Rafastafarianism

Rafastafarianism didn't begin to truly develop until Haile Selassie is crowned Empoeror of Ethiopia. Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican prophet, phopisized in 1927 that a black man would rise to power in Africa. Three years later Ras Tafari Mekonnen was crowned Haile Selasse, Emporeor of Europe.

During the time around his coronation there was a great deal of effort made by members of the Rastafarian movement to spread the word around the world of his coming to power. One man in particular, Leonard Howell begin preaching the the divinity of Emporer Selassie. Howell is also said to be one of the first teachers of Rasta, (McMurray, 54). In the beginning the Rasta movement was focused mostly in Jamacia, until Italy invaded Ethiopia, at which point black populations throughout the Americas begin to identify with Ethiopa. They began to form an mindset that they're promise land, Zion was being controlled by outsiders, and they were in exile from those lands (McMurray, 55). During the wartime effort, several organizations appeared that helped to raise awareness of the current events. On such organization was the Ethiopian World Federation. This organzation helped move the idea that Haile Selassie was the Elect of God and that the real israelites were blacks, (McMurray, 55).

Rastafariansim really began to take off in Jamaica in the late 30's. Jamaica was having trouble economically, and the ideals of the Rasta movement were appealing to people. The biblical concept that Marcus Garvey gave to the Jamaican people was that the poor need salvation from Babylon, and that their Rasta teaching were the salvation they sought, (McMurray 56). Howell gathered people of that mindset and created a community called it the Pinnacle. Howell was seen as the chief in that community, which was called the "Gong". The Pinnacle didn't lasted for only several years before authorites destroyed it, but the impact it had was still felt. The Pinnacle