The King or the Messiah
Thousands are come from everywhere around Jamaica and gathered at Palisadoes airport (currently the Norman Manley International Airport) in Kingston, Jamaica. They are singing, beating drums, chanting and screaming heavily as it has never seen before. The heavy rain is pouring over their head but they all don’t seem to be bothered by it. The majority of the people are the followers of the Rastafarians faith with dread lock hairs and heavy ganja smokers. They all anxiously were waiting to see their savior the lion of Judah, the beloved king of Ethiopia, HIM (His Imperial Majesty) Emperor Haile Selassie I.
Minutes before the king’s arrival the rain stopped completely and the sun rise followed its turn to shine
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the airport or maybe his Majesty. Right away the plane came in to the crowds view and gave the glimpse of what they waiting for. The military parades were in the standby mode to perform the show for their visitor of the emperor. After the plane landed the captain opened his window and waived the Ethiopian flag to let the people know that the king indeed is here. The plane door opened to let the king out. He came out waving his hand to the people. However, the people couldn’t wait to witness the historic moment of the kings arrival so they merged past the securities and surrounded the king’s plane in hopes of to shake his hand to receive his blessing. The guards quickly took the king back in to his plane. Selassie were overwhelmed for what he seeing and decided to come out and face them anyway. The government security couldn’t handle the chaos so the proper ceremony had to cancel because of it. The visit came at critical time for the Rastas who was routinely harassed by police and avoided by most Jamaicans society prior to the Kings arrival. They believe his Majesty’s presence will prove their point about Rastafarianism to the rest of non-believers and the government, so they can stop attacking them because of their belief. Selassie then greeted by the Generals and the officials of the country government body and taken to the palace. Later on the night, he attended the state dinner and gave the Rastafarians leaders gold coins. (There is a “youtube” video of showing the day of the event.) For the Rastafarians, Emperor Haile Selassie is their messiah, the promised living god who is in the Island to save them from slavery and probably take them home to their rightfully place to live in the mother land of Africa. In April 21, 1966 his majesty went to Jamaica for three days of planed visit of the Island. Prior to that there was a drought in Jamaica. Rastafarian believes the king brought the miracle with him when it rained that day. It assured them that he is their messiah not a person and their place to live are in Ethiopia. Haile Selassie I is the 225th and the last known King of Ethiopia.
Selassie was born on July 23, 1982 from his father Ras Mekonen, a chief advisor to one of the greatest rulers of Ethiopia Empperor Menelik III. Selassie former name was Ras Tafari Mekonen until he became the Emperor In 1930. When black poor Jamaican heard that there is a new king in east Africa, Ethiopia, named Ras Tafari, they knew he was the King that Marcus Garvey had predicted. Quickly their religion name became Rastafarian and started believing the king as their savior god. The word Rastafari is came from the king’s name. In Ethiopian language of Amaharic Ras means head or a leader and Tafari is the name of the king Hile Selassie’s before he became Empror. Rastafarians use’s as the name of their …show more content…
religion. The story the Rastafarian faith came out of different biblical verse and dated way back in three thousand centuries.
Black Jamaican believes they are stolen as slave by Europeans and Arab slave traders from West Africa as far as Mt. Kenya in Africa. They are taken to the Caribbean more than five hundred years ago and forgotten by their ancestors there. They also believe that they have the roots of Solomon and queen Sheba which connects them to the Ethiopian King as well as Ethiopians. Selassie does have the roots of queen Sheba’s family train.
The Jamaican activist Marcus Garvey who campaigned for political and social change in Jamaica was told his followers “Look to Africa for the crowning of a black king, he shall be the redeemer.” This is the prophecy started the Rastafarians religion. However, Garvey was not Rastafarian. His philosophy of black Jamaicans rightful place to be in Africa after the slavery was abolished in 1833 has to do with the historic celebration of the Selassies’s arrival. Garvey died before the Rastafarian religion was born. Three years after Marcus Garvey spoke the prophecy, in 1930 Haile Selassie I became the Emperor of
Ethiopia. There is still debates and uncertainty until this day among others who disagree with the Rastafarian. Ethiopians doesn’t believe their king is the god. “Why would the Rastafarians consider Haile Selassie as God?” And, secondly, why would they think Ethiopia, which is a very poor nation as their heaven, why would they take it as and consider it as the Promised Land? That has been the question of decades of doubt about Rastafarians. Rasta’s are not talking about what the Ethiopian people and the rest the world know about the king. They don’t have this kind of historical view of this person. They have this symbolic understanding about the living God, the fulfillment of the prophecy. However, the view of the non-Rastafarians about the king and the country of Ethiopia make Rastafarians religion questionable. His Imperial Majesty himself also denied being as god over the radio interview. CBC Reporter Bill McNeil interviewed his majesty in Canada on 1967 as follow, “There are millions of Christians throughout the world, your Imperial Majesty, who regard you as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.” Selassie’s response was, “I have heard of that. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a mortal, and that I will be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity.” That should give the clear answer to Rastafarians but they still refuse to believe. Indeed Selassie were well known to the world for his involvement of with the western powered countries for economic, trade and diplomatic tie. His Majesty is the key figure in turning his country Ethiopia in to the modern civilization. He was also an African leader dedicated himself to Pan-African movement and also one of the founders of Organization of African Unity (OAU), which established on May 25 1963. The outcome led to the now African union (AU) headquarters to be opened in the capital city of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa until this day. He spoke in the United Nation about the colonization attempt of Italy and has asked for help which he received. The king was respected by many countries and he made many trips around the world for visit. The Jamaica visit was among one of them. Much respected great leader who accomplished a lot towards transforming his country and the continent.
