This doco has been doing the rounds for a while now – up on youtube, back down, then back up again – without ever drawing too much attention. We just finished watching for the third or fourth time so thought it was about time we shared it around.
Rasta and The Ball is a documentary that was first broadcast in 1980, cited as exploring the Rastafarian fascination with football. There’s next to no information about it from the usual sources including IMDB, and all the versions I’ve seen cut before the credits so digging in to it iis a bit hard, but in some ways makes it more enjoyable.
Famed for featuring footage of Bob Marley, Burning Spear and Mutabaruka amongst others, the raw soundtrack and candid footage are what it make it standout. With next to no proper storytelling, Rasta and The Ball still throws up a lot more than reggae fan service, totally immersed in the Jamaican neighbourhoods and lifestyles it’s shooting. And though the discussions often centre around the relationship between music and football, the real message here is the Rastafarian discipline and conviction in the way they live. Soccer and music are just two alleys that happen to stand out and hold interest.
The thirty minute program is embedded below in it’s full SD, VHS glory. Definitely worth a watch if you’ve not come across it before. If anyone’s got any additional information on it give us a shout.