Ethiopia’s government has announced it will issue identity cards to members of the Rastafarian community, a religious group that has long been seen as stateless in the horn of Africa nation. Rastafarianism originated in Jamaica and gained momentum around 1930 when Haile Selassie came to power in Ethiopia. But while Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie was the Jah—or God incarnate—the Ethiopian emperor didn’t himself intentionally propagate or encourage this divine status. Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, attends a ceremony, March 02, 1974. (AP Photo/Marion Kaplan)“We are overjoyed,” Ras King, a member of the Rastafarian community who first came to Ethiopia in 1982, told Reuters of the government’s decision.

Source: Ethiopian News July 31, 2017 14:03 UTC