Excerpt from Book of Memory

1/12/05

A Reasoning on Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s

Visit to Jamaica in 1966

from Book of Memory: A Rastafari Testimony

(425 pp., CaribSound Ltd., 2005)

Book of Memory is the newly published oral history of Jamaican Rastafari elder Prince Williams, who worked with author-educator Michael Kuelker over a period of seven years in Jamaica to produce the text.

Prince sighted Rastafari as a teenager around 1957. At the time of the following excerpt, Prince, his wife and two sons were living in Thatchtown, a little community near Wakefield and adjacent to Hampden Sugar Estate in Trelawny parish. For that famous day in the Rastafari history, Prince and his family had traveled to Kingston to see the Ethiopian emperor.

While the vast majority of the words of Book of Memory belong to Prince, the text also incorporates other voices and texts, including, in this case, words of Haile Selassie, contemporary newspaper accounts and interjections from the editor.

When His Majesty come to Jamaica, it was something told unto the people. It is to free the downpression of I-n-I. To show unto the people of Jamaica, say yes: there was someone found worthy to open the book and to loosen the seven seals thereof. Because as Revelations says, Weep not: behold, the conquering lion from the tribe of Judah, the roots of David, the Elect of God has prevailed and found worthy to open the book and to look therein. [Revelation 5:5]

When His Majesty arrived, the whole place weren’t hot, where the sun well red. All of a sudden man-and-man look upon the plane and it was rain, very hard rain. Every man wet-up. And by the plane fi land, the place was dry again. The military of Jamaica, they form in twos before the plane land, when the plane land them form in threes.

And the people push back the military force! They change away from the plane that man able to gwan to the plane and look pon on it and hold it and feel it and seh, A-how mi lie so?! How is it see a Rasta that say a-lie? The plane come nah from Ethiopia, world jet ‘liner? Conquering lion of the tribe of Judah?! And gwan and hold it so. And shake it, and say, Yes Rasta know true, Rasta now reign!

Airport overwhelmed with rampant crowd

Savage Joy Swamps Palisadoes Formalities

Multitude surges, surrounds plane

     --page one of The Daily Gleaner April 22, 1966,

above the headline, ‘ WILD WELCOME FOR NEGUS

     --And the Emperor wept’

Flags, firecrackers, palm leaves and the ancient Abeng

Tumultuous scenes; programme dislocated

Police lines broken at civic reception

Terminal roof near collapse

     --other page one headlines April 22, 1966

Because I-n-I bredren know of these things of ancients of days, when I-n-I sit I-n-I never fret, nor afraid nor wonder. When His Majesty come here in 1966, ganja legalized fi Rastaman! That commissioner of police pass and look pon I-n-I bredren and I-n-I I-shense and chanting pon I-n-I drums giving praise unto I-n-I father… and no gunfire. No man get hurt. And it was thousands and thousands and thousands of people gather there to see that lickle man.

In Kingston, Ruth and I stayed by a bredren named Bongo Light with Skenchie and Shaggie. We leave from there and go to the airport, and from the airport we leave and take the train and we come straight down to Montego Bay . That’s where His Majesty was, but he leave Kingston before our train, so when we reach him, that’s when he about to leave out. It was a state visit.

When His Majesty were at Sheraton, all these heads of government sit on the sides of the step, while Rasta gather under the balcony that His Majesty sit on. And then it has been asked why the Rastaman claims His Majesty as their God. The Rastaman have many proof and his faith make him whole. His Majesty-I shake head and smile, and these things help to release… Then him send money here before him to build a school in Kingston, called Selassie-I Secondary School. And him did deal with the Ethiopian World Federation in the 1930s to take home back to Africa in the Western world . These are lots of movements forward fi de Rasta.

Jamaica is a part of Africa living in co-existence with other people. Never before had there been greater need for working in unity towards the strength and purpose of a nation.

      - Emperor Haile Selassie, quoted in The Daily Gleaner April 23, 1966 page 24

You have the Governor General and some more guys gather together and write a letter to the king asking the king to forget about I-n-I down here, forget about Rasta in the Western world. They never get no answer. Three hundred hectares of land has been given from the king for the people in the West who want to step forward in Africa. Shashemane. So this is no propaganda, this is no rumor. These are reality, that the Rastaman must go forward to their vine and be where I-n-I belong. Beca down here, a sinking sand. Where ya sing wrong song everyday a your life. And keep on finger-pointing till ya jook your eyes out.

