Comments on: Haile Selassie in America: Q & A with Professor Ted Vestal

By: Addis

Addis — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 14:17:55 +0000

Dr. Vestal, I have read your book and enjoyed every page of it. It’s a pleasure to get to know you further through this wonderful interview with Tadias! A wise person once said if we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

By: George

George — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:07:14 +0000

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

By: Kath dahl

Kath dahl — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 07:35:29 +0000

I always thought the Emperor to be a great man. No one gave him credit for all he tried to do. I wept when I saw his remains being uncovered after all those years of being buried in an unmarked grave. It seemed so shameful that the last King of Sheba’s Race had been buried like a dog in his own back yard and it was a terrible thing to see.

By: Ida Metaferia

Ida Metaferia — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 20:57:22 +0000

We have an incredible history. Hope this piece also serves as a reminder to the current generation not to repeat the madnesss of the past. Let alone HIM no human-being deserves to be dumped in a basement, toilet, near a toilet, or backyard for so many years in the manner in which they handled him. Thank you for bringing this story to light. History should not be swept under the carpet however painful it may be.

By: Asrat

Asrat — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 11:03:35 +0000

Glad that his majesty is now resting at Kidist Selassie betekristian. But it is endeed a shame how they did him at the end. Rumor also has it that he was burried near a restroom outside the apartment in the back not under it. Either way, it was disrespectful and disgusting. It must not happen again.

By: Zemen Alfa

Zemen Alfa — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:32:56 +0000

“Ethiopia wanted American assistance in expanding and modernizing its military, help with modernization of the economy, and political support.” That’s in the 1950′s but it sounds like today. Four Point is now USAID. What’s changed? To be bold and answer my question. Only time has changed.

By: hannah

hannah — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:15:07 +0000

I truly enjoyed reading the details of the negotiation points of the first treaty as well as learn more about the point four program. Thank you for being so devoted to sharing the rich history between our two nations.

By: Gurbattii

Gurbattii — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:14:42 +0000

Since the creation of Ethiopia we were led by dictators. When ever a dictator dies by any means, we start from zero. What a cursed country????!!!!!!

By: Meron

Meron — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 22:51:52 +0000

There is no doubt that Ethiopia has the potential to rise again. But first the zombie, closed minded generation, that currently controls power must die off. Until then, Ethiopia is screwed.

By: Dave Seattle

Dave Seattle — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 19:58:45 +0000

Fascinating!! What a rich and educational Q & A!

By: Ras

Ras — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:51:55 +0000

It is unfortunate and very sad that a man who represented his country in such an honorable way, even attending the funeral of other world leaders, treated like a dog by his own people. What a Shame! The fugitive dictator Mengistu Hilemariam is the only person who knows the truth of Emperor Haile Selassie’s death. Of course he claimed “natural causes”. That’s as good as the crazy Mengistu (the man with a distinct features) declaring that he is a “Chinese jet pilot.” He could have said that and no one would have dared to disagree with him, except to salute and say “Enashenifalen!” Here is how the dictator’s puppies described the death of the Emperor to the New York Times on August 28, 1975. “Haile Selassie, the last emperor in the 3,000-year-old Ethiopian monarchy, who ruled for half a century before he was deposed by military coup last September, died yesterday in a small apartment in his former palace. He was 83 years old. His death was played down by the military rulers who succeeded him in Addis Ababa, who announced it in a normally scheduled radio newscast there at 7 A.M. They said that he had been found dead in his bed by a servant, and that the cause of death was probably related to the effects of a prostate operation Haile Selassie underwent two months ago. The broadcast said that the once-revered “Lion of Judah’s” only surviving daughter, Princess Tenagne-Work, visited the former Emperor Tuesday at his request, after he had determined that his health was rapidly deteriorating. But in London, Crown Prince Afsa Wossen Haile Selassie, who has been living abroad since the leftist government in Ethiopia formally declared an end to the monarchy last March, said his father had been in “excellent health.” In a written statement issued in London, it was said that “the Crown Prince demands that independent doctors and the International Red Cross be allowed to carry out an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death of Ethiopia’s and Africa’s father.” Official sources said that burial of the former Emperor would be “in the strictest privacy.” According to Ethiopian custom, burial must take place within 24 hours after death. As a symbol of regal power, His Imperial Majesty the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Haile Selassie I, Elect of God, Emperor of Ethiopia, had ruled his ancient realm as a medieval autocrat.”

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0723.html

By: Mule

Mule — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:29:44 +0000

Splendid! Just ordered the book. BTW, the photos are priceless, especially the cover.

By: Asnake

Asnake — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:03:35 +0000

Informative and thoughtful interview! Thank you.

By: sheba

sheba — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:20:08 +0000

Ethiopia has had many great leaders. Visionaries like Haile Selassie are finally getting the recognition they deserve as world statesmen. It has been said that when young Ethiopian men and women were sent abroad for academic studies, they were encouraged by the late emperor to remember that they are ‘ambassadors of their country,’ and that they should behave as such. Let us, who are residing in the diaspora, take these words of wisdom and act with strength, beauty, and determination to make Ethiopia proud.

By: Gizaw H. Mariam

Gizaw H. Mariam — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:06:39 +0000

This is part of history that we must preserve to tell the truth to the next generation of Ethiopians. I would like to get a copy of this book.

Regards,

Gizaw.