Final answer:
The Rastafarian metaphor of Babylon symbolizes an oppressive system equivalent to Western societies and institutions that perpetuate injustice, contrasting with Zion, which represents liberation and the Promised Land. Drawing from the historical Babylonian exile, it reflects a struggle against systemic oppression and the quest for freedom.
Step-by-step explanation:
The metaphor of Babylon for Rastafarians is imbued with profound symbolic meaning, which transcends the historical city of Babylon and its ancient cultural and religious contexts. For Rastafarians, Babylon does not just represent the ancient Mesopotamian civilization known for its developments in law, agriculture, and religion, as well as its patron gods like Marduk, Ea, and Shamash. Instead, it signifies an oppressive system designed to dehumanize and exploit, seen as the antithesis of Zion, the Rastafarian Promised Land.
Historically, the Babylonian exile was a crucial event for the Hebrew people, leading to the deportation of Judeans to Babylon after Jerusalem's fall. This period saw the editing and compilation of the Hebrew Bible. It is the remembrance of subjugation and exile that the Rastafarian use of Babylon as a metaphor draws upon. They equate Babylon with colonialism and the chattel slavery that dispersed Africans throughout the world, much like the Jewish diaspora following the Babylonian captivity.
In the Rastafarian world view, Babylon represents Western societies and institutions that continue to enact systemic injustice and oppression. It stands for the corrupt and unjust socio-political world order, in contrast to the idea of liberation represented by Zion. Rastafarians see themselves in a struggle against Babylon, seeking to overcome its influences and attain spiritual and literal freedom.