For the Rastaman want to live in a free world with access and privilege and respect for his brothers and his sisters. The Rastaman do not want to tarry away every night, ya go lie down and listen fi ya door to get kicked off, listen for shots in ya ears. I-n-I don’t want to live in that kind of world. Beca Rasta nah mek nah war with nobody. Rasta don’t look nothin ’ from nobody, Rasta don’t want nothin’ from nobody. Rasta need love cause of what the Rastaman says. And when you live in love, you are free from fear [1 John 4:18]. When you live in love, you have equality. So that mean if I eat and drink this morning when I wake up, you eat and drink too, that woman eat and drink too. Everybody eat and drink, too. So no one has the need to kick my door down to get something from there. Because it’s equal rights and justice for everyone.

Definitely Selassie-I name, in the Western world, never heard of until Marcus Garvey prophesy and tell dem, When a king crown in Africa , it must be black man redemption . Marcus tell the people these things and they know it. They are only playing with the rights of I-n-I, the Rastaman. Because the Rastaman lead and rest follow. The Rastaman say Africa, and whosoever will come. So when they are romping up with repatriation now, they are only building coals of Fiyah upon dere head! They are only making the fire hotter. Ca remember I said, Rastaman nah attack with nah weapon. Nah more than the weapon of the free word of the I-mighty that rules the world. That’s the Rastaman weapon. Don’t want nah gun. Gun a done, cause you look place all dem a boom now. Yeah, mahn. All the guys that create all these dangerous things upon de land fi destroy people, seh no place to put it now, nah know what to do with it. Hotter get hot, y’know, hotter get hot. Water boil up.

There were shouts of ‘Lamb of God,’ ‘Black man time now,’ creating a thunderous chant over the roll of the turbo-jet engine of the plane and the beating of drums accompanied by the Nyabinghi chant.

- The Daily Gleaner April 22, 1966 , page one

His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, King of Kings, Conquering Lion of Judah, arrived in Jamaica yesterday afternoon to a welcome of superlatives. And he wept.

He cried as he stood on the steps of an aircraft of Ethiopian Airliner which had brought him from Trinidad and Tobago to Jamaica and surveyed the vast and uncontrollable crowd which had gathered at the Palisadoes Airport to greet him.

The tears welled up in his eyes and rolled down his face. It will perhaps never be known whether he cried in sorrow at the uncontrollableness of the vast throng of Jamaicans who had gathered to meet him, or out of pure joy; but whatever it was, it was an emotional reaction to a highly emotional welcome.

- The Daily Gleaner April 22, 1966 , page one

[Book of Memory editor Michael Kuelker:] Did you see Selassie when he stepped out of the plane?

Yes, mahn!

We conduct different types of chanting, different types of nyahbinghi chanting, different types of songs that Babylon never hear before. Babylon hear these songs they crumble, tremble and stumble. Some like… [Prince sings:]

   Roll River Jordan, roll River Jordan, roll River Jordan roll

  Iya want to go to Zion at this time to hear River Jordan roll

Some of these songs that I-n-I chant, it’s dangerous.

When I tell you about nyahbinghi, nyahbinghi have a spiritual contact with chanting. When I-n-I begin to chant, the whole world is supposed to still and listen. Deep down from I-n-I belly, I-n-I coming with the true words, the free words of life. The word to uplift the thoughts and morals of this world, the word to let communion strong amongst man and man and man, woman, too. These are the chanting of the nyahbinghi orders, mahn. Orders of truth and right. Equal rights and justice for every man, that’s nyahbinghi order. No man bigger than each other. Until you separate yourself from the good things and do away from the bad things. Otherwise: Your iniquities have separated between you and Jah, and your sins have hid his face from you [Isaiah 59:2].

And that day of nyahbinghi chanting at the airport in Kingston, I can see the building rock. I see the building part in many different pieces and start to drop off from the top of the building, yes, because of the rocking of the nyahbinghi orders. The nyahbinghi rock is so like building rock, lead me to the rock that is higher than I [Psalm 61:2].

