Audio By Carbonatix
To Rastafarians, Empress Menen of Ethiopia is Mother Mary. The wife of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, was a devout believer in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and a benevolent figure who put energy into women’s issues and helping the downtrodden. She was born March 25, 1889. To mark the occasion, Empress of Zion is bringing the third annual Rastafari Woman Reasoning, four days of discussion and celebration, to Miami.
This year’s goal is to create an African-centered curriculum. Empress Ima, a member of Empress of Zion, notes that “there are more black men in jail than in college. The babysitter for our children is the television, another form of indoctrination. We have to change. We have to raise our standards for ourselves.”
For those foreign to the religion, many stereotypes will be dispelled. Not all Rastas smoke ganja, even though it is regarded as a sacrament. Reggae is not synonymous with the religion. “Reggae is good music,” Empress Ima says, “but it can be divisive.” Instead of calling it her birthday, Empress Menen’s earthlight is being celebrated. Instead of giving praise, Rastafarians give ises.
Representatives from all the Rastafarian houses will be coming from all over the world — Nyabinghis, Bobo Shantis, and members of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and of the House of David. Even a delegation from the Ethiopian World Federation, a non-Rasta group, will come for pedagogical discussions, to eat Ital food, and to give ises to the Queen of Queens with music and dancing. “Everybody is welcome,” Empress Ima beams. “Not just Rastas.”
