Prof. Ted Vestal is releasing a new book titled The Lion of Judah in the New World: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Shaping of Americans’ Attitudes toward Africa
The book relates how Emperor Haile Selassie helped shape America’s image of Africa and how that image continues to evolve in the United States today.
Haile Selassie was the first African head of state to be honored with a tickertape parade in New York City and the first African head of state to spend the night at the White House. What was it about this charismatic leader that so captivated Americans? How did he become a symbol of all Africa?
The book tells the story of a dynamic ruler who influenced the perception of an entire continent. Documenting the Emperor’s state visits to North America, the book explores U.S. foreign policy towards Ethiopia and Africa over two decades. At the same time, it seeks to understand why Haile Selassie enjoyed such celebrity in the United States and how he became so important in determining U.S. attitudes toward Africa.
The book includes a brief biography of the Emperor and also explores the geography and long, colorful history of Ethiopia. The tensions and contradictions that marked Haile Selassie’s life are highlighted in significant episodes that underscore his astute use of public relations and personal diplomacy. His leadership of postcolonial Africa during the Cold War is examined, as is his ultimate rejection by the United States in 1973 that marked the end of the monarchy and ushered in the tragic fratricide of Ethiopian civil war.
Highlights
• Analyzes how Emperor Haile Selassie shaped Americans’ perceptions of and attitudes toward Africa and its people, shedding light on U.S. relations with African nations today
• Covers two decades of U.S. policy towards Ethiopia and Africa as reflected in the six state visits of Emperor Haile Selassie to the United States
• Delves into the personality of Haile Selassie, one of the 20th century’s most charismatic figures, and explains why he enjoyed such celebrity
• Explores the fascinating history of Ethiopia, one of the world’s oldest civilizations
In a recent speech on civil liberties, British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said that the U.K. coalition government would restore civil liberties with the same systematic ruthlessness with which the former government took them away. It is this corrupt U.K. libel law that Ethiopia’s ruling party and its billionaire financier Al Amoudi are trying to exploit in their campaign to shut down Ethiopian Review. Read more about DPM Clegg’s speech below.
(BBC) — […] Mr Clegg said the coalition government would restore civil liberties with the same systematic ruthlessness with which the former government took them away.
And he said he wanted to reform libel and turn the law from “an international laughing-stock to an international blueprint.”
He said a forthcoming draft libel bill would propose a statutory defence for those speaking out in the public interest, “whether they be big broadcasters or the humble blogger”.
That move, which was being considered by the former Labour government when it ran out of time, comes after a string of cases in which scientific writers have been sued over legitimate academic research or studies.
Mr Clegg said libel should also be reformed to better reflect “the realities of the internet” and also to end “libel tourism” under which foreign claimants sue foreign publications or writers in the British courts.
“We want public-spirited academics and journalists to be fearless in publishing legitimate research. Not least when it relates to medical care or public safety,” he said.
“It is a farce – and an international embarrassment – that the American Government has felt it necessary to legislate to protect their citizens from our libel laws.”
The disgraced chairman of AEUP and Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, and his deputy, Ato Yakob Likie have been attacked by AEUP members at the party’s office in Addis Ababa yesterday. The 76-year-old Hailu Shawel sprinted to his car and escaped while Yakob, who couldn’t run as fast, was caught and pummeled by angry AEUP members who accused them of handing over the party to the ruling party, Woyanne.
The problem started when Hailu Shawel manipulated the AUEP election and got himself elected two weeks ago through bribery after previously announcing his retirement.
The person who was favored by most members to take over as chairman was Ato Tadios Tantu, who was not Hailu Shawel’s choice. Hailu wanted Yakob Likie to become the new chairman. When the members rejected Yakob, who is accused by AEUP activist of having close ties with Woyanne, Hailu Shawel’s employees hijacked the election process and demanded his reelection.
Hailu’s action angered most of the senior members of the executive committee, including Ato Mamushet Amare, and Wzr. Mesobework Kitaw.
During an acrimonious meeting that was held last Saturday, Mamushet Amare told Yakob, “You can inherit Hailu Shawel’s personal properties, but not AEUP.” When the meeting became hard to control, Hailu Shawel called Woyanne police and removed several senior AEUP members from the meeting.
The members who rejected Hailu Shawel’s actions and his return to AEUP held their own meeting and formed an emergency committee to be chaired by Wzr. Mesobwerk Kitaw. The emergency committee has released a statement explaining its objectives (click here to read).
