Rastafarians divided on Selassie



From: "Scotti B"
Date: Mon, 6 Nov 2000

Rastafarians divided on Selassie

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Rastafarians in Jamaica were divided over the reburial of the remains of former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, with some applauding Sunday's ceremony and others claiming that he never died. Followers of Rastafarianism believe Haile Selassie was a god, and some sects question his death in 1975 while under house arrest following a Marxist coup in 1974. "Clearly, they don't have a semblance of respect for people's minds," Miguel Lorne, a Rastafarian and Kingston-based publisher, said of the reburial by members of the Ethiopian royal family. He said he believes the discovery of the bones is a hoax. Officially, Selassie died at age 83 of complications due to a prostate condition, but some in Ethiopia believe he was assassinated. The remains were found in 1992 under a concrete slab on the grounds of Selassie's former palace. On Sunday, they were buried in a crypt at Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Several Rastafarians, including Rita Marley, the widow of reggae legend Bob Marley, attended the ceremony.

Posted:
Sun -
January 26, 2003 at 11:41 AM      


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