He did not destroy the Gadda system, the Gadda system was being abandoned by Oromos as they settled down, and became either Christians or Moslems. He was a modernizer, but with limitations. He did not modernize the political space…this makes him in line with many third world rulers-nothing unique here. He was not ashamed of being identified as African, and in fact the introduced Pan Africanism to Ethiopia, and he is a founding member of the OAU.
One does not bribe western academics, dont be silly. Some admired him, some did not. He did not practice extreme tyranny. Extreme tyranny is Isias Afeworki, or Stalin. He was an absolute monarch but he was not brutal and mostly forgave his opponents. The civil war with Eritrea was tragic and many died on both sides. Not excusing it at all. For the most part, he was very popular and loved by the older generation of Eritreans middle class. He gave them key posts in the govt, and Eritrea thrived under Haile Sellassie.
Look at Eritrea now. In other words, Haile Sellassie has a mixed record, but for the most part, he was a good person who was king at the wrong time in history. Christ and Haile Selassie coming from the same lineage of David.
Proof to the world that the king is dead, you forget to inform your readers that from up until this day no man not even a family member see the body of the king.
Then it is a shame you were not one of the many people he murdered. It sounds like you would have enjoyed and thanked him for that. This is something that the Romanized Jesus Hebrews people could not do. Now, today you and most of the world are Romanized and going down. I think if anything was misrepresented in this was your interpretation of highly suggest first whether he might have plenty of downfalls in his life he is human just like men are like the second and everyone before him.
Why did the Head of the Catholic Church in Rome approve the invasion of another Christian Kingdom or country in Africa who start this blackness issue when African are brown or dark brown skin.??? I would appreciate your reply. Menelik the 2nd was nowhere near Adwa when the war was going on. It was the poor Oromo patriots who defeated the Italians.
But as usual, George is in denial about Oromo heroism. Actually Chaltu, it was the Tegaru who did the lions share of the fighting in Adowa. The misinformation is so strong, few people gave them credit. To be fair, the Oromo contributed but Menelik was such a con man who was able to take the credit.
He was hiding miles away from Adwa. Just like Trump, Menelik was a loud mouth too. It was not Tegaru who stopped the Italians. It was not Oromo who stopped the Italians. It was not Amhara who stopped the Italians. It was a nationality called Ethiopia which you all managed to destroy! But neither he nor Haile Selassie were good chemists. After over a hundred years of war, brutality and resistance, we now have an Ethiopia which exists only in a map.
Ethiopia is a figment of your imagination. Your fabricated version of history is incorrect. You need to read more books and stop watching less of Jawar and those radicals. No doubt Menelik massacred Oromos. It is inexcusable. But those who deny history and make light of past sufferings must take at least partial blame.
Denying history only fuels the hatred. There is no doubt that Menelik was an imperialist and cruel. Haile Selassie was a backstabbing slimy tyrant who killed heroes and Arbegnoch. He massacred Eritreans to annex and violate an international agreement and to deny fundamental rights of the Eritrean people. No amount of sugar coating will erase that history. The people taken by Mossad to Israel were the Bete Israel. It began to happen after Haile Selassie was overthrown during the rule of the brutal Mengistu Hailemariam and after.
They live a miserable life in Israel as victims of discrimination and treated as the lowest caste. There was a debate in Israel as to whether they were Jews. Eventually, it was decided that they were the lost tribe.
This is a whole separate story unto itself. There were some schools, medical centers and churches but were far from influential in my view. The Orthodox Church was vigilant against the Catholic Church and probably the only right thing it ever did in my view. The only thing worse than the Orthodox Church is Catholicism. If you know what I mean. Let me tell you something my friend. Be careful when you read comments by narrow minded ethno-nationalists. For instance, notice what chaltu says to discredit a black man half Oromo that saved her from European subjugation.
Meneliks mother was Oromo. His fit awrari General was Oromo. Unfortunately this generation has a lot of loud, hateful, narrow minded ethno-nationalists. But ethiopia is still here. That is the problem Alem. How can one have any conversation with anyone unwilling to hear or learn about the experience of people who were victimized by a common criminal, Haile Selassie or Menelik? Victims need to be heard for true healing to begin. Otherwise, it is a dead end road.
