Born Ras Tafari Makonnen on July 23, 1892, in Ejersa Goro, Ethiopia, Selassie was a descendant of King Solomon. He rose to the throne under Empress Zewditu when he was 38 years old, a journey that saw him rule Ethiopia until 1974. As a skilled diplomat, Selassie represented not only Ethiopia but also Africa as a whole, leading his country, which was never colonized, with its civilization said to be older than that of the USA.
His influence was noticed globally, even without social media. In 1966, Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, where the Rastafarian culture became a recognized global community, a culture named after him. Many celebrated him as a divine figure, ‘a god’, calling him the King of Kings, the one prophesied in the Book of Revelation. However, despite his international success, Selassie’s authority began to weaken at home. At the height of the famine in 1973, Ethiopia had exported over 200,000 tons of grain, leading many to deem him a leader who didn’t care for his people. This sparked military protests led by Colonel Mengistu, who took over the country, aiming to end the 3,000-year-old Ethiopian monarchy rule.
Mengistu seized the Jubilee Palace, renaming it the National Palace, and escorted the Emperor out through a side door. The Emperor was taken to the headquarters of the 4th Army Division, where many of his former ministers and allies were already imprisoned. On the bloody night of November 23rd, 1974, Colonel Mengistu ordered the execution of the prisoners, those working with Haile Selassie. They were transported to Akaki Gaul, the large central prison in Addis Ababa, Under the cover of darkness, they were ushered into the prison courtyard and made to stand with their face to the wall, 2 by 2. Then each pair was shot dead, one after the other. Bodies were hastily buried in shallow graves, with quicklime scattered to hasten decomposition.
Selassie was spared but spent his final days in captivity. On August 27th, 1975, Colonel Mengistu visited him in the middle of the night. The next day, the military council announced that he had passed away after failing to recover from a prostate operation. However, his personal doctor and Eshetu, who stayed with him, revealed a different story. Eshetu testified that Selassie was drugged and suffocated in his sleep, and he found him motionless in the morning while taking breakfast to his bedroom. Despite requests from many officials to examine the body, Mengistu firmly denied access to the palace, he also denied a proper Christian burial.
In 1991, after the fall of Mengistu’s regime, It was discovered that Colonel Mengistu took the emperor’s remains and Burried them under the floorboards of a palace toilet. Alongside the emperor’s remains, a mass grave was discovered in the courtyard where victims of the November 1974 execution had been buried. Despite efforts to eliminate the Solomonic empire, Haile Selassie’s legacy endures. Today, he is celebrated as the last powerful leader of the 20th and 21st centuries, and his influence on the Rastafarian culture remains unchanged.
On November 5th, 2000, 25 years after his death, Haile Selassie was finally given a dignified burial.
Ethiopia, the only country in Africa with its own calendar, alphabet, and policies, continues to thrive with a rich history dating back to the times of King Solomon
Written By Luckson F Mvula
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