A short elegy.

By: Imru Zelleke
July 23, 2010.

July 23, 1892 is the date of birth of Teferi Makonnen, Haile Sellassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia.

In reminiscing about Emperor Haile-Sellassie, or any other Emperor of Ethiopia one must first understand the history of the Ethiopian Monarchy its legends, fables and its myths; notions that are  woven in the Ethiopian psyche. According to history the Ethiopian Monarch are descendents of King Solomon and theQueen of Sheba, whose progeny was Menelik I, the first King of Ethiopia. Whether this is real or a myth is not important. Just like Biblical history it is a matter of faith

Thus, all Ethiopian monarchies have existed in the absolute belief of their rights and duties inherited from this history and myths, which they considered as a sacred trust and their manifest destiny. Axum, Roha, Lalibela, Gonder, monasteries, churches and archeological sites we see today; literature, laws and social canons derive from Biblical times and inspirations. Hence, we must reckon   that the personality of Emperor Haile Sellassie and his generation was shaped by this absolute faith. For instance when the revision of the Constitution was made, I was secretary of the drafting committee, when a suggestion came from one of the foreign advisers that the term “Elect by God” be taken out from the titles naming the Emperor. When I reported the matter to the Emperor, he said “Were it not the will of God, how do you think that I came to this position?” and he mean it.

Cultured by religious indoctrination both Coptic Orthodox classical education, and western Catholic influence through the French monks that were his foreign tutors.  Having lost his mother at an early age and his father in his teens, growing in Imperial  Court must have been an onerous and challenging burden for the young prince. The entourage of loyal and wise men, to whom his father had entrusted his upbringing, was also a precious support in mastering and surviving the byzantine politics of the court. Here we have a man with a fifteen century political and social traditions of the state, in a twentieth century world. A man of exceptional intelligence having visited Europe and meeting many statesmen and politicians, although without academic discipline, he must have acquired and sensed the importance of bringing Ethiopia into the modern world. Following his predecessor Menelik, he gave priority to education throughout his life and to modernize the state institutions as best he could.

Securing the country’s independence and sovereignty, obtaining for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church her own Patriarchal status, gaining for Ethiopia her rightful international recognition and respect, providing free education to all, returning Eritrea to the motherland and restoring her legitimate seashores, introducing a modern judicial system and codifications of the Laws, modernizing the state apparatus, creating a modern defense force (army, air force and navy), adopting a quinquennial socio-economic development plans, introducing autonomy to provincial administration, establishing banks and financial institutions, airline, telecommunications, highways, ports, and many other modern structural  reforms was no easy task when starting from scratch, little money, and scarce human resources, and last but least conducting an independent neutral foreign policy, in spite enormous international pressures of all kinds, was no mean achievement. Obviously all these changes generated their own dynamics and expectations beyond the capabilities of the state. Moreover, the aging Emperor had lost the edge and drive of his early years. Like all one man rules he did not build strong political institutions which probably he looked upon as challenges to his authority, neither his absolute hold on power did allow for strong political personalities to emerge. As it were, one could say that he suffered of “professional deformation“ if there is such profession as Emperor or dictator. Nevertheless, he conceded graciously to the revolution and did not allow any violent action against the change, which probably would have been less painful than the cataclysm that has followed the fall of his regime. After all he left a stable country with established solid bases upon which a modern and prosperous Ethiopia could have been built.

 He also had his human sides, he loved his family and was very loyal to those who served him faithfully, whatever flow in their character. He loved animals of all sorts, dogs, horses, lions, leopards, chitas that were kept in the palace gardens.   As for money and luxuries, from my experience, he was very parsimonious and very simple in his taste. During his first visit to America, one of his nieces was to join hi suite from England, as I was in Paris at that time he ordered me to buy her some  appropriate clothing, which I did with the help of my wife Woyzero Martha Nessibou. When I presented him the bill that amounted about one thousand three hundred dollars, he got surprised and said “How did you spend so much on cloths?”  Once he was  in Berne, on official visit to Switzerland, and some antique dealer offered for sale  the  beautiful photograph of a Luis XIV desk. The Emperor ordered me to go and buy it. I went to the store and saw the desk which was really magnificent. However, the price he was asking was rather low for such an antique piece which made me suspicious. I asked the owner if he could provide me with a proof that the  piece was authentic. He declined and said that it was a copy and that the original was in the Buckingham Palace. When I reported that I did not buy the piece because it was a copy and not the original, he got very angry, and said “You did not buy it because you are jealous!”. Later when I explained that he would have been even more angry had I brought a copy, he was silent for a moment then said “You did well”. I cannot say that I have had a very close  contacts with the Emperor, but that he was generally kind to me, especially in later years they were rather warm.

When I return to government after ten years, in spite of some peoples objections and my active role in opposition politics, he did not deny me my seniority.  In fact I could speak more freely with him, than with some of the ministers.  He never rejected any proposal I made, provided that he understood clearly what I was suggesting.

I believe that he was a great human being with all the human defaults and one of the greatest leaders Ethiopia ever had,  and that he deserves  a memorable epitaph.