Dread History:
The African Diaspora,
Ethiopianism, and Rastafari
Banner with artwork by Ras Witter Dread, Bull Bay, Jamaica
This banner is a type of devotional art prepared to adorn the Nyabinghi Tabernacle. It depicts Emperor Haille Selassie as the biblical "King Alpha" and Empress Mennen as "Queen Omega." For the Rastafari, Alpha and Omega represent the balancing and unifying elements of Creation.
photograph by Jake Homiak, Smithsonian Institution