Despite the fact that the Genocide of our people from was carried out with poison gas, purchased from Hitler, and used by Mussolini, the League of Nations of which Ethiopia was a member, ignored the fascist mass-extermination campaign…despite the fact that King Haile Selassie I was a founding member of the United Nations established in …that body established a human rights council and excluded the genocide in Ethiopia but included the genocide in Europe from , dispute the fact they occurred virtually within the same time frame.
Professor Richard Pankhurst called it out by saying same thing. If you truly want to defend HIM join us in carrying out his work. Richard Pankhurst was an academic mercenary who found an African tyrant that he was able to use to further his career and have privileged access.
Haile Selassie exploited the guilt. That is the point. Even today, there are criminal African rulers exploiting this victimization. Abiy Ahmed is one of them. Wollete, Now I know how people fabricate gods and simply worship them. Haile Selassie was a fraud! That is the truth and you know it. Our black Lord and saviour walk the earth years ago There is a record of his treatment by his people the black hebrews.
He ididn;t come this time to save but to comfort and so the world wouldn;t see HIM. I only wish a cure for you. This is a serious illness of a human worship and a useless man at that. There were rumours that Haile Selassie was in love with Queen Elizabeth. She gave him a stallion horse but she never reciprocated with his foolish love proposals.
It was an unrequited situation and he never forgave her for that. He was a pervert by some accounts. You really should have time for this. They said that African countries who gained independence for two or three years were surpassing Ethiopia. The took action to rectify this travesty and they paid with their lives! Why is it that when there are black kings and queens portrayed in A somewhat positive let everyone, mostly their own people try to tear them down. The monarchs promote nationalism, these are people who are respected by others outside the country.
You think a few policies are going to make the plight of the Ethiopian people go away? The people need to be proud, love themselves and others more than their tribe and believe they are black and better than the european devils.
Then our youth will stay home and build rather than run away to the arms of the Arab slave masters or white devils. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson has streets , schools etc named after him yet he owned many slaves and raped lots of them. Christopher Columbus is as a mass murderer and reverred everywhere. Thieving queen of England is still walking around to this day having been responsible or related to the very people who have killed millions all over Africa including Ethiopia.
Also the rastas and black people in general always rallied behind Ethiopia as the shining representation of freedom and black people defeating colonial white devils.
How is that not assimilation? Your very biased. Thank you sir for providing a truly insightful comment. But reading the comments, now I see the balance of truth.
Your comment was like a light turning on! Thanks again. Haile Selassie first banished and then killed lij Iyasu to usurp the throne from him. Haile accused Iyassu of converting to Islam which was a sure political murder. The Showan nobility were vehemently anti Islam. Her name was Jemilla and not Towabech as he claimed. They drove her insane before she died. He hid this secret to his grave and he is still assisted in this cover up..
Very sad story actually! You are precious! Orthodox Christianity was the de-facto official religion at the time. Think of President Barack Hussein Obama for a second and how the US media and the Republicans play with his middle name and mixed background, especially when he visits conservative states. I saw nothing targeting black kings or queens in this article. But I think it is right to say something is wrong whether committed by a black person or a white person. I think it is weak to hide behind race.
Haile Selassie was an oppressive dude! I agree with you Rastas are good people except for their mistaken belief that Haile Selassie is a deity. On the contrary, it is clear that Colonialism was evil and Haile Selassie became a tool of neocolonialism.
The man was a Machiavellian. He knew how to play the game and he had clever advisers. Even in death, he is still playing with poor African peoples mind from the diaspora. By the way, not all white people devils. There are some who are not exactly angels but are OK. I think she did everything to raise him right and then Obama the loser goes to Kenya to write a book about an African father who abandoned him.
In my opinion, Obama suffers from identity crisis just like a Haile Selassie. This is Marxist propaganda!! He is still remembered by millions around the world with affection. May is murderer be brought to justice and may the Royal family be restored in !!
Mengistu Hailemariam murdered him Haile and millions of others who were young and innocent. After that, he used the money he robbed from the Ethiopian people to build mansions and is enjoying old age in Zimbabwe.
Haile Selassie was no better but he did not know when to escape. He was delusional. The first time around, when the Italians invaded, Selassie run away with his tail between his legs. He still found a way to lounge around in Bath and London like a clown. I wish they deported him back so he could have tasted the bitter experience of the Arbegnoch fighting the Italians gallantly that he eventually backstabbed.
