Jamaican Culture
Editorial "THE FAILURE OF HAILE SELASSIE AS EMPEROR" by Marcus Garvey
Published May 27, 2003
Editorial by Marcus Garvey in the Black Man - London, March/April 1937
THE FAILURE OF HAILE SELASSIE AS EMPEROR
When the facts of history are written Haile Selassie of Abyssinia will go down as a great coward who ran away from his country to save his skin and left the millions of his countrymen to struggle through a terrible war that he brought upon them because of his political ignorance and his racial disloyalty.
It is a pity that a man of the limited intellectual calibre and weak political character like Haile Selassie became Emperor of Abyssinia at so crucial a time in the political history of the world. Unfortunately, Abyssinia lost the controlling influence of a political personality of patriotic racial character like the late Menelik, whose loyalty to his race and devotion to his country excelled all his other qualities, to the extent that he was able to use that very strength to continuously safeguard the interests of the Ethiopian Empire. What he did so well to preserve, a cringing, white slave hero worshipper, visionless and disloyal to his country, threw away. This is the impression the serious minded political student forms of the conduct of the ex-Emperor of Abyssinia.
EVERY NEGRO ASHAMED
Every Negro who is proud of his race must be ashamed of the way in which Haile Selassie surrendered himself to the white wolves of Europe. These statements may be considered very severe, and in fact, they are. We could have been otherwise apologetic and sympathetic, but that would have been only if we were dealing with a Coptic Priest or a Religious Monk and not a[n] Emperor who held and presided over the political trust of twelve million people of his own country, and the political destiny of the entire Negro race. This little misguided Emperor could not realise that he held in his hands the political trust of the hundreds of millions of Negroes of the world, men and women, who were looking up toward the firm establishment of political sovereignty, and that Ethiopia, like Liberia and Haiti were to them prizes of glory to be perpetuated and strengthened in the maintenance of the dignity of that black race that other men have claimed to be incompetent, inferior and unworthy, which every black man must disprove.
LOOKED WITH HOPE
When the war started in Abyssinia all Negro nationalists looked with hope to Haile Selassie. They spoke for him, they prayed for him, they sung for him, they did everything to hold up his hands, as Aaron did for Moses; but whilst the Negro peoples of the world were praying for the success of Abyssinia this little Emperor was undermining the fabric of his own kingdom by playing the fool with white men, having them advising him[,] having them telling him what to do, how to surrender, how to call off the successful thrusts of his Rases against the Italian invaders. Yes, they were telling him how to prepare his flight, and like an imbecilic child he followed every advice and then ultimately ran away from his country to England, leaving his people to be massacred by the Italians, and leaving the serious white world to laugh at every Negro and repeat the charge and snare - "he is incompetent," "we told you so." Indeed Haile Selassie has proved the incompetence of the Negro for political authority, but thank God there are Negroes who realise that Haile Selassie did not represent the truest qualities of the Negro race. How could he, when he wanted to play white? how could he, when he surrounded himself with white influence? how could he, when in a modem world, and in a progressive civilization, he preferred a slave State of black men than a free democratic country where the black citizens could rise to the same opportunities as white citizens in their democracies?
TELL THE TRUTH
The truth must be told so that the white world will realise that it was not the pride of the Negro that surrendered in Abyssinia. It was the disloyalty of a single man who was too silly to take pride in his race, who played such a game as to disgrace the political integrity of a noble people. The Negroes of Abyssinia and of the world are satisfied however that Abyssinia was not conquered by Italy and the European forces of Mussolini. Abyssinia was only conquered by the black levies of Italy. The Askaris have really been the victors in Abyssinia. [Rodolfo] Graziani only marched into Addis Ababa after he had made sure of the advanced guard of the Askaris. Every battle that the Italians won in Abyssinia resulted from the advanced charge of the Askaris. It was black men fighting black men, and this was made possible in Abyssinia because the regime of Haile Selassie had given a bad taste to the mouth, not only of the blacks of Abyssinia but of those of the surrounding territories. They felt that they had a cause against the Amharic white loving Emperor who liked to chain and flog black men, and whose brutality to them gave Mussolini the cause to fool the world that he was bestowing a blessing upon the people of Abyssinia by freeing them.
NO SLAVES
It was a piece of impertinence to suggest that black men should be held as slaves. We must admit that we glorified Haile Selassie when the war started, fought his battles to win international support, but we ever felt deep down in our hearts that he was a slave master. We had hoped that if Abyssinia had won that we would have forced the Government of Abyssinia to free the black whom they held as slaves. We would have preferred this than seeing the country taken by Mussolini or any European power; but now that the country is temporarily lost and the Emperor has cowardly exiled himself, the truth must be told.
