|
An historic visit of Haile Selassie to Jamaica occurred on April 21 1966. One hundred thousand Rastafarians from all over Jamaica descended on the Kingston airport having heard that the man whom they considered to be God was coming to visit them. They waited at the airport smoking lots of cannabis and playing drums. When Haile Selassie arrived at the airport he refused to get off the aeroplane for an hour until Mortimer Planner, a well known Rasta persuaded him that it was safe to do so. From then on the visit was a success. Rita Marley, Bob Marley's wife converted to the Rastafarian faith after seeing Haile Selassie, and her fervour was what drew Bob Marley into the faith himself.
The significance of this event in the development of the Rastafarian religion should not be underestimated. Having been outcasts in society they gained a temporary respectability for the first time. By making the rasta religion more acceptable it opened the way for the commercialisation of reggae which led to the inexorable spread of Rastafarianism.
|