He was a creepy dude for sure. Marxist propaganda? Does one need to be a Marxist to call an evil emperor an evil man? After reading this article on the August Emperor, I find some inaccuracy. First, the statue was built and unveiled at the A. Also, this article asserts that the Emperor was not for Africa or black peoples of the world. This article is propaganda at best. It suggests musicians as romantic, when they are singing of the Emperor.
The Emperor is not mentioned in a positive light whatsoever. This undermines His Majesty and his accomplishments. For the record, His Majesty recognized himself as a African and stood up for Africa. Selassie was an African only when it served a political purpose. The rest of the time, he was fraternizing with white people full time, just like Abiy today.
Abiy and Selassie have a lot in common, come to think of it. He only was good in ruling but a evil man and especially not a messiah as he personally said. The true men and woman are the Ethiopian and Eritreans who fought on the right side for the people liberty and justice. He was a generous man giving away his home in England and one of his major Palaces and even money each week to the poor in the street and was not aware of the extent of the famine mentioned. Western leaders spend millions on entertaining without criticism why shouldnt Africans?
He did not say he was God and even paid for a priest to live in Jamaca to witness to the Rastas there. Google his speach which he delivered to the league of nations it is deeply moving. Who are these marxist writers who cannot stop telling lies about him? Who are they trying to please?
Lets put truth on google not marxist propaganda. May the Imperial family be rightfully restored to the Throne which they were appointed by God to rule thousands of years ago.
He took credit for what others did. He also took credit for what the Arbegnoch did against the Italians and after he returned with British help, he started eliminating the true patriots. Is this true or not Paul? Paul, 1. That palace was not his to give. It is the money of the Ethiopian people and should be returned to Ethiopia. Like a lot of the historical relics stolen from Africa and stored in the British museum. Secondly, It seems vulgar to continue on with idolizing historical figures.
Hero worship has always been the domain of authoritarian regimes and dictatorships. It is values we should glorify; we should be consigning kings and leaders to the history books. Only there can they be fully fleshed out, in both deeds and misdeeds—not immortalized in stone, where they harden into dogma. Unless all replys are posted this article is an afront to democracy it will be interesting if mine is printed given this extreme biased article.
Nelson Mandela refers admiringly to this in his autobiography. This article, however, shows no sign of that. It reads like Derge propaganda. Honestly, this article is too kind to the despicable guy Haile Selassie was. There is not even an accounting of his crimes —they were too many! You must be kidding. Haile Selassie and non-alignment. That is an oxymoron. However, as other monarchs and absolutists, he did what he could to protect his throne for life by suppressing any reformative ideas that could have served as critical juncture towards the fate of that country.
HIM knew what the outcome would have been if he had mounted an armed resistance against destructive elements in the military and so he sacrificed his life for Ethiopia. Remember that his son years earlier tried to depose the king and was forgiven, remember too that HIM developed a constitution as a first step towards he Crown becoming ceremonial.
Do we have to live either capitalist or socialist, what of the African heritage of the divine king who live for his people. The overthrow may have set that back but not forever. We cannot look at the history of HIM and Ethiopia without gobal history as the context. Let me share a secret with you. Haile Selassie never gave a speech without getting stoned. He had a bong in his room. Did you say his son tried to overthrow him years before the Dergue? There may be some partial truth to this claim.
However, Nobody really knows for certain. It happened when Mengistu and his brother Germame along with Worqneh staged their unsuccessful coup in Apparently, Worqneh was a trusted lieutenant of Sellassie.
He is said to have been shaken when he learned that he was part of the plot. They say he trusted him more than he trusted his own son. Rumors were rampant that his relationship with his eldest son was rocky. The coup plotters mmade Asfa Wossen the son of the emperor read the announcement of the overthrow in the radio. They also made declare himself as the new ruler.
Did he do it willingly? Was he a willing accomplice? Some say he was. Others say he was doing it with a gun pointed on his head. Hard to know. I heard the announcement which is still available. This is one of those things that no one will ever know the truth about.
Kidil — so then he was no different from Putin. Served the nation but only as a means to serve himself. Because with Putin and Selassie, murder of the people is but a tool in trade. I see no need to blame someone else for what a man does to furnish himself with riches. Useless article, benefits no-one. However after Emperor Haile Selassie liberated Eritrea from colonial powers in the 50s, Eritreans began to get best education.
