Was he Africa's version of Martin Luther King?

[RodISHI]

An interesting read for those who are interested in some of Ethiopia and Jamacia's Christian history.

An Ethiopian prince’s visit to Jamaica relives the birth of Rastafarianism

.......Rastafarian legend has it that he privately said to his followers, “Be still and know that I am him.” The statement, with its Biblical echoes, could be interpreted as an acknowledgement of his sacredness or as a reference to his title: His Imperial Majesty, often abbreviated as H.I.M.


Haile Selassie’s grandchildren tell a different story.


“[Haile Selassie] wanted to be absolutely clear that he was not a saint or a messiah.” Prince Bedemariam Mekonnen Haile Selassie, one of the Emperor’s grandsons, told Erin MacLeod, author of Visions of Zion: Ethiopians and Rastafari in Search of the Promised Land.


What is clear is that Haile Selassie decided to embrace Rastafarians, a group that were not only marginalized and oppressed, but actively persecuted in Jamaica, even after independence in 1962.


Rastafarians still complain of discrimination by their fellow Jamaicans, of being called “dutty Rastas” (‘dirty’) for their dreadlocks........

The Wisdom of Rastafari

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The story of Selassie and the Rastas is an interesting one.

Reportedly, he was quite bemused that a religion had built itself around him.

 

[RodISHI]

The story of Selassie and the Rastas is an interesting one.

Reportedly, he was quite bemused that a religion had built itself around him.

I just happened to across it looking for the Ethiopian Bible online so it caught my attention as I had never heard of any of the Selassie and the Rastas before. It does sound like he brought some hope to a marginalized people.

 

[theDoctorisIn]

The story of Selassie and the Rastas is an interesting one.

Reportedly, he was quite bemused that a religion had built itself around him.

I just happened to across it looking for the Ethiopian Bible online so it caught my attention as I had never heard of any of the Selassie and the Rastas before. It does sound like he brought some hope to a marginalized people.

He's legendary as an African ruler. One of the most successful in modern history.

 

[RodISHI]

The story of Selassie and the Rastas is an interesting one.

Reportedly, he was quite bemused that a religion had built itself around him.

I just happened to across it looking for the Ethiopian Bible online so it caught my attention as I had never heard of any of the Selassie and the Rastas before. It does sound like he brought some hope to a marginalized people.

He's legendary as an African ruler. One of the most successful in modern history.

Understandably why when one starts reading his writings (second link in OP).

He started organizing but the OAU was disbanded in 2002 and the AU was created.

Organization of African Unity facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Organization of African Unity
Organization of African Unity (OAU), former international organization, established 1963 at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, by 37 independent African nations to promote unity and development; defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of members; eradicate all forms of colonialism; promote international cooperation; and ...............Inspired in part by the philosophy of Pan-Africanism, the states of Africa sought through a political collective a means of preserving and consolidating their independence and pursuing the ideals of African unity. However, two rival camps emerged with opposing views about how these goals could best be achieved. The Casablanca Group, led by President Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972) of Ghana, backed radical calls for political integration and the creation of a supranational body. The moderate Monrovia Group, led by Emperor Haile Selassie (1892–1975) of Ethiopia, advocated a loose association of sovereign states that allowed for political cooperation at the intergovernmental level. The latter view prevailed. The OAU was therefore based on the “sovereign equality of all Member States,” as stated in its charter.............

 

[RodISHI]

This is also an interesting article for those like me still learning about the more recent history of religion and politics in Africa.

Organisation of African Unity (OAU)

 

[RodISHI]

When Ghana won its Independence from Britain in 1957 Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana's first prime minister and president of Ghana. Apparently from what the wiki says his dad was a polygamist. Nkrumah had Marxist and Communist ideologies and leanings. He was taught at a Catholic school initially. "James, in a 1945 letter introducing Nkrumah to Trinidad-born George Padmore in London, wrote: "This young man is coming to you. He is not very bright, but nevertheless do what you can for him because he's determined to throw Europeans out of Africa"