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| GARVEY The Prophet |
| _____The Marcus Garvey of history books is a mainly political leader interested in making the black race economically equal with the white. In oral tradition, however, he appears as a divinely annointed prophet, the Forerunner of Haile Selassie. In addition to many miracles and prophecies, he is credited with having predicted that a "mighty king" would arise in Africa and bring justice to the oppressed. When the Prince (Ras) Tafari of Ethiopia was crowned emperor to world-wide fanfare, many Jamaicans claimed the prophecy of Garvey had obviously just been fulfilled: the Ras Tafari Movement was born. | |
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Garvey himself was still alive, although
his movement had largely collapsed and he himself had been jailed on (subsequently
disproved) allegations of business fraud. Garvey was no admirer of Haile
Selassie, observing that slavery still existed in Ethiopia, and he attacked
the Rastafarians as crazy fanatics. They, however continued to revere
Garvey nonetheless, remarking that even John the Baptist had had doubts
about Christ!
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