Introduction
I am writing in response to a document circulated to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of the passing of Honourable Marcus Garvey on 10/06/2010. The document which was brought to my attention is entitled, “Connections between Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie”
I will attempt to make sense of these writing, though I am slightly perplexed as to the motive for this piece. At a time when many of the brothers and sisters within the various Pan-Afrikan organisations are making exceptional inroads into the creation of a real and meaningful dialogue, this seems to me a very divisive and unnecessary publication. It has long been a tenet of the Rastafari movement that at some time in nineteen twenty seven (1927), on his return to Jamaica, the Honourable Marcus Mosiah Garvey uttered the words, “Look to Afrika, for the crowning of a black king.” Whether Papa Garvey had foreknowledge of the prince regent who had already been earmarked for the throne of Ethiopia or not remains in the realms of speculation, but what was clear to many of the followers of Papa Garvey is that, he believed in the restoration of the Afrikan people to greatness, those at home and those abroad. So in nineteen thirty (1930), when Ras Tafari was crowned with great fanfare and worldwide acclamation, a die was well and truly cast. Afrikans the world over learned that there was a black king sitting on a throne, ruling a black nation and one that had been independent for as long as anyone could remember. I can only imagine how momentous that must have felt to a people, who everywhere else on the planet were subjected to foreign rule and outright oppression. It must also be noted that the brothers, Leonard Howell, Archibald Dunkley et al, who first brought the message of the risen black god, were people who had travelled outside of the Caribbean basin and therefore had an appreciation of the world beyond the islands. Most, if not all, had been members of the UNIA. They understood the plight of the ordinary Afrikan people, because they were ordinary people. They spoke from a sense of belonging to this group, which so desperately needed some hope. They connected the words of Papa Garvey, with the activities in Ethiopia, Afrika and came to the conclusion that we were in a time of redemption. That the creator had given us champions, in whom we could and should put our trust. As a result, through Papa Garvey and in Emperor Haile Selassie the First, hope for a better future was realised. Our vision became a reality.