Great things happen that day in Jamaica. But time will tell when the people see, because lots of Jamaican people never see a quarter of wha gwan. Lots of people never see a quarter of what His Majesty say.

Now we can fulfill that part of prophesy, when His Majesty-I wept because it is written in the King James version: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, there we wept when we remember Zion. For they that carried us captivity require of us mirth and require of us Jah song. But how can I-n-I sing Jah song in a strange land? [Psalm 137:1, 3-4] That’s why the Rastaman never accept exile; that’s why the Rastaman haffi pass through too much serious things in Jamaica to let it become acceptable. Let the word of your mouth and the meditation of your heart be acceptable in thy sight o Jah, Rastafari. Jah art I strength, Jah art I redeemer, Jah live and reign for-I- ver! [Psalm 19:14]

You see, it’s so many chants. Lots of different chanting that I-n-I chant to rock the thought of Babylon ca remember I tell you we don’t handle with nah weapon, so it must be with a spiritual handling so that when dem feels it there on top [Prince pats his head], dem knows.

[ Book of Memory editor Michael Kuelker:] What about the changes in the movement after Selassie’s visit? But first, did it change the way you thought about Rastafari in any way?

The thought of Rasta cannot change. And it will never change. Because you can’t lef good and go do evil. Anyhow if you lef good and go do evil, you shall surely die. So the Rastaman has to still keep on doing the good things. Because this world were looking upon the Rasta as good people. So him can’t change. Anyhow him change, him dead. The Rastaman is to do good that good will live continually. So if him stop from doing good, it must bad him must do. Anyhow him do bad, him get flogging, mahn, nuff beating from Jah. Beca the good thing must continually spring up, y’know, beca it is the tree of life. You water it and water it and mek it take root and grow. Continually, although thorn tickle your foot. But because of strength it will grow, strong pon root. Mmm -hmm […Prince takes a draw from his spliff …… and exhales … … ]

His Majesty-I to the world: it’s new, and it’s strange because it show new things, and it shall spring forth so that the whole world shall see it and marvel. They shall see thy righteousness and all kings thy glory, and thou shall be called by a new name [Isaiah 62:2]. So when the world hear about His Majesty-I, the world marvel because His dignity never been told to nobody dung yah so. The dignity of King Se lass ie-I never told dung yah. Although John did speak of the coming of Jess-us, when him come the people still say it’s not him.

So now here is Selassie-I from the roots of David. The King James Version tell you that from the throne of King David there shall be no end. [2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalm 132] From original time, that’s where the god-head did found. Although the King James Version declare that for the people who read the same thing before, never did know seh a right-deh-so did rest. The people seh never did know it was on the throne that His Majesty rest. Although the people did look pon Selassie-I as one great man, dem never know him as a man with a triple crown. Seventy-two nations gather together and crown him: Kings of Kings, Lords of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and Light of this World, in his divine worship Emperor Haile Selassie I. That’s his title! And that’s the same title in the book.

You have to shed blood to gain their title. But I-n-I redeem life so as to wear Jah crown of life.

Pro-Selassie sentiment has run deeply in Jamaica (and the United States) since the time of his installation to the throne in Ethiopia. After the fascist invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, the EWF organized chapters in Harlem, New York, in 1937 and Detroit, Michigan, and Kingston, Jamaica, the next year. In 1955, Selassie designated some 500 acres of fertile land in Shashemane, Ethiopia, for black people abroad who wanted to settle there. Rastafarians remain a presence in Shashemane today.

Barry Chevannes argues that a play written by Garvey titled The Coronation of the King and Queen of Africa set in motion the widely held belief among the Rastafari that Garvey heralded the coming of Emperor Selassie. The play, which was staged in Kingston in 1929, a year before Selassie’s ascent to the throne of Ethiopia, dramatizes the work of the United Negro Improvement Association and culminates with the crowning of an African king. See Rastafari: Roots and Ideology pp. 94-94, 103-104.

Book of Memory is available now through Ernie B Reggae and through Amazon.com as well as a variety of independent retailers. See www.CaribSound.com for more details.

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Interview with Book of Memory Editor, Michael Kuelker

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Michael Kuelker is Associate Professor of English at St. Charles Community College in St. Peters, Missouri, and a human rights activist who serves on the 4th R advisory board of Amnesty International USA’s Human Rights Education Program.