Categories
Haile Selassie I - Anecdotes

The Wild Buffalo (1930)

“At the Italian Legation the chief problem at the time of my arrival was not political, but did not require any less tactful handling on that account. The Negus had sent over a wild buffalo as a gift to the Duke of Abruzzi. During its first day in the Legation grounds the animal had broken loose and torn around the park to the terror of both visitors and residents; therefore the proper disposal of this gift was the agitating question. To cage the animal for shipment to Italy would be costly; to ship him uncaged would be dangerous, and it was necessary to get him out of the way quickly both for the sake of comfort at the Legation and to show proper appreciation of the honour paid to the Duke”.

Taken from “Africa’s Last Empire: Through Abyssinia to Lake Tana and the Country of the Falasha”, H. Norden, 1930

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

H. Norden, Member of the American Geographical Society, 1930

“During the first days in Addis Ababa the strange goes about wondering whether his heart will stand the strain of the altitude, but he soon finds himself adjusted and stimulated by the high, dry air. There could be no better evidence of the general virtues of the climate than the robustness of the twenty European children whom I saw assembled at one of the Legation parties.

My introduction to Ras Tafari, and my first glimpse of Ethiopian court life and customs, came almost immediately after my arrival at the capital. The occasion was a dinner given in honour of the members of an expedition sent out by the Field Museul in Chicago: five scientists under the leadership of Captain White. The guests included all the American colony, which consisted of the United States Minister, Mr. Southard, and his wife, and about a dozen missionaries, religious and medical.

A line of armed soldiers outside the Gibbi saluted the guests as they entered. (…)

When all the guests had assembled we were conducted into the throne-room, where the Negus awaited us. The light was dim but adeguate to reveal the beauty of the rugs and the splendour of the gold throne standing on a dais and canopied with red velvet. The latest heir to the throne of Solomon’s son stood on the first of the four steps leading to the platform, and since he is below medium height this position brought his eyes level with those of most of the men he welcomed. His dark face is both beautiful and aristocratic, with finely cut features and great melancholy eyes. Beautiful and aristocratic too, and not easely forgotten, are his small, sensitive, and exquisitely shaped hands.

The dining-room of the palace is furnished in European fashion. The gold table-service was the work of the court jeweller, who is not Abyssinian but Armenian, and had made also the crown lately assumed by Ras Tafari. From across the table little Prince Makonnen favoured me with a boyish grin, in recognition of our meeting on the train. (…)

I was fortunately placed for conversation with the Negus. We spoke in French, and I chose my sentences with great care, lest I provoked the gesture dreaded by Legation folk, that of lifting the collar of the black silk cape to cover one side of the face; a gesture common among Abyssinian aristocrats, and which signifies weariness, displeasure, or disgust. The meaning of the action is, ‘You and your breath are offensive to me’.

This custom has come down through the centuries from a time when there was no need to resort to subtleties to express or conceal repugnance. Happily, Ras Tafari did not hide his face from me, though perhaps I was near to incurring his displeasure at the moment when I told him I should like to see a military display in Addis Ababa. (…)

That evening at dinner no mention was made of politics, either national or international. We spoke of food, of domestic matters, and of education. The Negus said he had brought a chef from Paris; that he enjoyed French food as much as he did Abyssinian. He regretted that his wife’s enforced stay at the clinic at Diredawa prevented her presence at this dinner. He spoke of the education of his son, now studying English with Mr. Russell of the American Presbyterian Mission, and who will go later to a university in England. Some talk about the prevalence of divorce in America floated across the table. I asked Ras Tafari whether it were a common practice in his country. ‘Only the rich can afford divorce’ he said. (…)

Coffee and liquors were served in the throne-room. Afterwards the lights were turned out and the great hall became a moving-picture theatre. Through the cinema a part of Ras Tafari’s empire was brought to us: mountains and valleys, rivers and villages; men on caravan and animals caught unawares by the camera, for the film had been made during a former expedition sent by the Field Museum.

Customs followed geography. The second film showed us the celebration mescal, the religious festival which occurs late in September. (…) I left the Gibbi feeling that Ras Tafari could not have offered more interesting intertainment. He had give his alien guests a glimpse of himself and his ministers; the aspect of the country over which he reigns, and its most characteristic fantasia, full of religious and social significance to his people.”

