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The
Rastafarian Religion in Jamaica Part 2 |
Beware reggae mopheads |
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Haile Selassie was overthrown in 1974 after a series of strikes and demonstrations that prompted the armed forces to depose him. Although he had played an important role in international affairs, he'd ignored such urgent domestic problems as government corruption, inequality in the distribution of wealth, rural underdevelopment, rampant inflation and more. In 1975, the monarchy was abolished and Ethiopia became a republic. Haile Selassie died that same year while still in the custody of the military junta that had overthrown him. Genuine Rastafarians do not eat meat; they are vegetarians. Ganja is their sacred herb. References justifying its use are referenced in the Bible, such as Genesis 1:12: "And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after this kind, and tree yielding fruit whose seed was itself, after his kind and God saw that it was good." Rastas see the world, which they call Babylon, destroying itself because of its inequality and materialism and they attempt to stay self-sufficient, apart from it. Recognizing that tourists (particularly women) are intrigued by the Rasta look, some Jamaican men wear fake dreadlocks. The Rastafarian Religion Part 1
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