Visions of Zion: Ethiopians and Rastafari in the Search for the Promised Land

By: Erin C. MacLeod

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Synopsis: Inreggae song after reggae song Bob Marley and other reggae singers speak of thePromised Land of Ethiopia. “Repatriation is a must!” they cry. The Rastafarihave been travelling to Ethiopia since the movement originated in Jamaica in1930s. They consider it the Promised Land, and repatriation is acornerstone of their faith. Though Ethiopians see Rastafari as immigrants, theRastafari see themselves as returning members of the Ethiopian diaspora.In Visions of Zion, Erin C. MacLeod offers the first in-depthinvestigation into how Ethiopians perceive Rastafari andRastafarians within Ethiopia and the role this unique immigrantcommunity plays within Ethiopian society.Rastafariare unusual among migrants, basing their movements on spiritual rather thaneconomic choices. This volume offers those who study the movement a broaderunderstanding of the implications of repatriation. Taking the Ethiopianperspective into account, it argues that migrant and diaspora identitiesare the products of negotiation, and it illuminates the implications of thisnegotiation for concepts of citizenship, as well as for our understandings ofpan-Africanism and south-south migration. Providing a rare look at migration to a non-Western country, this volumealso fills a gap in the broader immigration studies literature.