Growing up as kids in Africa, the Rasta movement and atmosphere was, and still is, strong and quite visible around us. This could be seen in our use of the term “Jah Rastafari”, seeing men with heavy dreadlocks packed in bulging Rasta caps, the hailing of such men as Rasta, the black/yellow/green/red combo apparel, the reggae/Jamaican music groove and in most cases, the varying diameters of marijuana wraps. The movement was quite conspicuous in our society even though we couldn’t grasp the crux of this movement, if at all we knew it was a movement.
How did all of these happen? Well, in no particular step, one thing led to the other which gathered momentum over time and a movement was born, which holds sway to this day.
In part, Marcus Garvey’s teaching of black self-determination and return to Africa was one teaching that resonated with his fellow Jamaicans who considered themselves distant from the motherland. These Jamaicans, though Caribbeans as we would geo-localise them, chose to hold on to their African roots and heritage. Over time, prophecies and divinations brought the message of a great future through a saviour which pointed to the crowning of Haile Selassie. By the time he was crowned as Emperor and proceeded to choose to be addressed thus: "By the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Elect of God", that was sufficient for them to consider him as the second saviour and made a followership name from his birth name. The way followers of Christ came to be called Christians, these followers of Ras Tafari Makonnen came to be known as Rastafarians.
In addition, his “genealogical link” to King Solomon and Queen of Sheba added more to his divinity in the eyes of his followers. As a culture, Rastafarians do not cut their hair, do not eat certain foods such as pork and milk, smoke cannabis and do everything the “ital” way. Their ital diet, which the guiding principle borders on plant-based and directly sourced food, was a thing before the vegan lifestyle became mainstream. Celebrated Reggae musicians such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh would sing and preach about this movement, further solidifying its place in the hearts of its followers and ultimately, world history and an ever-enduring legacy.
So strong was, and still is, this link between Rastafarians and Emperor Haile Selassie that the Ethiopian flag used during his reign was permanently adopted by the them as their global identification. The grand visit on 21 April, 1966 to Jamaica by the Emperor sealed this bond as it elevated everything related to Rastafari to a globally accepted level. The Emperor refused to walk on the red carpet rolled out for him and chose to walk on the ground. Thus, the 2nd biggest memorial day in the Rastafari world was created; GROUNATION DAY. Second only to the Coronation Day of 2 November 1930.
While the movement thrived in Jamaica and other parts of the world, it was not so in Ethiopia as the man himself did not acclaim his divinity and never left the practice of his people’s Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition. He also did not put them down as he equally preached their message of racial equality and the capabilities of the black man. He would receive their leaders whenever they came visiting and later provided lands in Ethiopia for those who were interested in relocating back home to the Motherland.
Was this another situation of a prophet not being recognised in his homeland? You be the judge.
So when next you hear the term “Jah Rastafari”, it is beyond the term used in mimicking the Jamaican patois language. Ethiopia and history once again.
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