Jamaican Black Nationalist leader Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. (August 17, 1887 – June 10, 1940) famously advanced the “Back to Africa” movement, the intention of which was to encourage people of African ancestry to reclaim the continent as their ancestral homeland. A devout Orthodox Christian, Garvey was deeply dismayed when the nascent Rastafari religious movement sprang up in Jamaica in 1930, inspired by Garvey’s philosophy. Led by fellow Jamaican Leonard Howell, the Rastas declared Garvey a prophet (some Rastas even consider him to be the reincarnation of John the Baptist) and anointed Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I the “Black Messiah.” The origin of this belief can be traced to many of Garvey’s afro-centric speeches in the 1920’s, which often included lines such as, “Look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned for the day of deliverance is at hand.” Garvey saw in Selassie an African head of state and someone who could be a major player in the “Back to Africa” movement; but the fledgling Rastafari movement recognized the Emperor as their “Black Messiah.”

The Rastafari movement started amongst impoverished Jamaicans who felt oppressed by white colonial rule and ignored by the powers that be on the island. Rastafari is commonly called “Rastafarianism,” by some academics, but this term is considered belittling and offensive by many Rastas themselves. The Rastas accept both Jesus Christ and Haile Selassie I as incarnations of God, called Jah, and believe that Ethiopians are one of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Rastas are strictly forbidden from cutting (or interfering) with their hair, resulting in the dreadlocks associated with the movement. They revere Ganja (marijuana) as a sacrament which allows for a direct experience of God (often likened to the Christian communion). Followers are expected to eschew meat (especially pork), coffee, salt, tobacco, alcohol and seafood (with an exception for small fish). The Rastafari movement is also strongly associated with reggae music, most notably in the figure of international superstar Bob Marley.

Rastafari scripture includes the “Holy Piby,” an edited Bible that includes some portions of the Hebrew and Christian bibles, and the Kebra Negast, a book that allegedly traces the lineage of Kings from Solomon to Emperor Selassie. Rastas believe that Africa, in particularly Ethiopia, are where Zion, or paradise, shall be created. Long after his coronation as the Rastafari “Black Messiah,” Selassie finally visited Jamaica in 1966, where he advised his followers not to leave Jamaica until it was fully liberated. Selassie died fourteen years later, but many Rastafari believe that he is still alive, and that he faked his death to test the faithful.

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