The Lion Of Judah Gentleman Of Bath

Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia, the Conquering Lion of Judah.

To Rastafarians he remains divine.

But in the 1930s he was an exile, a gentleman living in Bath and a devout Christian who enjoyed the quiet delights of Malvern.

As part of Radio 3's Africa season, the poet and reggae scholar Kwame Dawes visits these three places to explore the contradictions of these roles.

His aim is to find the identity of Ras Tafari and respond in new poetry.

Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia, the Conquering Lion of Judah. To Rastafarians he remains divine. But in the 1930s he was an exile, a gentleman living in Bath and a devout Christian who enjoyed the quiet delights of Malvern.

As part of Radio 3's Africa season, the poet and reggae scholar Kwame Dawes visits these three places to explore the contradictions of these roles. His aim is to find the identity of Ras Tafari and respond in new poetry.