I've always found it interesting that a spiritual movement from Jamaica praises Halie Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, as the second coming of Jesus, especially since he was widely criticized as being repressive and undemocratic. What is the reasoning to this?
/u/commustar had a great response to this question here.
The most relevant sections:
in 1927 (Jamaican intellectual) Marcus Garvey predicted that a leader would soon arise in Africa that would be a messiah for black people and bring the period of tribulation to an end.
And so, when Ras ('prince') Tafari Makkonen Woldemikael was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in 1930 and took his regnal name Haile Selassie ("power of the Trinity" in Ge'ez), many who believed the message that Marcus Garvey promoted took the event as the fulfillment of the 1927 prediction (or prophecy).
the Rastafari movement takes its name from Ras (a title equivalent to Duke, but in this case closer to "prince") Tafari Makkonen Woldemikael (the birth name of Haile Selassie). Followers of the Rastafari movement consider Emperor Haile Selassie to be the messiah that is anointed by Jah (god) to bring about the end of the suffering and oppression of black people, and to build a new Zion in Africa.
You ought to just read the whole comment, though-- it's rather good.