Among the airs of international Black revolution, in self-sufficient gated communities across the rolling landscape of Jamaica, those of the Rastafari tradition galvanized reggae as a doctrine which speaks of a physical, political, and spiritual liberation and return back to Africa.

 

 

While the music and the mystique quickly globalized, back in Jamaica, a new form of gated community emerged around the genre, captivating the local masses in the urban landscape of Kingston: the sound system.

 

 

Born out of Black resistance, it is behind the gates of Rastafari and sound system compounds that the Black historical imagination and cultural ingenuity came together to demonstrate the power of Black musical traditions in driving personal and communal change.

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The Gate  is a publication and resource dedicated to the documentation and research of Black music across Africa and the diaspora.