Marcus Garvey had a huge influence on the African Diaspora and where it connected with the black men and women. Ethiopia, in Garvey’s perspective, was seen as the home of all African’s in exile in the African Diaspora. (McMurray 48) See now what Garvey was influencing, yet not the initiator of, was on how the African Diaspora connected with the idea or dream of returning home to Africa. With that movement already going on and established, he was able to feed off other ideas and goals and incorporate them into his own. Garvey began to wonder who was the voice for the African’s and why the black men and women didn’t have the opportunities that other people, not African, did.
In this research paper I will discuss the ethnic groups of Africans in the Caribbean and Jews in Ethiopia. Jews in Ethiopia call themselves Beta Israel which means `house of Israel.' They are also known as the Falashas. Falasha means `stranger' or `immigrant' in the classical language of Ethiopia (the Ge'ez tongue). I will also describe the culture of the African people displaced into the Caribbean who identify themselves as the Rastafarians and the connections I have made between them and Judaism. I believe that these connections between Judaism and Rastafarianism are more than just similarities that can be found between any two Bible- following religions. I choose the Falashas as the topic for personal, religious and spiritual reasons. I was born into a Jewish household, rich in the traditions and customs of my Hebrew ancestors. I grew up however in the Caribbean, home of the unique culture known as the Rastafari. Throughout my life I have felt a deep connection between Judaism and Rastafarianism. In this paper I seek the origins and history of the connection that I feel in my heart. I believe that the Falashas are the bridge between these two cultures.
Rasta’s believe that they are Israelites and that the white persons have been persecuting them as a form of punishment. They believe in the days of slavery they were removed from Ethiopia and brought to Jamaica, but they believe that one day they will be returned to Ethiopia. They believe that they are the true Israelites, the fact that they adhere to the laws in the Old Testament. No sharp materials is to be used to damage man as was said in Leviticus 21:5 “They shall not make baldness upon their heads, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cutting in their flesh.” They still adhere to the ancient laws of Ethiopia and they also condemn hate, jealousy, envy, deceit, craftiness and treachery.
"The Rastafarians emerge as a loosely organized inspirational group (or groups?) of men and women concerned at the plight of black people, especially the plight of those whose ancestors were forcibly removed from Africa to become the slaves of the white man on his plantations in the islands of the Caribbean"(Cashmore, 1). The English takeover of Jamaica in 1660 started the terrible beginning of the African Diaspora. Millions of Africans were stolen off of their continent and were shipped over to the Caribbean where they were fashioned to do slave labor so the Europeans could make money. Over 80 million Africans died in the process of departing to the islands. The slaves were denied any form of religion and were treated like animals. They were also denied food and were made to grow their own food so they could feed themselves. Many years went by till the slaves started to rebel. The 'Maroons' were a group of runaway slaves who started a powerful group of guerrilla warriors who lived in the most dangerous woods in Jamaica. But the Maroons gave in and signed a peace treaty in 1738 and were paid to catch the runaway slaves and became supporters of slavery.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a philosopher who inspired Rastafarians to resist against the colonial system. He likened the Africans in the Caribbean and Americas to the Jews in the biblical city of Babylon. There are many deep connections between Rastafarianism and Judiasm, and this topic could no doubt warrent much more discussion.
In the 1920s, Marcus Mosiah Garvey preached a rhetoric of pan-Africanism, and of a Jamaican exodus to the homeland of Africa. One young and impressionable Jamaican, Samuel Brown was touched and motivated by Garveyism, and his self-taught schooling eventually laid a great foundation for a cohesive Rastafarian sect through political action.
Rastafarianism was founded in the slums of Jamaica on November 2nd, 1930, that was based on a movement in 1920, by Marcus Garvey. This movement was named after Ras Tafari Makonnen, who was crowned the Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia when the movement started. The term “Rastafarianism” is disliked by many in the movement because the “isms and schisms” characterize the corruption and oppression that white society was known for (in their perspective) and was believed to be the term given by the same people. The movement was formed to encourage Rastas (blacks- only at the time) to fight that oppression that they hated and was also formed on the Hebrew Bible belief that Black people are God’s chosen people (ReligionFacts.com).
