Why Green, Yellow and Red?

On the streets, in the shopping malls, in reggae concerts, Rastafari proudly identify themselves with the red, yellow, and green colours. They adopted the colours from the Marcus Garvey Movement which used them as symbols of unity. Marcus Garvey famously advocated for the rights of the black slaves in Jamaica, and prophesied about the rise of Haille Selassie who would be the salvation of the then new faith. According to the Rastafari, Red is interpreted as blood that was shed by Jamaican slaves during the struggle for liberation. They had the belief of returning to Africa which they belief was the origin of all humankind. Yellow represents gold which stands for wealthy of Ethiopia, which was regarded as their Promised Land. Jamaican Rastas lived in absolute poverty, under white oppression, and kept longing to return to their Africa. Others however translate the colour as, hope that slaves would live better lives one day. Green signifies the beauty of the vegetation in Ethiopia, which they believed to be Zion- their paradise. The feeling that the country was a paradise gave Rastas more desire to return. There is always a debate about the real meaning of the three colors because they coincidentally collide with the Ethiopian flag, though the later bear a court of Arms in between. Haille Selassie used the Lion of Judah as the court of arms symbol, during his reign. Rastas also preserve this symbol of a lion carrying the Ethiopian flag. Today as the belief in Rastafari increases, more people will be seen with the three historical colours on their clothes, mainly to tell the blood, wealth and beauty of Africans. Ends