Taken from “Africa’s Last Empire: Through Abyssinia to Lake Tana and the Country of the Falasha”, H. Norden, 1930

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Anecdotes

The 1928 Attempted Coup

“After these events the Empress’s suspicion and fear of her co-ruler increased. Worked on as she was by the priests, she became more and more bigoted and unbalanced. At the deathbed of the Emperor Menelik, her father, she had promised to help and support Lij Yassu, and was now seized with remorse at having left her promised unfullfilled. Her former husband – she had been married to Ras Gugsa Olie, governor of the province of Amhara, but this marriage was dissolved on her accession – now did everything possible to infuse suspicion of Ras Tafari, whom Gugsa envied and hated. Then in the Empress’s immediate circle were men ready to use any means of removing her co-ruler, whose reforms and modern views they could not or would not understand. The real instigator of the conspiracy against Ras Tafari has never been revealed, but one day in September 1928 words became deeds.

Early in the morning of that day Ras Tafari left the Little Gibi for the Great Gibi, whither he had been summoned by the Empress. As soon as he had stepped into the Empress’s reception-hall, troops assembled, unknown to him, in the Gibi court-yards; the palace gates were shut, soldiers took up positions along the wall which surrounds the Gibi hill, and machine-guns were placed on housetops so as to command the roads of approach. The object was to capture Ras Tafari and depose him.

News of what was happening at the Great Gibi soon reached the ears of Ras Tafari’s wife at the Little Gibi. Quickly summoning all the house-people who were at hand, she distributed weapons among them and ordered them to hasten to the relief of their lord. Soon a yelling crowd collected outside the Great Gibi and demanded that the doors should be opened. Ras Tafari found himself suddenly surrounded by a crowd of threatening soldiers who had been alarmed by the shouts and commotion, and seemed about to take violent action. Without for one instant losing his calmness or self-possession he walked slowly through them, and so great was the power of his personality that the soldiers unwillingly drew back and at his orders opened the gates. When his servants poured in he cried in a voice that carried far:

‘The man who fires the first shot, be he of my own people or my opponent’s, shall die’.

In the stillness which followed, Ras Tafari mounted his horse and rode quietly out through the gate, to be received with shouts of rejoicing from the mob outside. The psychological moment had passed. The coup had failed.

Ras Tafari’s behaviour on this occasion won general approval among the Abyssinian people, who love to see personal courage in their leader. Many who had hitherto been his enemies now condemned the attempted coup. The Empress Zauditu was one of these who most eagerly denied having had anything to do with it. To show her appreciation of him she formally made over to him the entire rule – being at this time very ill with diabetes – and on October 7th, 1928, with all pomp and ceremony, Tafari Makonnen was crowned Negus (King) of Abyssinia.”

(Taken from “The Abyssinia I Knew”, General Virgin, London 1936)

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Anecdotes

His Majesty’s Prodigious Memory

“Much of His Majesty’s success was due to an extraordinary ability to attend to the myriad of administrative details, the most minor of appointments to offices in remote localities, the most insignificant of expenditures, each trip abroad of every official, including (thanks to discreet observers) details as to persons visited, every authorization to provincial officials to come to Addis Ababa, to extend their stays in the capital, every directive to return to the provinces, the most minor of ministerial disputes, and the peccadilloes of his entourage.

None of this would have been possible without instant recollection of names, faces, and conversations, of the particularities of the most remote localities in Ethiopia and of events however distant in time or significance. Once, following the Liberation in 1941, while passing out gifts to his followers, a man came forward to protest that he had been overlooked. His Majesty turned sharply on him: ‘You lie!’ he growled, and, calling him by name, reminded him of the exact time and place at which the Emperor had rewarded him for obtaining urgently needed mules for the Army.

That same powerful memory, constantly nourished by intelligence sources, supported him in the delicate task of imposing his appointments, dismissals, incarcerations and banishments. Able to recall in detail long-forgotten errors, indiscretions, or admissions, Haile Selassie would coldly hang before the protesting dignitary the intricate tapestry of that official’s past life and conduct from which the latter could only avert his embarassed gaze.”

(Taken from “Ethiopia At Bay, John H. Spencer, 1987)

Categories
Ethiopian Icons Ethiopian Orthodox Church

The New Ethiopian Year and John the Baptist’s Beheading

On 11th of September Ethiopians celebrate the feast of Enkutatash, i.e. the First Day (1th of Meskerem) of New Solar Year of the Enochian calendar, still used in Ethiopia. On that day, the beheading of John the Baptist also occurred, and it is therefore commemorated by the Ethiopian Church.

John the Baptist was in fact a bridge between the Old and the New Covenant, and similarly, this day marks the passage between Old and New year. As it was written in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:

“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (…) For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”

The head-cutting of John is therefore a perfect image of Transition from Old to New.

