Reading through the papers

Inspiration from the Lion of Judah [View this email in your browser]( March 9, 2022 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, The great Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie, is often misremembered. As the promised Messiah of the Rastafari movement, his imagery has invariably leaked into in Western culture and become a non-nuanced symbol for peace and dagga. In this he has shared the fate of T-shirt emblazoning Che Guevara, who became the posterboy for the capitalist machine he so loathed. In reality Selassie was a cunning and ruthless leader. Consider one of the many anecdotes of his genius. As he was consolidating his empire in 1928, the obstinate commander, Balcha Safo, was a thorn in the side of his ambitions. A conservative noble, he baulked at Selassie’s plans to modernise Ethiopia and refused to bend to the new king. Ras Tafari, as Selassie was known before he became emperor, was genteel in nature, a trait that the land’s warlords mistook for timidity. Under the pretence of resolving the conflict, he invited Safo to a banquet in his honour. Safo accepted, but with the proviso that he attend with a personal bodyguard of 600 men — a demand, which to his surprise, the emperor accepted. For added insurance he arrived with a 10 000-strong force that camped outside Addis Ababa, ready to storm the city at the first indication of trouble. At the banquet, Selassie played the part of a milksop desperate to placate this fearsome warrior. Safo relaxed and presumably settled into scheming how he could exploit the situation. But when he arrived back at his camp he found it deserted. Emissaries had visited while he was away and through bribery and intimidation had scattered his army. With no force behind him Safo had no choice but to acquiesce to his new emperor. Which brings us back to the present. There’s irony in the idea that authorities undoubtedly see Selassie images as a symbol of dope smoking and yet fail to exercise any of his strategic forethought in relation to the product. For most of democracy, marijuana usage has been inexplicably criminalised; a situation that was finally (theoretically) fixed by the constitutional court in its landmark 2018 ruling. What the government had was an opportunity to explore the unlimited potential of the new dispensation. But then … nothing. As is their wont, most leaders took a literal reading of the ruling and showed little interest in thinking laterally about how it might be leveraged. Not until President Cyril Ramaphosa woke up to the reality last month. With the state of the nation not exactly robust, Silili was under pressure to deliver solutions on how we might turn things around. Top of the list: spark up a thriving cannabis industry. It turns out there is truth to what growers — traditional and commercial — have been saying for years. A legalised green economy will create jobs. Lots of them. So here we are, ready to embark on this new journey but uncertain of where it will take us. Fortunately we have Paddy Harper to walk us through it. He reported yesterday that [dramatic changes to the proposed legislation]( allowing for a commercial recreational cannabis industry in South Africa has been tabled in parliament. The amendments to the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill are the first steps to the proposed invigoration of the sector. Throughout the week the M&G will be unpacking the details of the process and what it means for the country. Look out for a dedicated landing page soon. In the meantime be nice to each other and think twice before accepting any banquet invitations. Yours in solidarity, Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2022 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive communications from the Mail & Guardian either at our website or by taking out a print subscription. Our mailing address is: Mail & Guardian Media LTD 25 Owl St BraamfonteinJohannesburg, Gauteng 2001 South Africa [Add us to your address book]( Want to change which mails you receive from Mail & Guardian? [Update your preferences]( to tell us what you do and don't want to receive, or [unsubscribe](. *If you are a paying subscriber, we recommend updating your preferences rather than unsubscribing, as you may miss important information relating to your subscription.