“For the island colony was divided into three main groups in a political and social way. The descendants of the slaves were three-fourths of the population and classified as black or dark brown. The descendants of Europeans and slaves were about one-fifth of the population and classified as coloured or light brown. The rest were a few thousand East Indians and Chinese and perhaps the same number of pure European decent.” (Pg. 4) Claude Mckay blatantly describes the historical reality here in his novel, Banana Bottom. The reality that McKay is describing in Jamaica, directly relates to the history of the Caribbean and Jamaica specifically in the 19th Century.
Cedella Booker pushed Marley to pursue a different career choice that will promise stability. Marley followed his mother’s advice and started a welding job but left it soon due to an eye injury the job caused. During working hours a small steel element was lodged into Marley’s eye and became the reason for leaving the job. After quitting the welding job, Marley solely wanted to focus on his music career. Marley then produced his first singles with the help of Leslie Kong, who was a music producer. When the singles failed to grab any audience then Marley was only paid $20.00 for all of his three singles, which included Terror, Judge not, and one more cup of coffee (Burke, 2014). In 1963, Bob Marley and O’Riley Livingston met Peter McIntosh and combined forces to create the group called The Wailers. The group became widely popular in Jamaica and their first single was on top of the charts. The group also included Cherry Smith, Junior Braithwaite and Beverly Kelso, all the group members left soon after the group was facing financial troubles (Gilmore, 2005). As the group drifted apart then Bob Marley left for USA to visit his mother, he came back to Jamaica after the Rastafarian movement. Rastafarian movement is a belief system which states that Haile Selassie I is god and will come back to Africa for black community as consolidation for
The belief system of the Rastafarians is that Haile Selassie is the living God for the black race. Selassie, whose previous name was Ras Tafari, was the black Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians live a peaceful life, needing little material possessions and devote much time to contemplating the scriptures. They reject the white man's world, as the new age Babylon of greed and dishonesty. Proud and confident "Rastas" even though they are humble will stand up for their rights. Rastas let their hair grow naturally into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of Judah. The total following is believed to be over a million worldwide. Also the belief system of Rastafarianism is somewhat based on six fundamental principles. These included Hatred for the white race, the complete superiority of the black race, Revenge on whites for their wickedness, the negation, persecution, and humiliation of the government and legal bodies of Jamaica, Preparation to go back to Africa and Acknowledging Emperor Haile Selassie as the Supreme Being and only ruler of black people.
Haile Selassie who was believed to be a descendant from the line of David by Solomon, was a symbol to the black man. He exhibited that the black man had the capacity to be strong. This image that Selassie provided, was contrary to what blacks saw in Ethiopia, despite, Ethiopia being a black nation that had been independent for thousands of years. As a result of his assumed decadency and what he embodied, both Ethiopian’s and Jamaican’s assigned him as their savior. Within “Classic Black Nationalism: From the American Revolution to Marcus Garvey”, Young illustrates how Selassie was able to transcend form Africa to Jamaica proving that he is the black Messiah.
Marcus was not noticed for just one accomplishment is his lifetime, but many on them. When Marcus returned to Jamaica he got re-acquainted with a group of friends and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which sought, among other things, to work on black emigration to Africa. It also promoted racial pride, education, and black business activity. In Jamaica Garvey didnâ...
The idea of the repatriation of Blacks to Africa is a theme that runs deeply within Rastafarian beliefs. Although the concept of Ethiopia being the true and glorious home of all Blacks is imbedded in Rastafarian beliefs, the idea dates much farther back in history. Dating back to the African slave trade beginning in the eighteenth century, Ethiopianism has influenced the Black race dramatically. People such as Marcus Garvey have raised the world’s awareness of the oppression of the Black race and his solution of repatriation. Garvey believed that if Blacks could have a land of their own, where they could prosper and gain power then the world would have to respect this nation and it’s people. (Barrett, 1997, P.68-69)
Marcus Garvey is regarded as one of great figure and leader organization of the largest black nationalist movement in history, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). As a journalist and publisher, Marcus Garvey had published many papers for the black cause. “The declaration of the right of negro people”, where the author protest against the wrongs and injustices the black community are getting from the white community and “An appeal to the conscience of the black race” in which Marcus states that in order to change the negro situation they need to work in unity as a nation and country and being self-reliance and self-help to ourselves rather to depend to white community Let Nobody turn Us around (Section 4 chapter 3). For a better understanding to Marcus Garvey impact in the black community, we will pr1ovide a brief biography, the UNIA’s goal and impact and end up with his relationship with the other black leader
Bob Marley, whose full name is Robert Nesta Marley, was born on a farm in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica on February 6, 1945. He was a Jamaican singer, guitarist, songwriter, and social activist. He is also credited with reggae music around the world and is one of the most important symbols regarding Jamaican culture and identity. Bob’s father was a white British naval captain named Norval Sinclair Marley and his mother was a country village girl named Cedella. They were 60 and 19 years-old at the time they had him. Due to his mixed racial makeup, Bob was bullied constantly and nicknamed “White Boy” by his neighbors. Although this experience was extremely challenging and difficult to go through, he later said the it helped him develop this philosophy. To quote he says “I’m not on the white man’s side, or the black man’s side. I’m on God’s side.”