IncollaborationwithProfessorEllisCashmoreStaffordshireUniversity

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King, God or Redeemer?

ThinkaboutRastafariandyoullimmediatelyconjureimagesofthecharismaticreggaemasterBobMarleyandhisheadfulofswirlingdreadlocks.MarleyiscertainlyaRastafariicon,butthereisanothermanattheheartoftheJamaicanmovement.HeisRasTafari:thatwasthebirthnameofEthiopia's225thandlastemperor,whowasbornon23July1892,andtooktheregalnameHaileSelassieIwhenhewascrowned.ForRastas,heisGod(orJah)incarnatetheredeemingmessiah.

Nearly8,000milesseparateAddisAbaba,thecapitalofEthiopia,andKingston,Jamaica,butalinkbetweenthemwasforgedbyanumberofpoorblackJamaicanswhobelievedRasTafariscoronationwasthefulfillmentofaprophecyandthathewastheirredeemer,themessiahwrittenofintheBiblesBookofRevelation:KingofKings,Lordoflords.Theybelievedhewouldarrangeforadeliverance,which,astheysawit,involvedamiraculoustransformation.TheywouldbespiritedawayfromtheirlivesofpovertyintheCaribbeanandrelocatedinAfrica,thelandoftheirancestorsandtheirspiritualepicentre.

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From Ras Tafari to Haile Selassie

EmperorSelassieuncoversastatueinhishonourathiscoronationinAddisAbaba.Thisvideohasnosound.

TafariwasasonofachiefadvisertoEmperorMenelikIIl,oneofEthiopia'sgreatestrulers.Sincechildhood,hisintelligenceimpressedtheEmperor,whofacilitatedhispoliticalcareer.Whenin1930MenelikII'sdaughterEmpressZauditudied,Tafariwascrownedemperor.

HaileSelassie'scoronationwasalavisheventattendedbyroyalsandrepresentativesfromallovertheworld.TheNewYorkTimesreportedontheexpensivegiftsreceivedbytheattendeesandspeculatedthatthecelebrationsmayhavecostmorethan$3,000,000.TimeMagazinededicateditsiconiccovertotheEmperor:itwasaworldsensation.

Soonafterhiscoronation,HaileSelassiegaveEthiopiaitsfirstwrittenconstitution,whichgreatlyrestrictedthepowersofParliament.Effectively,hewastheEthiopiangovernment.Successiontothethronewasrestrictedtohisdescendantsand,theconstitutionstated,"thepersonoftheEmperorissacred,hisdignityinviolable,andhispowerindisputable."

ButinJamaica,HaileSelassiewasbecomingmorethanthenameofapowerfulemperor.

Marcus Garvey and the vision of Africa

MarcusGarveyin1924

LooktoAfricawhenablackkingshallbecrowned,forthedayofdeliveranceisnear.Thiswastheprophecythatstarteditall.

TheprophecywasMarcusGarveys.GarveywasaJamaicanactivistwhocampaignedforpoliticalandsocialchangeonanislandthathadbeenanimportantcentreforslavery.Aftertheslavetradewasabolishedin1833andAbrahamLincoln'sEmancipationProclamationfreed"allpersonsheldasslaves",lifedidnotimprovedramaticallyforexslaves,theirchildrenandsuccessivegenerationsofblackpeople.

It'sunclearwhethertheblackkingMarcusGarveyhadreferredtowasanactualpersonmorelikely,hemeantitasasymbolicfigure.But,whennewsofHaileSelassie'scoronationin1930reachedJamaica,manyofGarveysfollowersmadewhatseemedtothemalogicallink.RasTafariwastheking,andsothedayofdeliverancewasimminent.ThatmeanttheyshouldpreparethemselvesforanexodustoAfrica.

AlthoughMarcusGarveywasneveractuallyaRastafarian,heisconsideredtobeoneofthereligion'sprophets,ashisidealsheavilyshapedtheRastafarianphilosophy.

OnlyafewyearsafterHaileSelassie'scoronation,Ethiopiabecameinvolvedinaterriblewar.

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War in Ethiopia

Haile Selassie: Who was the Rastafarian messiah?

Topimage:AnAbyssiniansoldieroperatesanantiaircraftgunduringtheItalianinvasionin1936.Bottomimage:EmperorSelassiearrivesinJamaicain1966.

In1935,BenitoMussolini'stroopsinvadedEthiopiaand,in1936,HaileSelassiefledinexilewithhisfamily.Thatyear,hedeliveredafamousspeechtotheLeagueofNationsinGeneva,appealingforhelptofighttheinvaders.

