Noel Dyer
Encyclopedia
Bongo Papa Noel Dyer I was a Rastafari
an elder renowned within the movement as the man who "walked to Ethiopia
" after hitchhiking
there, becoming in 1965 one of the first Rastas to settle on the Shashamane
land granted in 1948 by the Rastafarian messiah and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
. His story is featured prominently in The Emperor's Birthday, the 1993 documentary
by John Dollar.
By Papa Dyer's own account, he was converted to Rastafari after seeing Mortimer Planno
speak in 1959. Like many young Jamaicans
at the time, Dyer made his way to England
in 1961 (aboard a Spanish ship), but unlike those who had preceded him, his intention was not to remain there, but to travel on to Africa, namely the free land at Shashamane that had been promised to West Indians by Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
in 1948. He stayed for about three years in England, before deciding that he had had enough of the 'belly of the beast'.
In 1964, he decided to leave 'Babylon' for his spiritual homeland, Ethiopia, with only five pounds
, five shillings
and five-and-a-half pence
in his pocket. It took him around 1 year to reach his destination.
He did not literally "walk", but hitch-hiked through France
, Spain
, Morocco
, Algeria
, Tunisia
, Libya
, Egypt
and Sudan
, before arriving in Addis Ababa
in September 1965. At Addis, Dyer was granted an audience with Emperor Haile Selassie I at his Jubilee Palace. There, he says the Emperor personally told him, "Be at home in the Jubilee Palace. Make yourself at home, like when it was in Jamaica. Everything will be all right." The following day, he made his way to Shashamane with all the documents needed for residence and a position with the Imperial Highway Authority. He was preceded there by only one other Rastafari elder, brother Gladstone Robinson of the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF), who had flown to Ethiopia in June, 1964.
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
an elder renowned within the movement as the man who "walked to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
" after hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
there, becoming in 1965 one of the first Rastas to settle on the Shashamane
Shashamane
Shashamane is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Misraq Shewa Zone of the Oromia Region. The city lies on the Trans-African Highway 4 Cairo-Cape Town, about from the capital of Addis Ababa...
land granted in 1948 by the Rastafarian messiah and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974...
. His story is featured prominently in The Emperor's Birthday, the 1993 documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by John Dollar.
By Papa Dyer's own account, he was converted to Rastafari after seeing Mortimer Planno
Mortimer Planno
Mortimo "Kumi" Planno, was a renowned drummer and Rastafari elder and considered one of the ideological founders of this back-to-Africa movement...
speak in 1959. Like many young Jamaicans
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
at the time, Dyer made his way to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1961 (aboard a Spanish ship), but unlike those who had preceded him, his intention was not to remain there, but to travel on to Africa, namely the free land at Shashamane that had been promised to West Indians by Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia
Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974...
in 1948. He stayed for about three years in England, before deciding that he had had enough of the 'belly of the beast'.
In 1964, he decided to leave 'Babylon' for his spiritual homeland, Ethiopia, with only five pounds
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
, five shillings
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
and five-and-a-half pence
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
in his pocket. It took him around 1 year to reach his destination.
He did not literally "walk", but hitch-hiked through France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, before arriving in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
in September 1965. At Addis, Dyer was granted an audience with Emperor Haile Selassie I at his Jubilee Palace. There, he says the Emperor personally told him, "Be at home in the Jubilee Palace. Make yourself at home, like when it was in Jamaica. Everything will be all right." The following day, he made his way to Shashamane with all the documents needed for residence and a position with the Imperial Highway Authority. He was preceded there by only one other Rastafari elder, brother Gladstone Robinson of the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF), who had flown to Ethiopia in June, 1964.