author
Robert Athlyi Rogers
1891–1931
A bold religious writer and preacher from Anguilla, he is best known for writing The Holy Piby, a work that later became an important influence on Rastafarian thought. His life was brief, but his ideas traveled widely through the Caribbean and beyond.
1 Audiobook
The Holy Piby
by Robert Athlyi Rogers
About the author
Born in Anguilla on May 6, 1891, Robert Athlyi Rogers became a writer, pastor, and religious founder whose work centered on Black dignity, spiritual independence, and Ethiopian identity. He is best known as the author of The Holy Piby and as the founder of the Afro-Athlican Constructive Church.
Rogers published The Holy Piby in the 1920s for use within the movement he created. The book is often described as a major precursor to Rastafarian theology, even though it was written before Rastafari took shape as a distinct faith. His writing linked religion with racial pride and self-determination, which helped give it a lasting place in Caribbean intellectual and spiritual history.
He died on August 24, 1931. Though not as widely known as some later figures, Rogers remains an important early voice in Black religious and cultural thought, especially in discussions of Pan-Africanism, Garveyism, and the roots of Rastafari.