The title of this phlog is stolen from Eric Hansen's book of the same name, which describes his adventures in Yemen long before my time there. I used his book as a reference in planning my trip. My current employer and inability to write as well both prohibit me from offering the same quality of narrative as in his book, so this site is instead intended to help me share my photos with friends, family and fellow travelers. Enjoy!

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Shashamene

People of the rastafari faith worship His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie (whose pre-coronation name was Ras Tafari) as a divine being who fulfilled a biblical prophecy that "kings will come out of Africa." In 1963, Selassie, as Ethiopian Emperor, granted a group of rastafarians land near Shashamene for a colony that became known as Jamaica. Today, there are several hundred rastas in Shashamene's Jamaica and, with its reggae music, ganja, and bland saltless food, it feels much like its namesake country.