It’s a purifying fire,” explained Dorrell Howard, known as Bongo Thunder, as he contemplated the tabernacle before the ceremony. July 23 marks the 131st anniversary of the birth of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, whom the Rasta faith considers the incarnation of God. Bongo Thunder, 46, grew up in a Pentecostal church and discovered Rastafari 21 years ago through a Grenadian Rasta friend. Bongo Thunder explained that the ceremony is about transmitting the Rastafari traditions and practices to the younger generations. For members of the Jamaican elites, it was an occasion for the emperor to prove Rastas they were wrong, said Price.

Source: Ethiopian News July 24, 2023 22:41 UTC