Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about what the words "Zion" and "Babylon" mean to Rastafarians. Because Rastafarians have greatly influenced Reggae music, this information also answers the question "What do the word "Zion" and "Babylon" mean in Reggae music?"
The content of this post is presented for educational, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-melodians-rivers-of-babylon-by.html for a closely related 2020 pancocojams post entitled "The Melodians - "Rivers Of Babylon" by The Melodians (with a video of Boney M's cover of this song)".
Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-zion-and-mt-zion-are-frequently.html for a 2020 pancocojams post entitled "Why "Zion" And "Mt. Zion" Are Frequently Used In Names Of Black (African American) Churches".
And click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/02/origins-meanings-and-examples-of.html for the related pancocojams post entitled "Origins & Meanings And Examples Of The Male/Female Name "Zion" ".
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EXCERPTS ABOUT THE MEANING OF "ZION" AND "BABYLON" FOR RASTAFARIANS/IN REGGAE MUSIC
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
Excerpt #1
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion#Rastafari_movement
"Rastafari movement
“I say fly away home to Zion, fly away home...One bright morning when my work is over, man will fly away home... ”
— Rastaman Chant, The Wailers
In Rastafari, "Zion" stands for a utopian place of unity, peace and freedom, as opposed to "Babylon", the oppressing and exploiting system of the materialistic modern world and a place of evil.[18]
It proclaims Zion, as reference to Ethiopia, the original birthplace of humankind, and from the beginning of the movement calls to repatriation to Zion, the Promised Land and Heaven on Earth.[19] Some Rastafari believe themselves to represent the real Children of Israel in modern times, and their goal is to repatriate to Ethiopia, or to Zion. The Ge'ez-language Kebra Nagast serves as inspiration for the idea that the "Glory of Zion" transferred from Jerusalem to Ethiopia in the time of Solomon and Sheba, c. 950 BC.
Rastafari reggae contains many references to Zion; among the best-known examples are the Bob Marley songs "Zion Train", "Iron Lion Zion", the Bunny Wailer song "Rastaman" ("The Rasta come from Zion, Rastaman a Lion!"), The Melodians song "Rivers of Babylon" (based on Psalm 137, where the captivity of Babylon is contrasted with the freedom in Zion), the Bad Brains song "Leaving Babylon", the Damian Marley song featuring Nas "Road to Zion", The Abyssinians' "Forward Unto Zion" and Kiddus I's "Graduation in Zion", which is featured in the 1977 cult roots rock reggae film Rockers, and "Let's Go to Zion" by Winston Francis. Reggae groups such as Steel Pulse and Cocoa Tea also have many references to Zion in their various songs.
The Jewish longing for Zion, starting with the deportation and enslavement of Jews during the Babylonian captivity, was adopted as a metaphor by Christian black slaves in the United States.[citation needed][year needed] Thus, Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland. This could be an actual place such as Ethiopia for Rastafari or Israel for some[citation needed] of the Igbos in Nigeria".
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Read the comment below about Igbo Jews and Israel.
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Excerpt #2:
From https://jamaicans.com/believe/
"What Do Rastafarians Believe" by Staff Writer, 2003
"Below are some of the main foundational beliefs of Rastafarians. The other articles will provide some of the other beliefs and standards
Rastafarians believe that God is a spirit and that this spirit was manifested in King H.I.M. Emperor Haile Selassie I.
-Rastafarians believe that Jesus was a direct descendant of King David and was black.
-Rastafarians believe that the Ethiopian Solomonic Dynasty is a direct representation of King David.
-Rastafarians believe that they are the original Lost Tribes of Israel that were once scattered by Babylon until the appearance of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I.
-Rastafarians believe that God will return them to Zion (Rastafarians refer to Ethiopia as Zion).
-Rastafarians believe that Ethiopia is the Promised Land and that it is Heaven on Earth.
The White Man took them away from the Promised Land (Ethiopia/Zion) as slaves to Babylon and a Babylonian system. (Please note that some Rastafarians will say Pink people vs. White people)"
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Excerpt #3
From https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-ties-that-bind-reggae-rastafari-judaism-and-israel/ "The Ties That Bind: Reggae, Rastafari, Judaism and Israel" by Masimba Musodza, November 30, 2015
..."For Rastafarians, the physical “Zion” is Ethiopia, the land of the dynasty of Mennelik I, son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. In the Kebra Naghast, the Ethiopian text that narrates in greater detail the story of the union of Solomon and Makeda (the Queen of Sheba), King Solomon predicts that the Psalmic verse Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands unto the Lord shall be fulfilled through a man, begotten of his bloodline. For Rastafarians, this man is Emperor Haile Selassie I. Because we have our own parallel Zion as it were, we do not claim the land of Israel or the city of Jerusalem as the Muslims do. The closest to a heritage site in Israel that we could call ours would be the house that Empress Manan lived in during the Imperial family’s exile following the Italian invasion in the 1930s. Our beliefs cannot be compared to Christian Replacement Theology, as we do not deny the Jewish people, or their claim to Israel.”...
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Excerpt #4
From https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/8rdew6/eli5_why_does_reggae_music_seem_to_mention_zion/
"Why does reggae music seem to mention Zion and Babylon a lot?
Amoeba, 2018
Reggae is closely tied to the Rastafarian religion. Babylon represents the evils of modern society & oppression while Zion represents the promised land to which they want to escape.
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cemaphonrd, 2018
In particular, given Jamacia's history of slavery and colonial exploitation, the Rastafarian religion draws a lot of imagery from the parts of the Old Testament that deals with the period when Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonian Empire, and many of its inhabitants were held as captives/slaves in Babylon.
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SeriouslyCamel, 2018
Thank you for this concise explanation - suddenly after all these years ‘By the Rivers of Babylon’ finally makes sense to me!"
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The excerpt given in this post from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion#Rastafari_movement ends with these two sentences:
ReplyDelete"Thus, Zion symbolizes a longing by wandering peoples for a safe homeland. This could be an actual place such as Ethiopia for Rastafari or Israel for some[citation needed] of the Igbos in Nigeria"."...
This excerpt from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_Jews provides some explanation about those sentences:
"Igbo Jews are members of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practice a form of Judaism. They either adopted Judaism newly, or are descendants of the Jews of Bilad el-Sudan.
Over the past decades, some of member of the Igbo have been migrated to Israel and especially to Tel Aviv, to fully connect themselves with their religion and ancestries. This wave of immigration can also be explained by the strong diaspora established in Israel since Nigeria was granted independence in 1960. This country has attracted migrants who desired to leave Nigeria.[15] This situation is mostly due to the educational programs implemented after 1960 by Israel and the newly Nigerian state.[16]
Nevertheless, the Igbo Jewish community is not recognized by the Israel's Supreme Court or by any other Jewish religious group. Indeed, while they identify themselves as part of the worldwide Jewish community, they are still struggling to be recognized by other Jews.[17] Indeed, Igbo Jews asserts that they are connected to Judaism via their Jewish blood as they claim to be descendants of the ancient Israelites.[16] In S. Afsai article, an affiliate of the Gihon Hebrews' Synagogue declares:[17] "We say we are Jews from blood. We are now excluded; we cannot go and participate as Jews in any place. I make an appeal that we be recognized, not excluded and isolated from other Jews."