Mulugeta Haile wrote: One week from now it will be the 50th anniversary of Emperor Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica.
This short article attempts to portray the visit from three different points of view: Ethiopian officials who were in Jamaica with the Emperor, the government of Jamaica which officially invited the Emperor, and Rastafarians who have been celebrating the visit annually as an independence day. It also reviews the outcome of the visit which achieved four major goals.
50th anniversary of Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica
No other State Leader’s visit has captured the triumph of human spirit as Emperor Haile Selassie’s memorable visit to Jamaica on April 21st, 1966. It was common for the Emperor to receive a majestic welcome wherever he went. Whether the nations were members of NATO, Warsaw- Pact, or Non-Aligned, they all honored him in their paramount welcoming ceremonies. New York City gave him a hero’s welcome by throwing ticker tape from skyscrapers- something that was never done for any other foreign leaders. Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, opened its palace 46 years after the monarchy was overthrown. China sent thousands of balloons into sky while the former Yugoslavia, a non-aligned nation-rang the bells of the entire churches which were closed for decades. Of course, as the father of Africa, Africans welcomed him, by announcing the day as the National holiday.
Unlike those, Jamaica received the Emperor as if it were the second coming of Christ. This was not a part of the government’s reception schedule, which invited the Emperor officially. However, it came to pass on the script of the Rastafarians, who snatched away the role of host from the government in a welcoming ceremony at Palisadoes airport in Kingston.
Martimo Planner (Wolde Hawariyat), one of the Rastafarian leaders, was the first person to enter into the airplane to shake hands with the Emperor. He accompanied the Emperor as they stepped down from the plane through the huge crowd of Rastafarians. Officially protocol was disregarded and implemented in Rastafarian-style.
From the airport to King’s House, a long chain of non-Rastafarians lined up on both sides of the streets, behind them, a sea of heads struggling to get a glimpse of the Emperor, the Deity of Rasta, whose name has been mentioned since 1920s more frequently than the country Jamaica itself. The day has become unofficially a holiday. The government had not announced it, but the people called the day off on Thursday.
Two months before the Emperor’s arrival, Queen Elizabeth II came to her former colony of Jamaica where she received a royal welcome. The visit was declared a national holiday, and, as such, administration offices, business, and schools were closed. However, in comparison to that received by the Emperor, it seemed that the British Empire’s sun had set for the first time in the Caribbean Island to shine on the Lion of Judah, instead. The Emperor’s granddaughter, Her Royal Highness Imebet Sofia Desat, who was in Jamaica during the visit, said, “The British were unhappy with the way Jamaicans received His Majesty.”
One cannot help, but wonder why the Queen’s and the Emperor’s visits was arranged in a very short interval within only two months. Secondly, the Queen visits was announced as a public holiday while that of the Emperor, the most aristocratic monarch that stretched to the Biblical King Solomon and Queen Sheba, the then longest living Emperor, was a working day, why? Was there a conspiracy behind the invitation, as the same time to obliterate the Rastafarian movement once and for all?
According to Dr Menase Haile (still alive), the Minister of Information who acted as interpreter and political officer on the mission to Jamaica, the invitation of the Emperor to Jamaica was to renounce the notion of the Emperor as a divine person so as to foil the movement of the Rastafari, a challenge to the norm of the administration.
Ever since the movement had started by Dr Leonard Howell, there were several brutal attempts to destroy it, but in vain. Now, as a last option, it was a right time to kill it by inviting the Emperor and have him announce publicly that he is a simple Ethiopian king.
During a press conferences, the Emperor answered all the questions that were addressed to him, except the one regarding divinity. In 2007, when Dr Menase Haile attempted to answer as to why the Emperor ignored the question, he said “I don’t know why, but I think the idea of comparing himself with God was inappropriate. This question was pushed to me twice and which I pushed it twice to the Emperor. When I felt he did not want to answer it, I moved on to the next questions and wrapped up the interview.” The late General Fresenbet, the Emperor’s Aide-de Camp said, “It would have been good if the Emperor had clearly relinquished the idea of divinity.”
On the other hand, the three prominent Rastafarians: Maritmo Planner, and Philmore Alvaranga, and Douglas Mac (still alive), who came to Ethiopia and met the Emperor two years before his visit to Jamaica, had a different opinion. Planner said that the ignoring of the question was in itself a divine answer. Alvaranga said, “Why the Emperor should be bothered with such question when he knew who he was.” Mac said, “The Emperor was in Jamaica not to fulfill the Babylonian’s wishes, but to bless the Rastafari’s movement.”
The two different perceptions between the Ethiopian and the Rastafarians over the issue of ignoring the question are still in perspective. Ethiopians argue that the reason why the Emperor sent Abuna Yeshaque (A Pan- African archbishop who preached the Ethiopian Orthodox canon, and as the same time Garveyism in the Caribbean Islands and North America and currently his body rests in Jamaica and is called Saint Yeshaque) as an evangelist to Jamaica in order to preach Christianity, thus shows that the Emperor does not accept of the notion of divinity. Conversely, Abuna Yeshaque once said that the Emperor wanted him to teach the Ethiopian Orthodox doctrine and Amharic to Rastafarians without interfering with their faith.