AlthoughduringthattimehetriedtoraiseawarenessfortheEthiopiancauseinEurope,Selassiespentfiveyearsawayfromhiscountry.HestayedmainlyatBath'sFairfieldHouse,buthealsobrieflystayedinLondonatimethatiscommemoratedbyabustinthecity'sCannizaroParkandinMalvern,inWorcestershire.MarcusGarveyheavilycriticisedhimforleavinghisowncountrymenatthemercyofItaly.HaileSelassiereinstitutedhispowersasemperorin1941,withsupportfromBritain.

VisittoJamaicaOnApril21,1966,HaileSelassievisitedJamaica.Thiswas36yearsafterhiscoronationandtheenthusiasmofRastaswasundimmed.TherewasnowanewgenerationofRastas,manyofwhomstillharbouredthevisionofanAfricanexodus.

HaileSelassiewasoverwhelmedbytherapturousreception.

Hedidnothingtodispelthoughtsofhisdivinestatus.Bythistime,GarveyhaddiedandhiscriticismofHaileSelassieforgotteninJamaica.Butaroundtheworld,thejurywasnotunanimous.Althoughhewantedtoprojecttheimageofaprogressiveemperor,hefacedaccusationsofbeingagreedydictator.

Amongtherapturouscrowdswhoturnedouttohonourtheirredeemerwasthewifeofa21yearoldJamaicanmusician.HehadjustformedabandcalledtheWailersandhisnamewasRobertNestaMarley.

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Witness:HaileSelassie'svisittoJamaica

The Rastaman cometh

BobMarleyonstageatBrightonLeisureCentre,1980

BobMarleywasarguablythemostinfluentialRastainhistory.Heneverclaimedtobeaprophet,thoughhissongshadapropheticcharacterandhewasneveraleader,thoughhismanyfollowerstreatedhimasone.

MarleyandhisbandtheWailers,in1973,releasedtheiralbumCatchaFire.TwoyearslaterthealbumNattyDreadsoldwellinternationally.BothrecordswereloadedwithRastasymbolsandmotifs,promptingmusicfanstoaskquestionsabouttheirmeanings.BythetimeofthereleaseofRastamanVibrationin1976,therewereRastasinpracticallyeveryBritishcityandinmanypartsofNorthAmerica.

Youngblackpeoplehadfashionedtheirhairintothelongcoileddreadlocks,aswornbyMarley,werecarryingwhatwerecalledprayersticks(i.e.walkingcanes)andwearingclothesinthecoloursoftheEthiopianflag,green,yellowandred,usuallywiththeadditionofblack.Whiletheirparentswere,inthemain,Christians,youngblacksinplaceslikeLondon,BirminghamandManchester,weredrawntoadifferenttheology,whichincorporatedapoliticalcritique.

AllaroundthemtheysawevidenceofBabylon,personifiedinthepolice,butwereguidedbyanimageofdeliveranceintheformofAfrica.

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I and I

ARastafarianstandsnexttoabannerofHaileSelassieinKingston,Jamaica.

Famineandrevolution

Backathome,thingstookaturnfortheworseforEmperorSelassie.In1973,aterriblefaminekilledapproximately200,000Ethiopians,mostlyinWolloprovince.

Onlyayearlater,theDerg,agroupofarmyofficerswithaMarxistagenda,overthrewHaileSelassieinamilitarycoup.Sickandimprisoned,hediedin1975.

'LiesofBabylon'HaileSelassie'sdeathwasdescribedbyhisfollowersashis'disappearance',sincetheyrefusedtobelievehehadpassedaway.Andwhenthesubjectcameup,thephrase'liesofBabylon'wasfrequentlyusedintheRastacommunity.

ManyRastasbelievedthewhitedominatedstructuretheycalledBabylonhadpropagatedafalsehoodinanattempttounderminethethenfastgrowingRastafarianmovement.OthersdiscountedthenewsbypointingoutthatJah(theRastanameforGod)hadtemporarilyoccupiedtheearthlybodyofHaileSelassie.ThepassingofHaileSelassiesbodywasmerelyasignthatJahwasnotjustahumanbeingbutalsoaspirit.

AthirdinterpretationandtheonemostRastasadhereto,concernstheconceptIandI:thisreferstotheessentialunityofallhumanitywemayinhabitdifferenthumanbodies,butweareallspirituallyunited.HaileSelassiemayhavegone,buttoseehimasasingledeitymisunderstandsthemeaningofRastafari:hisspiritliesinallofusandcantbeextinguished.Frombirth,weareallephemeralbodies,butoursoulsliveon.

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BBCNews:OverthrowofHaileSelassie

How does Haile Selassie live inmusic?ManymusicianswrotesongsinspiredbySelassie.BobMarley'ssongWar,isalmostverbatimfromhisspeechbeforetheUnitedNationsin1963.

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King,GodorRedeemer?1

FromRasTafaritoHaileSelassie2

MarcusGarveyandthevisionofAfrica3

WarinEthiopia4

TheRastamancometh5

IandI6

HowdoesHaileSelassieliveinmusic?7

Wherenext?8