Enter the Lion

John P. Homiak is Research Associate of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Giulia Bonacci is a historian and researcher at the Institute of Research for Sustainable Development. Jahlani A. Niaah is Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the Institute of Caribbean Studies in the University of the West Indies.

• List of Illustrations viiAcknowledgments xiIntroduction 11. Setting the Stage 172. Enter the Lion: Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Haiti 323. Enter the Lion: Jamaica 704. “We Are Blood Brothers”: Affirming Bonds with Africa 1065. “The Generation That Seek Jah Face”: Testimony of the Rastafari 1586. Contending Narratives of Belonging 2517. In the Footsteps of the Lion: The Afterlife of the Visit 285Postscript. The Conquering Lion Hath Prevailed 315Glossary 323Notes 337References 353Index 363

"An insightful account of the complex landscape of the Caribbean Redemption story around independence…one that underscores the longstanding call-and-response between Jamaica and Africa which—through Emperor Haile Selassie’s visit—launches the journey of Rastafari Repatriation. The visit inspired Rastafari leaders like Solomon Wolfe who I would meet in Shashemene, Ethiopia in 1969. Essential reading to fully comprehend the scope of Ethiopianism in the Caribbean.​"—P.J. Patterson, Former Prime Minister of Jamaica “This is the book—‘the half that’s yet to be told.’ The visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I to the Caribbean captured the hearts of many of my generation and ignited a Rastafari revolution. My life changed when I saw the nail prints in Jah hand. The visit left us a reggae music mission to shape freedom, love, and justice for the whole world.”—Rita Marley