WHAT RIGHT HAS HE?
The future freedom of Abyssinia must be built upon the highest principles of democracy. That is why it is preferable for the Abyssinian Negroes and the Negroes of the world to work for the restoration and freedom of the country without the assistance of Haile Selassie, because at best he is but a slave master. The Negroes of the Western World whose forefathers suffered for three hundred years under the terrors of slavery ought to be able to appreciate what freedom means. Surely they cannot feel justified in supporting any system that would hold their brothers in slavery in another country whilst they are enjoying the benefits of freedom elsewhere. The Africans who are free can also appreciate the position of slaves in Abyssinia. What right has the Emperor to keep slaves when all the democratic sections of the world were free, when men had the right to live, to develop, to expand, to enjoy all the benefits of human liberty[?]
The Emperor who has been exiled in Europe must have seen the civilization of Europe. In England where he lives he sees that men are not flogged and chained and kicked because of their colour or because of their condition, but where true human liberty guarantees to every man the happiest pursuit he can bring to himself. It has been reported that he is leaving England for Syria, where a large number of Abyssinian refugees are living. There is an interpretation that the decision to leave England and to live among "his people?" in Syria is to perpetuate his divine majesty in the presence of that king worship that he doesn't get in England, where men look at others as equals and not as masters by divine right. In truth, the Emperor is out of place in democratic England. He wants to be once more in the environment of the feudal Monarch who looks down upon his slaves and serfs with contempt. Except he changes the attitude of thinking himself better than the Negro who constitutes the larger number of Ethiopia and profit by the experience he has gained, he should not be a fit person to be in authority in the very country in which he was born. After all, Haile Selassie is just an ordinary man like any other human being. What right has he to hold men as slaves? It is only the misfortune of the slaves that causes him to be a slave master. Negroes who have the dignity of their race at heart resent the impertinence of anyone holding the blacks as slaves. Haile Selassie ought to realise this and abolish his foolish dream of being an Emperor of slaves and serfs and try to be an Emperor of noble men, and for him to be that he must himself be the noblest of them all. He hasn't proved his nobility in the war between Italy and Abyssinia. Ras Desta proved to be the Lord, the Nobleman of Ethiopia whilst Halle Selassie proved a cringing coward!
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Comments
19 comment(s) on this page. Add your own comment below.
Wow. Why was this only released in 2003? Was it lost? Or did no one ever read this before? Its so scathing, and I understand why. However, it seems just too one sided. And it was published in London. The very place Selassie fled to. I'm probably wrong, but I was under the impression that Garvey resided in New York. Im wondering if the message was to dispel the talk of Selassie being divine that was already brewing in Jamaica at that time. It had only been ten years since his famous prophecy of a black king. What is published in London, or was published in London at that time Im sure was disseminated to the Jamaican population as well. I cant see how English blacks would have considered him more than a human. It seems just a tiny bit incredible that Garvey addressed his humanity in that way. As if it was a secret message to the people he once preached to. Other than that, his political analysis seemed extreme yet precise. I'm a little blown away at his condemnation, but the reason is there.
it had cause selassie i so much pain and suffering u don't even know .mussolini fought a dirty war with poisionus mustard gas the ethopians han no chance.selassie i were in england in a place call bath where they had some blacks from the marcus garvey movement call the unia i think it was .marcus garvey had applogise 2 selassie i
As an Ethiopian man I accept what Haileselase did, is right at that time. he never claim he is fighting for black nation but for Ethiopia against fascism but those who accepted him as a massager of God that is their owen problem as Hileselase never claim as a messenger of God And we Ethiopian didn't fight for the race but for the freedom of our country Ethiopian.
Ras Desta Damtew was Haileseallei's son in law. Ras Desta fought in the south and south-eastern front. In 1937 the very ASKARIS Marcus Garvy praised and the Italian fascists hnged him in gurage-land where his blood relatives (equal citizens with 'amharic' in the southern Ethiopia for centuries) live. Ras Desta was one of the only two RASes (the other being Ras Immeru Haileselassei) who stayed behind and fought on after the defeat at Maychew. In Addos Ababa there is a hospital in Ras Desta's memory which stands to this day. I'm sure he would've disagreed with Marcus Garvy as many would.
