Rastafari

Rastafari History

Political leader Marcus Garvey made a prophecy that a king would be crowned in Africa and that king would redeem the black people. After Haile Selassie I became king of Ethiopia, Rastafari was established as a religion in Jamaica in the 1930s. The basis of the religion was to improve the condition of the black people. When Africa (which is known as Ethiopia by Rastafarians) was colonized by the Europeans, Africans were exiled to the rest of the world as slaves. Regions of captivation were called Babylon. According to Rastafari, Haile Selassie would save the blacks from the whites and return them to their home. In the 1970s, the popularity of reggae music and Bob Marley helped spread Rastafari. The new popularity alarmed traditional Rastafarians, who feared the commercialization of the religion. In 1973, the beliefs of Rastafari underwent a modern revision; they were revised again in 1991. In 1975, after being ousted, Haile Selassie died.