Post by Noah on Aug 16, 2011 1:30:10 GMT -5
Haile Selassie I, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, is an enigmatic figure often regarded as one of the most influential political leaders of the past 20th century.
For reasons too complicated to go into detail at the moment, he is worshipped as a God -- literally -- by a group of New World blacks concentrated in the Caribbean. These worshipers refer to themselves as Rastafarians, a name that, like some of their outfits, was derived from Ethiopian tradition (Ras being an Abyssinian aristocratic title roughly equivalent to "Duke", and Tafari corresponding to Haile Selassie's real given name -- Tafari Makonnen in full).
Haile Selassie, however, has repeatedly re-asserted his mortality and chided his worshipers for deifying him. For instance:
But yet, the strange cult built around him that he himself expressed puzzlement at continues unabated.
What's most bizarre about the open worship of Haile Selassie by Afrocentrists is that the man on numerous occasions went almost out of his way to openly distance himself from Negroid peoples, cultures and concerns. Examples of this are legion.
Needless to say, Haile Selassie's many reaffirmations of his own actual Hamitic identity, no matter how polite and inoffensive, were not well-received by the Afrocentrists of his day. The founding father of Rastafarianism Marcus Garvey, in particular, was especially stung by the Emperor's repeated snubs. So much so, that Garvey wrote an essay bluntly titled The Failure of Haile Selassie as Emperor, where he let loose on many of his frustrations regarding Haile Selassie and especially the latter's reluctance to accept a racial label that indeed did not describe him or his people. In still another essay, Garvey complained:
In short, Haile Selassie I was just one of many notable figures from the past that was well aware of his Hamitic roots, and who valued them enough to defend them from uncomprehending and/or pushy foreigners -- even when faced with harsh criticism for doing so.
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For reasons too complicated to go into detail at the moment, he is worshipped as a God -- literally -- by a group of New World blacks concentrated in the Caribbean. These worshipers refer to themselves as Rastafarians, a name that, like some of their outfits, was derived from Ethiopian tradition (Ras being an Abyssinian aristocratic title roughly equivalent to "Duke", and Tafari corresponding to Haile Selassie's real given name -- Tafari Makonnen in full).
Haile Selassie, however, has repeatedly re-asserted his mortality and chided his worshipers for deifying him. For instance:
"I am a man; I am mortal. I will be replaced by the oncoming generation. They should never make the mistake of assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity."
But yet, the strange cult built around him that he himself expressed puzzlement at continues unabated.
What's most bizarre about the open worship of Haile Selassie by Afrocentrists is that the man on numerous occasions went almost out of his way to openly distance himself from Negroid peoples, cultures and concerns. Examples of this are legion.
"When Haile Selassie fled to London, [Marcus] Garvey tried to contact him but was snubbed, and it was reported that "the emperor did not desire any contact with 'Negroes.'"
books.google.com/books?id=9E6aAAAAIAAJ&q=%22When+Haile+Selassie+fled+to+London%22&dq=%22When+Haile+Selassie+fled+to+London%22&hl=en&ei=R-hJTtTSFMrv0gGkqqjrBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA
"When Haile Selassie arrived in London he was interviewed by the Nigerian Daily Times about Ethiopia's racial identity, whether the Ethiopians regarded themselves as Africans, and why they looked down upon the Black people. Haile Selassie replied that the color bar allegations were Italian fabrications. He reaffirmed, however, that Ethiopians were not, and did not regard themselves as negroes, as they were a Hamito-Semitic people."
books.google.com/books?id=ubUtAQAAIAAJ&q=%22When+Haile+Selassie+arrived+in+London+he+was+interviewed%22&dq=%22When+Haile+Selassie+arrived+in+London+he+was+interviewed%22&hl=en&ei=5OdJTvm0EePi0QGu2eH1Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA
Needless to say, Haile Selassie's many reaffirmations of his own actual Hamitic identity, no matter how polite and inoffensive, were not well-received by the Afrocentrists of his day. The founding father of Rastafarianism Marcus Garvey, in particular, was especially stung by the Emperor's repeated snubs. So much so, that Garvey wrote an essay bluntly titled The Failure of Haile Selassie as Emperor, where he let loose on many of his frustrations regarding Haile Selassie and especially the latter's reluctance to accept a racial label that indeed did not describe him or his people. In still another essay, Garvey complained:
"We can remember in 1920 inviting the Government of Abyssinia to send representatives to the International Convention of the Negro Peoples of the world in common with other Negro Governments, institutions and organizations. Whilst others replied, and most of them sent representatives to that greatest of all Negro Conventions, the Abyssinian Government returned the communication unopened."
In short, Haile Selassie I was just one of many notable figures from the past that was well aware of his Hamitic roots, and who valued them enough to defend them from uncomprehending and/or pushy foreigners -- even when faced with harsh criticism for doing so.