King David off ancient Israel must have been a coward also. He ran from his own son Absalom who, "declare himself king and raised a revolt at Hebron, the former capital. All Israel and Judah flocked to his side, and David, attended only by the Cherethites and Pelethites and some recent recruits from Gath, found it expedient to Flee". W.E.B. Du Bois called Garvey the most dangerous enemy of the Negro race -- either "a lunatic or a traitor. He said Garvey "suffered from serious defects of temperament and training”. So, Garvey had his critics also. Marcus Garvey never visited Africa-.Yet old Marcus declared himself 'President of Africa" As much as I respect Marcus, I believe the overwhelming pressure of his activism clouded his thoughts at times. The invaders of Ethiopia must have loved Marcus’s article. It is interesting that Marcus was in England when he wrote his commentary. England- the Slave then Colonial masters of Jamaica, where Marcus was born. He was not in his country of birth. Why did Marcus leave Jamaica? was it to volunteer to go to Ethiopia to fight the Italians and show Selassie and the world how brave he was? Check this: "On 18 November 1936, the Italian Empire was officially recognized by the Empire of Japan.[47] Italy in turn recognized the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. The Italian invasion of Ethiopia meant that the Stresa Front was at an end. German dictator Adolf Hitler supported the Italian invasion before it was launched.[49] By contrast, France and Britain recognized Italian control over Ethiopia in 1938. When Britain and Italy signed an agreement that recognized Italian control, Conservative politician Winston Churchill called it "a complete triumph for Mussolini." Only five nations refused to recognize Italian sovereignty over Ethiopia and respected Ethiopian independence: The United States of America, Mexico, the Soviet Union, New Zealand, and the Republic of China (Wikipedia). Did Marcus see the news reels of Selassie's speech before the League of Nations? "Haile Selassie then gave a stirring speech denouncing Italy's actions and criticizing the world community for standing by. At the conclusion of his speech, which appeared on newsreels throughout the world, he warned that: "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow." Japan didn’t see Hiroshima and Nagasaki coming. France didn’t see Hitler coming to take over their country. Where was Marcus when bombs where raining down on England? Where was Marcus when His Majesty returned to the Throne? Remember, Absalom one of David's sons, rallied much of Israel in rebellion against David. Eventually, Joab and his men killed him (2 Samuel 18:1-33). However "this caused David much sorrow " ; On the brink of death, David told Solomon to have Joab killed citing Joab's past betrayals and the blood that he was guilty of, and for this Solomon ordered his death by the hand of Benaiah (1 Kings 2:29-34), Marcus may have rallied some against His Majesty. However, Selassie out lived, Marcus, Hitler, Mussolini, and Churchill. His Majesty sitteth in the empyrean heights. Hail his empyrean I. Hail, Maat. I have not worked witchcraft against the king. I have not cursed the King.(the Judgment of the Dead The Declaration of Innocence). I still love Marcus ,he is also of the tribe of Judah and a National hero of Jamaica. One Love-----Neville Vibes.
every fight against oppression is a battle all black people face. Hailemarim
I think the greater significance of this article in the modern context is that it shows that Rastafarianism is not an idea that Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie formed in conjunction if at all. Whereas both of them were Pan-Africanists, if the two of them had any religious belief in common it was that they were both more or less Christians. In fact upon arriving in Ethiopia to visit Haile Selassie, a delegation of Rastafarians from Jamaica were told by one of his ministers not to mention to Haile Selassie that they defied him since he, being a devout Christian himself, would be offended by such a belief .
"those who are smart enough to runaway live to fight another day. H I M king of kings lord of lords. RASTAFARI ALPHA & OMEGA long live queen mennen
This is nothing less than an absolute shocker! It is really hard to understand why an article of this nature is not more popular. I have had studies in Rastafari culture as well as Garveyism and it has never come up before. As Martin commented, there is reason enough to doubt the authenticity of this article based on where it was published. Nonetheless, it's quite alarming that Marcus Garvey who used the coronation of His Majesty as a point of reference for black people to look to Africa for prosperity and the crowning of a Black King, to slaughter HIM as he did in this article. Garvey made a few valid points in the argument he puts forward, but as a lover of Garvey, he almost never writes as one sided as he sounds in the article. At no point did he commend Haile Selassie for any achievements or advancements made in Ethiopia (I have sourced other writings where he [Marcus] praises the Emperor for his accomplishments) so its hard to believe that he would outrightly refer to His Majesty in saying "It is a pity that a man of the limited intellectual calibre and weak political character like Haile Selassie became Emperor of Abyssinia at so crucial a time in the political history of the world." I view Haile Selassie as the King of the blacks and Marcus Garvey as the highest black prophet so a clash of this magnitude is quite nonsensical, especially since His Majesty continued ruling Ethiopia. Ultimately, whatever Ras Tafari did worked, for to this day, Ethiopia remains unconquered by European powers and Haile Selassie has made the most significant Political advances for black people through his time with the League of Nations (now United Nations).
like someone commented ,why only now is this garvey article being made known too the public. The end results still shows that ethopia was victorious at the end of the war ,and it was victorious with its King leading them into victory . In my personal veiws those remarks were not made by marcus but by some one who is tryin too take JAH glory , but that will never happen .History will show and continue His golry and His perfection.LONG LIVE THE KING OF KING .