The latest news that came out of Eritrea regarding Ethiopian resistance fighters sent shock waves through Ethiopian communities all over. The report, which is posted on Ethiomedia last night, says that 17 members of the Ethiopian People’s Patriotic Front (EPPF) have been executed following the organization’s general assembly in February 2010. The executions were carried out on the orders of Col. Fitusm Yitshak, Eritrean adviser to Ethiopian opposition groups in Eritrea, the report adds. The victims are:
I have met some of these individuals at the Feb. 2010 general assembly. One of them, Esubalew Hailu, was sitting in front of me. He was asking tough questions and taking the leadership to task on a number of issues. Adane Mekuannent, the former secretary general, is a highly respected fighter and an outspoken person. He was prevented from attending the general assembly. When we asked where he is, we were told that he is on a mission.
I have known and repeatedly asked explanation about the disappearance of most of the individuals in the list, on top of several others, including Shibabaw Abebe, who was a well known anti-Woyanne rebel leader in Wolkait before joining EPPF.
There were several incidents of mutiny following the disappearance of these EPPF fighters, most of whom are central committee members who were elected at the Feb. 2010 general assembly. Subsequently, the rank-and-file members started to desert in droves, and according to my sources inside EPPF, only about 70 fighters left now.
I’ve been trying to verify the authenticity of the Ethiomedia report from multiple source. What I have been able to confirm so far is that the individuals in the list have indeed disappeared without a trace, but not all of my sources could tell me that they have first hand information on whether they have been executed.
Due to the extreme gravity of the report, I urge the Government of Eritrea to launch an investigation without delay. Since many of the individuals in the list are members of the EPPF central committee, it will not take long for the GOE to find out what happened to them.
When I traveled to Eritrea last February, I, along with others who went with me, had called for the creation of an inquiry panel composed of 3 individuals from EPPF and 3 individuals from the Government of Eritrea (GOE) to investigate the alleged corruption inside EPPF and the disappearance of members. The request was shot down and we were accused by Col. Fitsum, through his puppets, of trying to cause friction between EPPF and the GOE.
Because of Ethiomedia’s strong anti-Shabia stand, I have heard some Ethiopians expressing doubt about the report. Ethiomedia’s editor Abraha Belai may have anti-Shabia bias, but as a professional journalist who takes his profession seriously, I don’t think he would post such an extremely shocking news without doing due diligence. The issue at hand is not the messenger of the news, but what happened to these 17 individuals and many others, including Col. Tadesse Muluneh, who have disappeared following the Feb. 2010 general assembly.
Ethiopian billionaire businessman Ato Al Amoudi has filed a lawsuit against Ethiopian Review in a U.K. high court. The lawsuit claims that the magazine:
…has gravely injured the reputation of the Claimant, has exposed him to public scandal, contempt and odium and has caused him considerable embarrassment and distress.
I am glad that Ethiopian Review has caused this much harm to the scumbag Woyanne blood sucker. More is coming at him once the trial starts in court.
Some of the witnesses mentioned in the lawsuit are Woyanne Ambassador in London and other embassy staff.
I’m not sure why Al Amoudi decided to sue me in a British high court since Ethiopian Review is based in the U.S. Also he might have spent over $10,000 to a private investigation firm to find me and serve me with the lawsuit. I was having lunch at a restaurant today when a 7-foot, 250 lbs man claiming to be a former FBI agent served me with the court papers. Apparently, he and his partners have been tracking me across eastern United States since mid December. They could have just called me and I would have gone to their office to pick up the papers. I myself was eager to face the bozo in court. (Click here to read the charges)
Ethiopian Review Legal Fund has been reactivated to fight back the lawsuit. Click here for more information.
Over eighty Ethiopians and Somalis have drowned after two boats capsized as they headed for Yemen today, CNN reported. Many of them are feared dead.
(CNN) — More than 80 people are feared drowned after two boats capsized off the coast of Yemen, the coast guard in Aden said Monday.
Yemen’s Interior Ministry confirmed the incident on their state-run news site, adding that the two boats capsized in two different accidents and at two different sites.
According to a report on the official website of Yemen’s ruling party, three survivors have been recovered, all Somalis, from a boat that carried 46 people. The second boat was believed to have 35 to 40 people aboard. Most of those missing are thought to be from Ethiopia.
Search efforts were underway for any more possible survivors, coast guard officials are quoted as saying.
Haile Selassie was the first African head of state to be honored with a tickertape parade in New York City and the first African head of state to spend the night at the White House. What was it about this charismatic leader that so captivated Americans? How did he become a symbol of all Africa?