Journey to Jah
Details
Title: Journey to Jah
Director: Noël Dernesch and Moritz Springer
Year: 2013
Country: Germany, Switzerland, Jamaica and Italy
Runtime: 90′
Language: English, Jamaican English and German
Subtitles: English
Trailer
Synopsis
In the documentary Journey to Jah directors Noël Dernesch and Moritz Springer follow two famous reggae stars for seven years: the German Gentleman and Italian Alborosie. The two artists move to Jamaica to escape the Western world and search for the meaning of life, the roots of Rastafari and the heart of reggae music. Once in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, they are confronted with the joyful, but often harsh reality of everyday life on the island.
Journey to Jah paints a varied picture of the importance and spiritual meaning of reggae on the Caribbean island, where music is used to fight violence, sexism and poverty. As Alborosie says, “God lives here, but Satan too.” Footage focusing on their lives as musicians is interspersed with interviews and stylized montages of scenes from everyday life. The result is a kaleidoscopic impression of a world where music is used as a means against crime and poverty, but above all, for solidarity.
YardVibes
This film is part of YardVibes, a streaming platform for content from independent African and Caribbean makers. The platform offers many titles for rent, from feature films and web series to documentaries and short films, with new content added each month. All titles can be rented individually for a modest fee, which will largely benefit the makers. You can find the complete YardVibes film streaming catalogue at bit.ly/yardvibes.
