life. Many have profound knowledge of plants and their healing properties.

Rastafari originated almost 100 years ago in Jamaica as a Black liberation movement. Today, the nature-loving life of the Rastas makes the group attractive once again for a young, global generation.

In eastern Jamaica, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, Gracie and her friends dream of a better life. Gracie is a Rasta woman who lives with her 10-year-old daughter Anna in a small village of 400 people. And Gracie loves to rap. Gracie‘s older daughter lives with her mother-in-law in Kingston, as Gracie does not have enough money to support both children - something that is often the case in Jamaica. Gracie dreams of opening a vegetable store that meets Rastafarian sustainability standards in her small village. She works as a trader and drives a truck to the market in Kingston every week - packed with bananas, coconuts and whatever’s in season. She buys her goods from farmers on credit. Her profits cover only the bare necessities. But Gracie lives by her grandmother's motto: "Help yourself and help will come."

Gracie's friends Quaco and Robert also call themselves "grandma's sons." Even as children, they searched for medicinal plants in the rainforest's pharmacy with their grandmothers. Rasta Quaco is one of the best healers, Robert says. When he's not traveling with Quaco, Robert drives a shared cab and also helps Gracie, who’s looking for cheap building materials.
Gracie's big dream includes adding her small store onto her house. She hopes to use the proceeds to bring her older daughter Selassia home.

Quaco and Robert chase their dream in the deepest thicket of the rainforest. They are determined to find a special root. "Four Man Strength", with its four heart-shaped veins, is known for strengthening the immune system and is used as an aphrodisiac. The root is highly valued around the world. Quaco needs it to prepare his special ‘elixir of life.‘

The documentary gives deeper insight into the life-affirming and nature-loving lifestyle of a community whose reggae music made it famous around the world.

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