No doubt in your lifetime you have listened to reggae music, or at the very least heard a Bob Marley tune or two. You may have realized there are common themes across songs in the genre, namely the espousal of a Rastafarian belief system (this includes the ceremonial use of marijuana). You may also have noticed certain recurring lingo - Jah Rastafari, King Selassie I, His Imperial Mejesty, etc. Yet, to someone who has not yet delved into Reggae music or Ethiopian history, these references to an important world leader and cultural icon may be lost to obscurity.
[Ethiopian date 1948; silver medal commemorating the coronation of Haile Selassie]
It was said that Haile Selassie exhibited supernatural abilities as a small child, among them, being able to recite any biblical verse by rote. He was crowned emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 and the coronation proceedings were as spectacular as any of the distinguished visiting regents had ever seen. To the oppressed black masses in the Caribbean and abroad, this coronation signified the fulfillment of a prophecy by the venerable Marcus Garvey, who said in 1920: "Look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned..."
[1950's Selassie medal featuring the Lion of Judah on reverse; this symbol is synonymous with Rastafarianism]
In 1930's Jamaica, an eccentric theologian and mystic popularized the notion that Haile Selassie was the reincarnation of Christ and thus, the savior of the black people (Selassie himself dismissed this claim). Living off-the-grid, Howell led a group of like-minded righteous followers, who cultivated ganja in the hills, meditated and reasoned philosophically. Out of this small encampment, Rastafarianism was born. It quickly became ubiquitous in Jamaica and with the explosion of reggae onto the music scene in the 1970's, disseminated to all corners of the globe.
[Posthumous commemorative coin issued to collectors in the United States; $5 Ethiopian legal tender]
