adminIbo Foroma
THE 5th of May is the day the Rastafarian Empire celebrates Emperor Haile Selassie I’s Triumphal Entry back into his capital and throne, Addis Ababa after long years lost and wasted in exile.
For exactly five years to the day he returned, the Emperor struggled to stay alive and maintain hope for the Ancient Solomonic Dynasty in exile in an alien land.
It is amazing how he evaded Italian aggression by hiding in nearby England.
The Emperor spent his exile years (1936-1941) in Bath, England in Fairfield House, which he bought. Prior to Fairfield House, His Imperial Majesty stayed at Warne’s Hotel in Worthing and in Parkside, Wimbledon.
A bust of Haile Selassie is in Cannizaro Park to commemorate this time and is a popular place of pilgrimage for London’s Rastafarian Community.
Emperor Haile Selassie’s activity in this period was focused on countering Italian propaganda as to the state of Ethiopian resistance and the legality of the occupation.
The Lion of Judah roared out against the desecration of houses of worship and historical artefacts including the theft of a 1 600-year-old imperial obelisk and condemned the atrocities suffered by the Ethiopian civilian population.
Jah Ras Tafari continued to plead for League intervention and to voice his certainty that “God’s judgment will eventually visit the weak and the mighty alike”.
Despite his attempts to gain support for the struggle against Italy fell on deaf ears and were largely unsuccessful until Italy entered World War II on the German side in June 1940.
What the Emperor had been warning these ignorant infidels and imbeciles was now revealing. His prophetic speeches and utterances from three years ago were now manifesting.
The Emperor’s pleas for international support did take root in the United States, particularly among African-Americans including the Universal Negros Improvement Association (UNIA) led by Marcus Mosiah Garvey, amongst other organisations sympathetic to the Ethiopian cause.
In December 1937, the Lion of Judah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was to give a Christmas Day radio address to the American people to thank his supporters when his taxi was involved in a traffic accident, leaving him with a fractured knee.
Rather than cancelling the radio appearance, the Lion proceeded in much pain to complete the address, in which he linked Christianity and goodwill with the Covenant of the League of Nations, and asserted that “War is not the only means to stop war”.
Here is the speech:
“With the birth of the son of God, an unprecedented, an unrepeatable, and a long anticipated phenomenon occurred. He was born in a stable instead of a palace, in a manger instead of a crib.
“The hearts of Wise men were struck by fear and wonder due to his majestic humbleness. The Kings prostrated themselves before Him and worshipped Him. Peace be to those who have good will.”
And then he said,
“Although the toils of wise people may earn them respect, it is a fact of life that the spirit of the wicked continues to cast its shadow on this world. The arrogant are seen visibly leading their people into crime and destruction.
“The laws of the League of Nations are constantly violated and wars and acts of aggression repeatedly take place . . . So that the spirit of the cursed will not gain predominance over the human race whom Christ redeemed with his blood, all peace loving people should co-operate to stand firm in order to preserve and promote lawfulness and peace”.
Blessed love Rastafari, let Jah be praised!
Online Reporter