July 23 – Birthday of Haile Selassie

nPostednon July 23, 2015

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Didnyou know that a man who was born and died in Ethiopia – a man whonwas an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian all his life – a man ofnmodern times, not someone whose birth and death are shrouded bynthousands of years and by conflicting legends – inspired a newnreligion in Jamaica?

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nHailenSelassie, who served as first regent and then emperor of Ethiopia, isnconsidered in the Rastafari religion to be God incarnate, basicallynthe messiah, the returned Jesus!

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nHailenSelassie was born Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael on this date in 1892.nThe name of the religion Rastafari comes from combining the title Rasn(which basically means “Duke” or “Head” or even “Chief”)nwith the name Tafari – in other words, the religion is named fornSelassie’s pre-coronation name. n

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nAmongnnon-Rastafari, Selassie has a very mixed reputation. Some people andnhistorians tout accomplishments – such as a stirring speech to thenLeague of Nations, asking the countries of the world not to recognizenfascist Italy’s shameful conquest of Ethiopia and use of chemicalnweapons; establishment of schools and a university; road-building andnother public works. Other peoples and historians slam Selassie as anpower-hungry, tradition-bound autocrat. A neutral view seems tonindicate that he ruled with alternating charm and harshness, withnboth compassion and cruelty.

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nButnfor more than one million Rastafari people worldwide, Selassie is ThenOne who will (they claim) lead the righteous into creating a perfectnworld called Zion. Some Rastafari think that Selassie’s 1975 deathnwas just a hoax; God cannot die, some claim; he lives in a monastery,nsome say, and will return to liberate his followers, vanquish evil,nand restore his creation. n

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nZion,nthe promised land, is seen as Ethiopia, the land in which humannbeings first lived. Many Rastafari people thought that they shouldnmove to Ethiopia – something they saw as a return to the promisednland, something they called “repatriation” – and in 1961nRastafari leaders traveled to Ethiopia to meet with Selassie aboutnthis matter. He gave assurances but later told Jamaicans that theynshould not emigrate to Ethiopia until they had liberated the peoplenof Jamaica. This advice became “liberation beforenrepatriation.”

Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966, and onenhundred thousand Rastafari came to the airport to see their messiahnwith their own eyes. So many people rushed the tarmac that Selassiendidn’t come down the steps from the plane. A Rasta leader entered thenplane and then came out and announced, “ThenEmperor has instructed me to tell you to be calm. Step back and letnthe Emperor land.”

Jamaicannleaders were apparently surprised that Selassie, who was himself anChristian, didn’t try to convince the Rastafari that he wasn’t thenreturned Jesus. My guess is that he didn’t mind the adulation onenbit.

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