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lastat06513
Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Location: Sensus amo Caesar , etiamnunc victus amo uni plebian
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 Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:39 pm Post subject: How can Haile Selassie be considered a hero? |
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I had met many Ras Tafarians who had considered Ethiopian King Haile Selassie a hero and a savior, most based on the lyrics of reggae star Bob Marley.
But based on what I had read, he was nothing more than a tyrant who lived a lavish lifestyle while his people starved to death and exploited them for his and his family's interest.
I am not saying all subsequent governments were better (Far far from being so), but he was considered one of the empathetic and ignorant leaders of his time.
I just don't get it...... |
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superacidjax
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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Just the same with Che Gueverra.
A butcher, yet the "hippie" Portland culture seems to act like he is some kind of hero.
Ronald Reagan, not perfect by any means, did more to free the oppressed (i.e. Eastern Europe) than Che ever did. But since Reagan was a conservative, he's considered evil by many. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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Rastafarians ruined reggae.
The whole rasta thing is just a cry for an African homeland. It's an unrealistic belief that a lot of Jamaicans actually did come to regret. I remember reading in Desmond Dekker's obituary that he was genuinely ashamed for introducing a young clean-cut Robert Marley to Selassie I. |
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tiger fancini
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Location: Testicles for Eyes
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Rastafarians ruined reggae. |
I don't know if I agree with this or not.... On the one hand, Rasta-influenced reggae is music that I love, but on the other hand there's so damned much of it that it does sometimes seem a wee bit same-y (from a lyrical theme point of view). How do you think reggae would have been different without the presence of Rasta?
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| The whole rasta thing is just a cry for an African homeland. It's an unrealistic belief that a lot of Jamaicans actually did come to regret. I remember reading in Desmond Dekker's obituary that he was genuinely ashamed for introducing a young clean-cut Robert Marley to Selassie I. |
Very true. Although I can understand the appeal of Selassie in Jamaica at that time (late 1960's and 70's), as it wasn't a particularly pleasant place to be living. The Rastas in Jamaica felt that Ethiopia was their homeland, from which they had been expelled as a result of slavery. Perhaps Selassies day-to-day dealings didn't quite filter through. |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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There was an older missionary from my church who used to meet with Selasse. That's my 2 degrees of separation. 
If you look at Selasse's life in historical context, you can see part of where he got the name "Lion of Zion." For instance, he's part of a dynasty of kings tracing their lineage from Solomon and Sheba.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Ethiopia
He became a media darling after a speech to the League of Nations regarding the Italian invasion:
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| The Emperor asked the League to live up to its promise of collective security. He spoke eloquently of the need to protect weak nations against the strong. He detailed the death and destruction rained down upon his people by the use of Mussolini's chemical agents. He reminded the League that "God and History would remember... [their] judgement." He pleaded for help and asked "What answer am I to take back to my people?" [2]. His eloquent address moved all who heard it, and turned him into an instant world celebrity. He became Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" and an icon for anti-Fascists around the world. He failed, however, in getting what he requested to help his people fight the invasion: the League agreed to only partial and ineffective sanctions on Italy, and several members recognized the Italian conquest. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie
I wouldn't say, judging from this article, that he was a wildly successful ruler, but his sins of excess and cruelty pale in comparison to many other African leaders. His efforts at reform were met with a great deal of resistance, and he was probably more popular abroad than in his own country.
According to his former servant (in this article on the BBC website) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4537151.stm, he was out of touch and even unaware of the infamous drought of 1973, which probably led to the final coup of his military career.
According to the missionary (Stan Steinman) who knew him, Selassie's popularity and personal legend was boosted when his visits to drought-ridden parts of the country brought rain, although this might be a story attributed to him as proof of his divinity (no such reference exists in the reading I did today.)
This article criticizes his regime quite harshly, but doesn't cite its sources to back up its many claims:
http://libcom.org/history/articles/1892-1975-haile-selassie
Last edited by kermo on Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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| tiger fancini wrote: |
| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| Rastafarians ruined reggae. |
I don't know if I agree with this or not.... On the one hand, Rasta-influenced reggae is music that I love, but on the other hand there's so damned much of it that it does sometimes seem a wee bit same-y (from a lyrical theme point of view). How do you think reggae would have been different without the presence of Rasta?
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It's just my opinion and I fully don't mind anyone disagreeing with it. You heard me DJ a few months ago. I played mostly reggae from the late '60s before rastafarianism was a big influence. Reggae back then was more about dancing and less about smoking up. I like that politics that was brought into reggae later but a lot of it is hard to identify with. Give me a reggae song about running from the cops or going to the moon any day.
Then again, it comes down to who the music should be made for. Is it for blacks or for white skinheads? |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
Rastafarians ruined reggae.
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Roots reggae is great. But I really can't pay close attention to the lyrics. Socialist whining and religious "Jah" praising not my cup of tea at all. However the echo-ey production, and big loping basslines are right up my alley. I enjoy the music and treat the voice as just an instrument. I hear that they're singing about the good lord but for some reason because the music is so pleasant it doesn't bug me like it would if anyone else did it.
I know nothing about Haile Selassie, so I'll keep out of that discussion. |
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