1982 — Poet Mutabaruka — Image by © Deborah Feingold/Corbis
Allan ‘Mutabaruka’ Hope
He is a Jamaican Rastafari dub poet, musician, actor, educator, and talk-show host.
Mutabaruka is also a recipient of the Order of Distinction, Commander Class (one of the highest distinctions in Jamaica), in recognition of his cultural contributions.
The poet has been going barefoot for over three decades.
Quoted by Tallawah Magazine in 2011, the barefoot poet said “There was a time when I used to live outside of Kingston. It was a whole heap of us, man and woman, and we decided that we were gonna shed certain things. So we started to shed things, and one of those things was shoes,” Muta told the rapt studio audience.
“We felt that the locks and the no-shoes had a certain connection. And we maintain that tradition because it keeps you grounded, not just to the earth, but it reminds you of who you are, and where you come from. So we just maintain that.”