To insult Emperor Haile is to insult the author himself. Selassie is the only world leader who dared to challenge the US racist police against the African American.
Two years after he visited Jamaica, out of inspiration Bob, Peter, and Bonny invented a new phnomena called Reggae, which teaches the teaching of Selassie: Peace, love, equal rights, justice. Ever since, Reggae is used as weapon to defend the legacies of Selassie.
They changed the color image of God. In during Selassie visited Japan, The Japan Times on its cover page: The diginfay soul has come to this part of the world.
When you try to find negative word to fit the Emperor as the same time you are posing yourself. This is all new information for me what Dr.
Johannes Woldemariam postulates. So, it turns out to be a very dangerous intellectually lazy groupthink by osmosis this fundamentalist aversion and reticence to critique Haile Selassie and to preserve the image of him as the personification of benevolence as God incarnate. For example, another person viewed as a prophet similar to Haile Selassie was the late Elijah Muhammad.
SO for the members of the Nation of Islam , Elijah Muhammad purported to be a prophet , who had direct communication to God. So, Dr. Good analogy. I agree with you Elijah Mohammad and Haile Selassie were very similar. Elijah while proclaiming himself as a prophet was also very busy purging and conspiring to murder patriots like Malcolm X.
Here are 10 facts you might not know about the movement that developed in Jamaica in the s, and has since spread its message across the globe. According to Old Testament scripture Leviticus , Rastas believe one should not cut their hair because it is where their strength lies. Dreadlocks form naturally over time. Rastas do not consider marijuana a drug. Instead, it is a medium that is used to open their mind and increase their spiritual awareness.
Smoking marijuana is considered a religious ritual. While we might associate Mr. However, there is no denying that the insane popularity of his music helped spread the Rastafari way of life. Marcus Garvey, born in Jamaica in , was a political activist and supporter of black self-empowerment.
Rastafarians consider the Emperor their messiah, naming the movement after his birth name, Ras Tafari Makonnen. The day is now considered holy, known as Grounation Day. Learn more here. He ruled the only African country to successfully resist colonization, in part due to a famous victory three decades earlier over Italian troops. As a young religion, Rastafarianism has been the target of mockery for plenty of reasons, not least of which is the belief that a man who died under two generations ago is divine.
I have been guilty of that myself. But as I talked to Rastafarians, I realized I had missed the point. It is about more than a black king in a distant land. Haile Selassie and Ethiopia were part of black Jamaicans making a new history for themselves; rejecting the hand that history had dealt them. Ann Witter, who was 16 when Haile Selassie came to Jamaica, and has lived in Ethiopia, told me that she felt like Ethiopia was her spiritual home.
Not much material is available about what Haile Selassie himself thought of Rastafarianism. He infamously dodged journalist questions about being a deity. Believers insist his non-denial should be interpreted as a tacit acknowledgement that he was divine; skeptics think he was just being polite. What is clear is that Haile Selassie decided to embrace Rastafarians, a group that were not only marginalized and oppressed, but actively persecuted in Jamaica, even after independence in It was very significant, then, back on that tarmac in , that the Emperor requested that a Rastafarian—Mortimer Planno, who had previously visited Ethiopia, help the king navigate his way through the throngs when he arrived at the airport.
At a time when Rastafarians had little political power, Haile Selassie met and dined with them and awarded them gold medals with the Imperial Lion of Judah insignia. And Rastafarians returned the favor when Haile Selassie was overthrown in a coup in Although Haile Selassie had been a champion of modernization, Ethiopians under his rule were still largely poor, illiterate and landless.
A drought, the international oil crisis, and discontent in the military ranks, combined to create conditions ripe for a coup. When he died a year later, the Derg claimed it was due to complications from a prostate operation, but many suspected foul play. The Derg, which adopted communist ideologies, eventually controlled Ethiopia with bloody terror.
But it could not have known the power of reggae music, the weapon that Rastafarians would wield to keep Haile Selassie relevant and his memory alive. When the Emperor died on August 27th , journalists reportedly rushed to confront Bob Marley with the death of his deity.
For people like me, those songs were about the Derg regime as oppressor. In a way, Rastafarians and reggae music have made Haile Selassie and his imperial flag shorthand for black liberation and the cause of liberation in general.
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