The Caribbean: The Lion Comes Calling

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The frail little visitor, in full military regalia and a Sam Browne belt, stepped majestically into the waiting Bentley in Trinidad-Tobago's capital of Port-of-Spain. Thousands of cheering Negroes lined the streets, and one man gallantly pulled off his shirt and laid it in the path of the visitor's car. Later, 1,100 schoolchildren put on a dance extravaganza. Then, seated on a throne beneath a purple canopy in a makeshift church on Port-of-Spain's outskirts, the visitor watched impassively as incense-swinging priests murmured prayers and the high priest read a long eulogy. Thus last week did Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Elect of God, begin a week's visit to the three tiny Negro countries of Trinidad-Tobago, Jamaica and Haiti.

A Chance to Bask. What in heaven's name was the Elect of God doing in the Caribbean, 7,500 miles from his own kingdom? Family ties, of a sort. The people of the three countries, most of whose ancestors came from Africa, share a sense of brotherhood and a deep feeling for African rulers, especially for an African king such as Selassie. They also share a similar history of colonialism, mixed populations and economic problems. Since they gained their independence in 1962, both Trinidad-Tobago and Jamaica have seen their economies slow down and unemployment rise. As for Haiti, its economy has always been a mess, and only gets worse every year.

Selassie's visit, marked by pomp and circumstance from beginning to end, helped take the minds of the people off such problems for a few days, gave their leaders a chance to bask in Selassie's reflected glory. Trinidad-Tobago's Prime Minister Eric Williams, who extended the original invitation to Selassie two years ago, kept his visitor visible and on the go, attending receptions, laying wreaths and setting cornerstones. In the small, ornate parliamentary chamber of the country's "Red House," Selassie pleased everyone by calling for closer ties between "the two great peoples" of Ethiopia and Trinidad-Tobago.

Eaten & Trampled. At Selassie's second stop, in Kingston, Jamaica, the airport was mobbed by 2,000 members of a minority Negro cult called the Rastafarians, who worship Selassie as God and want the Jamaican government to send them "home" to Ethiopia. Prime Minister Sir Alexander Bustamante, 82, has discouraged such repatriation, saying wryly: "We must protect them. They would just get out there in the jungle and be trampled by elephants and eaten by the lions." Undiscouraged, the Rastas showed up at the airport waving placards reading "Hail to the Lord Anointed" and chanting "Selassie is Christ" and "Welcome to our God and King." Somewhat taken aback, Selassie was quickly bundled into a waiting car and rushed to a reception, where he observed politely that he had found the welcoming demonstration "beyond my expectations."