The late Zewdi Retta (a grandson of a private secretary of Empress Zewditu, a seasoned journalist and Ambassador to Rome in the 70s who later became an authority on the Emperor’s life and government), the only then young journalist who attended the visit of the Emperor in Jamaica when speaking on the issue of divinity, in 2004, said that the Jamaican government led the Emperor to walk on eggshells so he would break the movement of Rastafarians, however, by ignoring the question he was in fact able to save the movement.
One may ask, was the movement of Rasta better off as the result of the Emperor’s visit? To answer this question, the legacy of the Emperor’s visit with respect to Rastafarians has to be examined from political, cultural, social, and economic points of view.
Education to the Emperor was the beginning and end of everything. So to uplift the underprivileged people from political injustice and economical disparity, he laid down the foundation of a school for the deprived citizens in what was then the ghetto of Kingston. This school was named Haile Selassie High School, carrying the motto which is written in Amharic and English: ለኑሮተማሩ(Lenuro Themaru), learn for life, which is similar to his personal motto: ካልተማሩ አያውቁ ካልመፀወቱ አይፀድቁ( Kaltmaru Ayaku, Kalmtsewatu Aytsedku), meaning noting learned without studying, neither is salvation possible without alms.
In the Emperor’s historical speech at the Jamaican Parliament he said “The relations in a broader sense between the people of Jamaican and the people of Ethiopia and Africa are deep and abiding.” This helped to redefine the identity of Black race and strengthen “The Back to Africa Movement” and rally round to include Jamaica as a family of the then OAU (AU).
During the reception at the King’s House, the Emperor gave medals of Honor to the leaders of Rastafari. Having done so in the presence of government officials, including the then acting Prime Minster, Sir Donald Sangster, enabled Rastafarians to be accepted by the regime. He also invited the Police Commissioner, Gordon London, who has been killing, harassing, and jailing Rastafarians. This created a healthy atmosphere for the Rastafarians to confer with their archenemy. The King’s House visit resulted in the opposite direction: instead of renouncing the Rastafari’s movement, he created a fertile ground for the movement to grow up. Until then, the King’s House was taboo for the Rastafarians, who would not even pass by the gate, let alone enter the house to receive medals of Honor and to eat and drink alongside high officials.
The Gleaner, in its part, had not criticized the Emperor for his performance in the King House, and also for ignoring the question of divinity, which had, in fact, brought him to Jamaica. All of its White columnists who covered the visit praised the Emperor as the defender of the Small Nations.
The prevailing atmosphere of the Emperor’s visit encouraged so many oppressed people in various ways. Local artists and musicians were among those who were inspired to get the best out of them. The images of the Emperor were drawn and posted throughout the quarters of the city. Some were printed on post cards and sold for small amounts of money. Soon to expand into big business, the Emperor on posters, t-shirts, flags, caps, badges, and key holders and so on have been a good opportunity for generating income and creating new jobs. The other major impact, the numbers of converted has soared. Rita Marley (Genet Mariam) is one of the people who joined the Rasta's movement after the Emperor’s visit and saw a miracle, which is the main ingredient of all faiths.
The revolution of the Reggae music the world has never known was invented after the Emperor’s visit. Bob, Peter, and Bunny with their new invention from Trench- town ghetto moved on to an international arena to create a space for the voice of Rasta. Their new melody with new style and messages captivated world’s attention. Millions of their records were sold all over the world. The dress code and hair styles apart of being depicted as cultural identity have also created a new business venue. They turned a new page before the eyes of history and reintroduced Haile Selassie as "ever living God."
Almost all freedom fighters in third world played reggae for inspiration and energy for fighting for freedom. It is not by accident the government of Zimbabwe had invited Bob Marley and his band during the Independence Day. It is to be noted that the leaders of the freedom fighters were supported by the Emperor while Robert Mugabe lived in London as a spokes person.
The Emperor’s visit has also helped the politicians, including Michael Manley, who sympathized with the Rasta’s cause. He received the vote of the Rastafarians and won the general election and became the Prime Minster of Jamaica. For the first time and after a long time, the Rastafarians have become a force to be reckoned with.
Emperor Haile Selassie’s three days visit to Jamaica at its best has brought the Rastafarian movement to the forefront of humanitarian achievements. Their political point of view, cultural identity, economy status, and social acceptance has improved. Today Jamaica cannot be pronounced internationally without Rastafarians’ legacies. Undoubtedly, they brought Jamaica more close to Africa. Abuna Yeshaque once said that the Rastafarians are the only Caribbean who traveled to Africa to live in and those who stayed in Islands are advocating for Africa’s cause.
Without Rastafarians and reggae, Jamaica is like any other Islands. They are the synonymous name of Jamaica. They redefined Jamaica as the birth place of philosophers, and music inventors.
The legacies have finally arrived in the city of Addis Ababa, where the good name of the Emperor is officially banned since 1974. The Emperor’s photos are focused in different public places and on social media. His iconic images and root- reggae are one and inseparable. Reggae is a powerful tool which was ever invented to defend the Emperor, and at the same time to spread his messages for humanity.
The fact that the statue of Bob Marley is erected at the square after his name, in the middle of a thoroughfare in Addis Ababa, the capital of Africa, is a shining proof of the triumph of the Rastafari’s movement. The Bob’s square is the first to be created in the world is the prelude to that of Emperor Haile Selassie’s which definitely has to be erected one day.
The 50th anniversary of Emperor Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica is not only a milestone; but it is also the only welcoming event on Earth that is being celebrated, since then.
Happy 50th Anniversary!
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