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

General E.Vergin, Swedish Military, 1936

“Tafari Makonnen, grew up in the old city of Harar, where he was educated by French missionary monks and thus came to master both spoken and written French. He was an intelligent and ambitious boy with a thirst for knowledge, and at an early age showed an aptitude for statesmanship and for military affairs. When his father died in 1906, Tafari Makonnen succeeded him as Governor of Harar, and with great energy set himself to improve and develop the province now entrusted to him. (…)

From the beginning of his co-reign Ras Tafari sought to follow the principles laid down by the Emperor Menelik; that is to say, to preserve his country’s independence, to raise the material and intellectual levels of his people, and, in order to make this possible, to strengthen and consolidate the position of the central Government. In the fulfilment of this he had many difficulties to overcome. The foreign situations was disquieting. During the Great War those Powers which are Abyssinia’s neighbours tried in many ways to interfere with the nation’s politics. By cleverly playing off one against another, however, Ras Tafari was able to keep a free hand and prevent any one of his neighbours gaining too much of a hold over his country.

Home affairs were no less threatening. As in the case of Lij Yassu, Ras Tafari’s promotion aroused envy and anger among the other pretenders. His plain intention to gather the power into his own hand, and also his efforts at reform, met with bitter opposition. His position was rendered still more difficult by the fact that the Empress, coerced by powerful rases and by the ultra-conservative priesthood which feared and hated all reforms, began to mistrust her co-ruler and to oppose his efforts. (…)

On April 8th, 1930, Negus Tafari ascended the Abyssinian throne as Emperor Haile Selassie I, and seven months later the coronation took place with great ceremonial, in the presence of representatives of many foreign nations. (…)

By his wisdom, self-control, energy, courage and shrewdness the Emperor Haile Selassie had found his way round the obstacles which beset him; but in his fight for power he had also shown humanity and nobility of character. Apart from those enemies of his who fell in battle, their weapons in their hands, he had never taken anyone’s life. (…) Of the remaining former adversaries, not named here, some indeed are still in prison, but many others have been reinstated in their positions and are the Emperor’s loyal allies. The streak of hardness and cruelty, characteristic of so many Oriental autocrats, is altogether lacking in the present Emperor of Abyssinia.

When the Emperor Haile Selassie I ascended the throne of his fathers he was mature; a grown man, hardened and tried in life’s school. During his long period of regency he had accumulated experience and ability whih well fitted him for his high office. In order to increase his knowledge still further, and to absorb new ideas, he made an extensive tour through Europe in 1924, in the course of which he visited Sweden. Knowledge gained on this tour he has since endeavoured to make fruitful in his Empire, and to that end he has invoked the aid of counsellors and helpers from those European countries which he considered ranked highest from both intellectual and material points of view.

As early as 1923, in spite of great opposition, the co-ruler, as he still was, acting as his own Foreign Secretary, succeeded in obtaining recognition for Abyssinia as a member of the League of Nations. On that occasion he undertook to abolish slavery within his realm – a promise which to the greatest extent yet possible he has striven to fulfil. All slave traffic is forbidden and punished very severely. (…)

From the earliest times the imperial power has been unlimited, and varied only with the ability of the monarch to enforce it. No statutes of laws defining of modifying the authority of the throne existed until July 16th, 1931, when the Emperor Haile Selassie I gave the land a constitution. (…)

Although this constitution leaves the power in the Emperor’s hands, it is remarkable from many points of view. By it the monarch sets up the law as the highest standard to which he too must conform, and at the same time renounces the right to make that law. then also the constitution determines the freedom and privileges of the citizen, and affirms the right of all who are deserving and competent to serve the State. All these are principles which we take as a matter of course, but in a feudal State like that of Abyssinia, where noble birth has hitherto been almost the only consideration, they represent a revolution in social ideas. (…)

It is true that always in his foreign policy the Emperor has sought to place justice above force. On many occasions he has stressed his willingness to submit delicate questions of foreign policy to impartial arbitration. (…)

Another field in which the Emperor has been very active is, as before mentioned, that of education. He has called in education authorities from abroad, and, with the help of the Empress, has founded a number of schools and colleges for both male and female students. (…)

In his efforts to raise the intellectual and material standards of his people the Emperor has had two great obstacles to contend with: the lack of competent assistants and the difficulty of raising the necessary funds.

