Selassie refers to Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia (1930-1974). Rastafarians consider Haile Selassie as the earthly representation of Jah (God) and believe him to be the long-awaited messiah and the embodiment of divine qualities. They see Selassie as a figure of liberation, unity, and black empowerment.
Babylon , Ball head , Blessed , Bobo dread ,
The Rastafarian language is actually much easier to learn than Jamaican Patois because it’s mostly a play on English words (e.g. “overstand” for “understand”,“downpress” for “oppress”,“ I-ditate” for “meditate” etc…) rather than being an entirely separate dialect as with Jamaican Patois.
Read more »Learn Jamaican Patois & Get more of the Jamaican Vibe with our easy to follow video lessons.
Subscribe