RAFIKI
Biography on Rafiki
The name Rakifi is Swahili meaning "friend"[7]. He was first introduced to pride rock after being asked by Mufasa's father Ahadi, to stay and be an advisor for future kings [7]. Rafiki is a baboon in The Lion King who serves as a sort of shaman to the royals of pride rock. He performs shamanistic ceremonies for and on the Lions. Rafiki is a very wise monkey, dropping in throughout the movie to help the characters with their problems but also has a playful, silly side to him. Rafiki tends to speak in third person when speaking of himself which makes him all the more interesting. Continue with Rafiki's bio ----> |
photo source [1]
Rafiki has the power to communicate with the Kings of the Prides past and also has the ability to read omens. He was once called a "creepy little monkey" by Simba [8] but he is always held at high regards by the inhabitants of Pride Rock and the Savannah.
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Video source [2]
Image 1.1: Rafiki lifting Simba at the end of ritual. Photo Source [3]
During the movie, Rafiki is shown meditating upon a rock before he gives his words of wisdom to Simba. Meditation is a form of yoga in which Hindus' believe is a freedom of the flesh. It is used for self control, posture and religious observance, most often during time of prayer.[10] Furthermore, Rafiki teaches Simba that even though Mufasa is dead, he still lives within Simba during the scene at the water hole. This could be looked at as a form of reincarnation which is also a belief of Hinduism. |
Rafiki and Religion
Rafiki is a collage of many different angles of religion. There are many components to his behaviour that can be tied to him but we are going to stick with Christianity and Hinduism.
Let's first start with the Christian aspects to Rafiki. First of all, in the movie, Rafiki performs two baptisms. The first on young Simba (at the beginning) and on Simba's daughter (at the end). At the end of the baptism, he lifts the cubs up towards the sky (see image 1.1) as if he is showing them to the kings of the prides past. This ritual takes place in many christian religions to show that the child will be raised within with that particular church in mind. The ritual that Rafiki performs could show the cubs allegiance to that particular pride. Finally, in religious ceremonies, often the priest, minister or Pope can seen carrying what looks like a stick but is actually called a Holy Crucifix or sceptre and it is a symbol within the church and used in many ceremonies. In many scenes of the movie, Rafiki is shown with an actual stick with an assortment of fruit on the top. This not only is Rafiki's walking stick (and sometimes a beating stick) but he also uses it during rituals throughout the movie. Click HERE for a video example of Rafiki and religion. |