Nyabinghi is a legendary Amazon queen, who was said to have possesed a Ugandan woman named Muhumusa in the 19th century. Muhumusa inspired a movement, rebelling against African colonial authorities. Though she was captured in 1913, alleged possessions by Nyabinghi continued (mostly afflicting women).

The Nyabinghi resistance inspired a number of Jamaican Rastafarians, who incorporated what are known as nyabinghi chants (also binghi) into their celebrations (grounations). The rhythms of these chants were eventually an influence of popular ska, rocksteady and reggae music. Three kinds of drums are used in nyabinghi: bass, funde and akete. The aketa plays an improvised syncopation, the funde plays a regular one-two beat and the bass drum strikes loudly on the first beat, and softly on the third (of four) beat. Count Ossie was the first record nyabinghi, and he helped to establish and maintain Rasta culture.

One of the sects of Rastafarianism is called the Nyabinghi. These Rastafarians are the strictest out of the six or so major groups. They pledge "death to black and white oppressors", though they do not believe in violence, because they believe that only Jah has the right to destroy. They make this pledge because of the power of words, believing that only when all of Jah's children make the pledge together, the oppressors will be destroyed.