For the carrying out of reforms pioneers are needed. The Emperor Haile Selassie himself – wise, clear-sighted, clever and energetic – is an example to his people, working from early morning until late at night. Unhappily the same cannot be said of most of his officials. (…) The result is that the Emperor has been obliged to give personal attention to nearly all affairs of state, and to settle details.” (…)

A great burden of work and responsibility rests on Emperor Haile Selassie’s shoulders. When one sees his slim figure, his unusually small and well-shaped hands, his finely cut features and his melancholy eyes for the first time, one finds it hard to believe that it is this man who has striven so mightily and won his way to power with such energy and endurance and who now leads with wisdom and strength his country’s destiny. Yet when one has had the opportunity of coming nearer to him, of watching his keen intellect, his wise and unclouded thoughts, of witnessing his limitless capacity for work and his dignified calm in moments of difficulty or emergency, one finds it easier to understand how he has attained his position, and of what significance he is, not only for his own country, but also in political situations far beyond its borders. It is said that no one is indispensable, but without exaggeration it may be affirmed that there is no man in Abyssinia to-day who could fully replace the Emperor. With him rests the to-be or not-to-be of the Empire, its inner unity, its outward strength and its future. With greater justice than even ‘le Roi Soleil’, the Emperor Haile Selassie might say, ‘L’état, c’est moi!’.”

(Taken from “The Abyssinia I Knew”, General Virgin, London 1936)

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Laws and Government

Haile Selassie I and The Palestinian Question

HAILE SELASSIE I BREAKS OFF ALL RELATIONS WITH THE STATE OF ISRAEL

When United Nations Resolution 181 (II) was passed in November 1947, which called for the creation of the State of Israel alongside a Palestinian Arab State and the related partition of the territory, Ethiopia abstained. The Emperor was not opposed in principle to the creation of a Jewish state to compensate for the persecution of Jews by Nazi-Fascism, but this had to be done with full respect for the resident Arab population, who disagreed with the plan on several points. That’s why, immediately after Israel’s declaration of independence in May 1948, the first Arab-Israeli war broke out.

After this first conflict, Zionist effectively settled in the Palestinian territories assigned to them and established the State of Israel. Nevertheless Ethiopia, precisely because of the critical issues outlined above, did not legally recognize it until 1961, when Israel established diplomatic relations with most countries of the world. It should be remembered that until then, the only state legally recognized and known as “Kingdom of Israel” was Ethiopia.

In 1967, as had been widely predicted, the situation degenerated into another conflict, during which Israel established itself as a military power within that area, technically and politically supported by the United States, and began progressively occupying the territories legally assigned to Arabs by the UN, including Gaza. This led to the unanimous approval of Resolution 242 by the United Nations Security Council, of which Ethiopia was a non-permanent member, which called on the Israelis to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories and to respect the sovereignty of all peoples in the area, including the Palestinians.

Here began a conflict between the State of Israel and international law that has endured to this day, as those territories have remained under occupation ever since, in violation of all political legality. In 1973, another conflict broke out, and the United Nations passed Resolution 338, which ordered a ceasefire within 12 hours and the implementation of Resolution 242 with the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories, which obviously did not happen.

Following this grave and tenacious obstinacy against international law, Haile Selassie I ordered a complete severance of relations with Israel: the cessation of all transactions and trade, the cessation of all forms of political cooperation and communication, the withdrawal of embassies and diplomatic representations, and the immediate expulsion of Israeli officials and leaders residing in Ethiopia. This is what all nations that respect human rights should do now, and most of the Western countries are not doing it because they fear political and financial retaliation, since the Zionists constitute one of the most powerful lobbies of their economic system and are an outpost of American imperialism in the Middle East.

And the Emperor never restored these relations, since the 1974 communist coup led by Mengistu Hayle Maryam occurred, and some historians believe this was also a consequence of that stance on the Palestinian question. As the King of Kings stated:

“As long as Israel remains in these territories, there is no possibility for peace in the Middle East. Since Israel has not withdrawn from the conquered territories, Ethiopia has decided to sever diplomatic relations with it, and will continue to do so until Israel withdraws.”

As you well know, the UN recently reaffirmed the legal validity of this request, and because of this the institution was accused by Israeli authorities of “anti-Semitism,” even though Arabs are Semitic, probably more than the clearly Europeanized Ashkenazi Jews. It is the responsibility of all those inspired by Haile Selassie I and Ethiopia to preserve this lesson and advance this truly humanitarian cause, crucial for peace in the Middle East and in the Holy Land of the Prophets. It is the special responsibility of all those who represent Rastafari in the media, and propose themselves as educators, to take a clear and explicit position and to highlight the urgency of commitment and mobilization, demonstrating that they truly understand the message of their King and care about truth and justice.

