the crowning of H.I.M. in 1930 was disseminated
The Prophesied Anointed One: H.I.M. Haile Selassie I, the Redeemer of Rastafari
Far across the valley, the sound of an almighty procession can be heard, making its way towards Zion. The Iyabinghi drums beat in a rhythmic chant, calling for redemption and the downfall of Babylon. The year is 1930, and the Brethren of Rastafari have proclaimed the newly crowned Black King of Ithiopia as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies.
The Brethren of Rastafari have pledged their spiritual allegiance to the newly crowned King, recognizing him as the rightful ruler of the physical universe. He is the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, manifest in the physical form of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I. To the dispossessed Jamaicans of African descent, he is a beacon of light and inspiration, offering salvation from the depths of slavery and degradation.
For the Brethren of Rastafari, Ithiopia is the ancient Kingdom of Afrikanity, the holy citadel of Jerusalem, and Mount Zion to the tribes of Rastafari. They see the newly crowned King as the prophesied Anointed One, Jah the Redeemer, in his biblical and kingly character.
But this belief in H.I.M. as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies did not arise out of thin air. It was influenced by the teachings of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the first international spokesman of Black Consciousness. Garvey had foretold the crowning of a Black King in Africa who would bring about the redemption of the Black race. His philosophy of righteousness for the Black race became a source of inspiration for the emerging Rastafarian consciousness.
Others also shared Garvey’s prophecies, and around these first orators, a growing number of followers gathered in the poverty-stricken ghettos of western Kingston and rural areas of Jamaica. H. Archibald Dunkley, Joseph Nathaniel Hibbert, Leonard Howell, and Robert Hinds were all part of the eclectic missions that preached the initial doctrines of Rastafari, considered the inception of the movement.
Leonard Howell, in particular, played a significant role in spreading the awareness of Rastafari and the crowning of H.I.M. in 1930. He established the communal Ethiopian World Federation in the Sligoville area of St. Catherine, known as Pinnacle. Through this community, the teachings of Rastafari and the significance of H.I.M.’s crowning were disseminated.
