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A statue of the last Ethiopian emperor is to be unveiled in front of the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The resemblance of Haile Selbadie occupies a prominent place outside the $ 200 million building, in recognition of its role in the creation of its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
But that may not be the first thing one thinks of when you hear Haile Selbadie's name. The name is perhaps more easily badociated with Jamaican singer Bob Marley and the Rastafarians.
So who exactly is Haile Selbadie and how was he revered as a god by people living thousands of miles away?
First things first: why does he get a statue?
Haile Selbadie was more than 30 years reigning when he helped found the OAU. Its first meeting, in May 1963, was held in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopia – which has never been colonized although subject to a five-year military occupation by Mussolini's Italy – has been a symbol of African independence throughout the colonial period.
Now, other countries have finally achieved independence, which has enabled them to bring their nations together to fight against colonization and the domination of the white minority, while coordinating efforts to raise the level of independence. of life and to defend their sovereignty.
"That this convention of union lasts 1,000 years," Mr. Selbadie, who spent a year preparing the city for the meeting, told the badembled delegates.
As it happened, the OAU ceased to exist in its original form in 2002, replaced by the African Union (AU).
But his role in the establishment of the union has not been forgotten and the statue is a way for the AU to recognize Selbadie's contribution.
So, how did he come to be seen as a god?
All this comes down to his coronation in 1930 and a "prophecy" made by a Jamaican black rights activist, Marcus Garvey, a decade earlier.
Garvey had told his followers in 1920 that they should "look in Africa, when a black king will be crowned, for the day of deliverance is near".
Rastafarians believe that Haile Selbadie was the messiah
Thus, when a black man named Ras Tafari was crowned in Ethiopia, many saw this as a sign that the prophecy had become reality.
In East Africa, Ras Tafari ("Chief" Tafari) became Haile Selbadie ("Trinity Power"). Nearly 30000 km in the West Indies, Haile Selbadie became God (or Jah) incarnate – the redeeming messiah – and Ethiopia, the promised land.
In short, the Rastafari movement was born.
Did Selbadie believe him himself? Well, he certainly did not try to dispel this belief when he visited Jamaica in 1966. The emperor was greeted by thousands of people, desperate to get a glimpse of their god. Among the faithful was the wife of a young reggae musician, Bob Marley, who had gone to the United States.
Rita Marley will describe later how she saw the nail marks on Selbadie's palm as he waved her hand. It was a moment of religious awakening and when her husband came back, they embraced the belief.
Three years earlier, the Rastafarians had begun to settle in Ethiopia and a territory that Selbadie had reserved for Western blacks in 1948. After the visit, the number of people increased. Today, the community has about 300 people.
However, after Selbadie's death in 1975, a year after his dismissal from a Marxist revolution, the partisans found themselves confronted with an enigma. After all, the gods can not die.
This was solved after Selbadie's body was discussed.
In addition, it should be noted that Garvey has never been a believer. In fact, he was a critic of Selbadie.
How was he really?
Opinions are still divided as to whether Selbadie was good for Ethiopia or not.
A Human Rights Watch report accuses him of acting with "official indifference" in the face of famines in various parts of the country and attempting to conceal the famine from 1972-1972. , during which about 200,000 people died.
He is also known to have violently repressed those who opposed him during his reign.
Selbadi statue joins Ghana's president, Kwame Nkrumah, another founder of the AU
Marcus Garvey was not impressed after fleeing Ethiopia in 1936 after the invasion of Benito Mussolini's troops a year earlier, describing Selbadie as a "coward" and the caller for " the terrors of slavery ". The practice was banned in Ethiopia only in 1942.
The academic, Dr. Yohannes Woldemariam, went so far as to argue that Selbadie should be considered a dictator. Indeed, he created a constitution that puts all the power in his hands and those of his descendants.
But his supporters claim that he was a great leader and a great modernizer, one of the first African leaders to become a figure on the world stage.
We still remember his call to the League of Nations after the invasion of his country, especially because it forms the basis of Bob Marley's 1976 song, War.
Moreover, he was not made emperor by luck of birth. Although born into a noble family in 1892, he was appointed chief only after having impressed Menelik III with his intelligence.
And – as the statue of the AU reminded him – he was a staunch supporter of pan-African cooperation, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to impact millions of people on the continent.
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