In photo: Haile Selassie I in Jerusalem in 1936

Categories
Italo-Ethiopian War

The Ethiopian Campaign of Liberation was an Epic Military Feat

DID YOU KNOW that the Ethiopian liberation campaign, personally led by Emperor Haile Selassie I and fought by Ethiopian and British forces against the Fascist aggressors, was an epic and heroic enterprise, which led to the defeat of an Italian army 20 times larger ? His Majesty clearly states about this:
“On comparing the number of our soldiers with that of the enemy we found that we had one soldier for every 20 of his.” (Selected Speeches p. 336)
Thus the same legendary proportions of the battle of Gaugamela were realized, where in the 4th century BC Alexander the Great astonishingly defeated the numerically superior Persian army and marked the greatest military feat in history. In order to highlight this prophetical parallel, His Majesty said:
“History records that military science enabled Alexander the Great to conquer a large part of the world, often engaging his 30,000 soldiers against the adversary’s 600,000.” (Selected Speeches p. 42). Because of his conversion to Jewish Faith, Alexander the Great is also venerated in Ethiopia as a Saint (Qeddus Eskender ቅዱስ፡እስክንድር).
Categories
Haile Selassie I - Anecdotes

The Fierce Lion Cub (1927)

“Our first meeting with the ruler of Prester John’s old Kingdom was most formal. We presented our credentials and he welcomed us to his country in a reserved – almost frigid manner. He was very much on his dignity. (…)

But Ras Tafari in his home was a different man from the regent we had called upon in the official reception hall. He was dignified always but he was also cordial and engaging host. (….)

We did not come really to know the ruler of Abyssinia until our fourth visit to his home. We had just returned to Addis from our first trek through the southern provinces. Ras Tafari was much interested in our trip (…)

We were having a tea in the large living room that afternoon and Fuertes showed him some paintings of the birds of Abyssinia, done in camp – but exceedingly well done. The Ras was much impressed, especially by one of a guinea-fowl, so much so, in fact, that he ordered an attendant to bring in a live guinea fowl. He compared the live bird to the picture and gasped at the resemblance (…)

Later, by way of diversion, a small lion cub was brought in and turned loose on the floor – to the great confusion of the Ras’s little brown dog that had been romping around the room. The lion was not more than two feet high but stalked about doing his best to imitate a full grown felis leo, growling and showing baby teeth threateningly. Tafari Makonnen was greatly amused at the cub’s attempt to be fierce. He caught up the baby lion and growling back at him hissed:

‘Tidlik ambassa kufanoo’, in a awed tone – fierce big lion – then added as an aside – ‘tinnish hyah’ – little ass.”

(Taken from “Savage Abyssinia”, James Baum, 1927)

Categories
Haile Selassie I - Testimonies

N.S. Khrushchov, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers – 1959

N.S. Khrushchov, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers

Moscow, USSR
July 11 1959

“Your Imperial Majesty,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Comrades,

We have assembled here at a reception in honor of our Royal visitor, the Emperor of Ethiopia.

(…)

In your tour of our country you were certain to have noticed how deep – seated and sincere is that friendship and good will of the Soviet people for the people of Ethiopia. The friendship between our countries is known to have deep historical roots. But it is not just a matter of tradition. Soviet men and women respect the gallant people of Ethiopia, who for many decades were actually the only nation of Africa which had succeded in upholding the national freedom, and independence of its country in the fight against the colonialists.

They warmly sympathise with Ethiopia’s desire to make more extensive use of her natural wealth to develop her national economy. They think highly of Ethiopia’s foreign policy of peace based on the principles of Bandung.

Soviet men and women have a high personal esteem of Your Imperial Majesty as a man who, on ascending to the throne, did away with slavery in his country and carried out other reforms to develop the Ethiopian state.

The struggle of the Ethiopian people under your leadership against the Italian fascist aggressors aroused the admiration of our people, who had a high regard for the heroism of the sons of your country. They fought gallantly against the invader and upheld the national independence of their country. This is appreciated by the Soviet people especially highly because they too suffered an incursion by fascist hordes – German and Italian – and routed them in heroic struggle. The liberation struggle of our people against the fascist invader played a big part in bringing our countries closer together.

Soviet men and women are happy to welcome their Royal guests, who represent the independent countries of Africa, whose peoples are waging a struggle to root out completely the shameful colonial system…”