The Sunday Mail
Haile Selassie
THIS might not be known by many individuals, but inside everyone is a hero; more like a rock hiding a beautiful sculpt of your loved one.
Ibo Foroma
The thing now is to hammer the figure out with great effort.
Citizens of any territory must be patriotic to their homeland. Territorial integrity is a highly sensitive agenda especially in the wild; consult with monkeys and baboons. Assuming we are all civilised is a fantasy not to be described as fabulous. Wars still exist and it is a long time until they go extinct.
Africans belong to a continent that friends-turned-foes converted into ugly colonies. Our dear long gone brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, all members of one Jah family, did not perish for no apparent reason. We welcomed them with open hands; but with kerosene, they scorched our face.
The greatest hero to fend off colonialism is the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I, the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Ethiopia is the only territory never administered by aliens. Since their territories had run out of space, and they scrambled over ours, how else are they to be identified?
His Imperial Majesty is not to be labelled anything for nothing.
“Conquering”, this is not a musical term but more than five years of head-on resistance to the hostile ruthless invasion of Italy beginning towards the end of 1935.
Civilians were exterminated with poisonous mustard gas, wells and water sources contaminated, and livestock slaughtered.
Ethiopia means the whole continent of Africa before partitioning and after. This temporary phase we are in shall cease and the United State of Africa shall rise; Emperor Haile Selassie I’s main aim for founding the Organisation of African Unity in Ethiopia, the capital of Africa.
During that time, all other territories with their independent authorities; chiefdoms, kingdoms and even empires co-existing within Ethiopia (the whole of Africa) had fallen to European hostility. All over the continent, Africans had been reduced to Western property.
Abyssinia had not modernised and was not technically prepared to fend off a well-equipped fully financed European army armed to the tooth.
The Italians enjoyed a navy, air force and what have you that Ethiopia, the last beacon of hope for African sovereignty could not match, even if they had.
Italians had been previously embarrassed by Abyssinians especially at the decisive Battle of Adwa (Adowa) of 1896 during the time of Emperor Menelik II, the Lion of Judah. The general of the victorious army was Ras Makonnen, son of Wolde Mikael; brother – some would say cousin – to Emperor Menelik II.
They obviously wanted revenge from the First Italo-Ethiopian War and had prepared long enough to get scores settled in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War.
The other reason they wanted to destroy Ethiopia is because of the Christ child, Tafari Makonnen whom they had been told by their sorcerers and fortune tellers would one day rise to the throne and embarrass their endeavours. Indeed their evil visionaries told something true for the first time.
At one time the Abyssinians under His Imperial Majesty appeared to hold ground. They evenly advanced on the aggressing armies in what is known as the Ethiopian Christmas Offensive sometime in December 1935.
This short period of state of the art heroic resistance was later thrashed by Italy’s larger force who’s front-line and sacrificed soldiers were black Africans stolen from Eritrean, Somali and Libyan colonies.
They also enjoyed the aid and loyal assistance of some of the Emperor’s enemy Rases (Kings) jealousy and envious of His Imperial Majesty.
In the north, the Azebu Galla were one of several groups induced to fight for the Italians. For many reasons, the Galla were willing to sweep down on the fleeing Ethiopians.
In the south, the Somali Sultan Olol Dinle commanded a personal army that advanced into the northern Ogaden along the forces of Italian Colonel Luigi Frusci. The Sultan was motivated by his desire to take back lands that the Ethiopians had taken from him.
The Italian colonial forces even included some Yemenis recruited from across the Gulf of Aden.
Yet instead of all this, they only managed to invade and hold the capital and some minute territory. As they defended their respective territories and homelands, rebellions from all the remaining Rases in support of the Solomonic Dynasty never ceased.
Both Ethiopia and Italy were members of the League of Nations but one factor students of History must note is that the Abyssinian Crisis fuelled World War II into a raging fire. The League failed to support Ethiopia and banish the aggressor, Italy, according to Article X of the Charter.
Since staying proved fatal in case he was to be captured, the benevolent Emperor abandoned his land and went into exile. Critics say the decision was a display of cowardice yet the Monarchy said that it was his most difficult decision ever, abandoning his people desperately in need of their God chosen and Davidic Leader.
On May 5, 1936 Italy occupied Addis Ababa but the Ethiopian capital had been technically transferred to Gore under Ras Imru, where it stayed throughout Italy’s evil occupation. Ras Imru Haile Selassie was declared Prince Regent and never ceased to function throughout the Emperor’s absence in exile.
While in exile, the Emperor of the Solomonic Dynasty diplomatically fought for the liberation of his people and land Ethiopia, the apple of God’s eye.
After exactly five years, on May 5 1941, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I returned to his capital and removed the stupid Italian flag and replaced it with the royal Ethiopia rainbow flag decorated with the Conquering Lion of Judah and Shields (or stars) of the Biblical David, his great ancestor by blood.
Ras Tafari’s heroic acts during this critical period of European barbarianism expressed to the rest of the world must never be forgotten by all Africans, at home and abroad.
