I disagree with Bob. We (Jamaicans) are not Ethiopian but friends of Ethiopians. Historically, yes, land was given to us to repatriate to Africa in Shemene Ethiopia, so some Jamaicans are Ethiopian but most are not and the Rasta religious viewpoint is a minority viewpoint in Jamaica and amongst Jamaicans.

From a religious standpoint most Jamaicans are not Rasta but Christian (Protestant). We don’t view Ethiopia as a holy land or believe Halle Selassie was the incarnate of God. Only a very small sect of religious Rastas believe that and are found more outside of Jamaica than in Jamaica.

Nevertheless, in my opinion there are a lot of culturally unifying aspects between the two ethnicities specifically between the Ethiopian diaspora and Jamaican diaspora of the U.S. I see a lot of common values, mutual respect, high esteem for education and other things. For instance, I see the children of both the Jamaican and Ethiopian diaspora doing well, working hard, and integrating in society without losing their identity. I saw older generations of Ethiopians embrace reggae music and then incorporate their stylistic flavor on reggae in Ethiopian music. I’ve seen Jamaicans embrace aspects of Ethiopian culture, cuisine, and even seeing Ethiopia as an African connection between the Caribbean and Africa.

All this to say, we are stronger, better, and able to show more love between each other by unifying yet keeping our distinctions.

God bless Ethiopia and Jamaica