Visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I to Jamaica

Normally a state visit by one head of state to another does not give rise to other than momentary celebrations. However, the visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia to Jamaica on 21st April 1966 was much more than a state visit. To the Rastafari Movement in Jamaica it was, literally, the coming of the Messiah, a visit by the living God they worshipped.

The Rastafari Movement, or Rasta, is a religion and philosophy that accepts the late (and last) Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I as Jah (the Rasta name for God incarnate). Jah is an abbreviated form of Jehovah, found in Psalms 68:4.

The name Rastafari comes from the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I. Prior to acceding to the Throne as the Emperor of Ethiopia he was Ras (Duke or Chief) Tafari Makonnen. Following his elevation, he was known as the King Of Kings, Lord of Lords and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5) and was, at the time, the only African monarch of a fully independent state. Co-incidentally, the word "Rasta" in several Indo-Iranian languages means "way" or "path", a point which many Rastafari have observed.

Prior to 1966, Haile Selassie I had met Rastafari elders on several occasions since his crowning on 2nd November 1930. In the 1950s he had welcomed several in Addis Ababa, and had even allowed Rastafari and other peoples of African descent to settle on his private estate at Shashamane.

But on 21st April 1966, it is likely that the Emperor was greeted by scenes he neither expected nor was prepared for. Estimates of 200,000 people descending on Kingston Airport (now, Norman Manley International Airport) are said to be accurate. They were playing drums enthusiastically and it is said nearly all were smoking ganja, the local name for cannabis, and an integral part of the Rastafari religion.

If Haile Selassie I did not know what to expect, he certainly knew how to play a crowd by delaying his disembarkation for an hour whilst a well-known Rasta, Mortimer Plummer, personally groomed him.

Upon emerging from the plane, there are those who said they observed a stigma appear on his person, including Rita Marley (the newly married wife of the then unknown Bob Marley) who immediately converted to the Rastafari faith.

Within minutes of the Emperor's arrival, the drought which had been causing havoc across the country saw the beginnings of its end as rain began to fall, thus answering the prayers of most of the islanders.

Since the establishment of the Rastafari Movement in the 1930s the Rasta population had been seen as outcasts in Jamaica, being the subject of discrimination and persecution. The visit of Haile Selassie I changed this. Not only did the Rastafari gain respect across the island, it also enabled the commercialisation of reggae music, which in itself assisted the spread of the Rastafari Movement.

It was during his visit that Haile Selassie I famously told Rastafari leaders they should not emigrate to Ethiopia until they had first liberated the people of Jamaica, a dictum which led to the phrase "Liberation Before Repatriation".

Grounation Days

In Rastafari communities a grounation or bynghi is a special religious celebration of a great event.

Grounation Day is the principal day of this type in Jamaica, being the anniversary of the day (21st April 1966) on which Emperor Haile Selassie I visited the island state.