Mr. Garvey was a real hater. Someone should have told him that he just coudn't do it like the king.
It is pure foolishness to think that Garvey was not the one who wrote this. Bobo Kylie said this because if he believes this, this would shake down the foundations of his religion since he sees that Garvey was a prophet and he is divine. My beloved, Gavrey never embraced the Rastafari faith. U should do a little research on Garvey and then u will find out about his religious background. I give thanks for the great works that garvey did and I will in no way endeavor to condemn him and his works, but at the same time we have to know the truth and accept it fully. Haile selassie is Almighty and prophet, priest and King. All praises to HIM Emperor Haile Selassie and no one else. He is the three in one and Hot Fire on all other so called trinities.
His divinity cannot be denied based on historical facts. Praise H.I.M.
A bit strange how Garvey held such a stance here...this posturing was never passed down to any of the elders still here with us. There would have been serious odds in discussions since YEARS AGO!!! WE ARE NOT IGNORANT, STILL THEM TRY TO PUT JUDGES.....Garvey comes off here describing HIM as a white man who owns slaves. Don't forget that Garvey stood on the back of Fredrick Douglass, the first Black President and it was the Black American who put Garvey upon their (our) backs and created everything Garvey ever did. Garvey gave is first public speech in Harlem USA on 137th street , established UNIA and secures millions of dollars from the dedication of Black Americans mainly. Where is any evidence of any communication, letters between Garvey and HIM? After Garvey proclaimed the coming of the King, we are now to consider that Garvey was ashamed of his revelation to the point that he thoroughly discredits HIM?....Is it not Garvey who at the end was in the clutches of captives?
Poor Marcus...,lost the limelight he had during' the heyday of the 1920's. As such, he saw the rising star of the great King and became jealous and bitter. His anaysis of Selassie I is a joke that no rational person would consider seriously unless they are enemies of justice,love and fairplay. If you ask me to take sides in this issue between God and mammon, I'm going with Haile Selassie I. Marcus is mammon but Selassie I is God Almighty.
It is so unfair that one can make so much criticism about His Imperial Majesty, of whom I feel knew nothing about......England....the land that I grew up in, I feel, has no real sincerity towards black people.....unlike my Emperor, who proved in my opinion to be the true Roaring Lion, who stood up not only as a real man, but as a true leader, by standing up for the rights of his people and injustices throughout the world....So many european countries, nevertheless, showed more sincerity towards him then his own people (Bible Note:...and his own knew him not...) For example, America honored His Imperial Majesty by having a parade for him and show their appreciation of HIM true revelation of the war that knocked down the doors of Europeans, by mad men such as (adolf hitler and mussolini) .....I know that the author would not have had the mental and physical strength that H.I.M. showed on that day before the League of Nations, nuff said.....I am who I am. Long Live the truth and Long Live HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. YAHWEH RULES
Just like how John the baptist question Jesus Christ same way Marcus Garvey question HIM Haile Selassie I who livity is to fulfill prophesy.
I read this article years ago; my impression was a fox can't get the berries so dem not sweet...Garvey had a lot of issues,but he was also a fiery orator...Garvey was not wrong to say the things he did considering the signs of the time...it would have been wise for HIM to surround himself with Blacks, he did it from 1935-1941 and they disappointed him...I think Garvey was also jealous he wasn't invited the coronation, but I also heard that HIM and Garvey had a secret relationship known only to a few. One thing is sure...when Garvey was asking "Where is the Black Man's King/country/god etc...he neglected to acknoweldge HIM, if only with HIM being a descendant of an ancient history...I didmissed this story because HIM had to play his cards the way he did...Ethiopia was the last soverign nation on continental Africa...there were no real black leaders then in Africa to support Judah financially or any other way...HIM was a great strategist but he never experienced racism before...he had to learn how raw and nasty it was and when he did...all he wanted was to end colonialism...Africa for Africans at home and abroad...where was Garvey then?
jah nigh, you find a parrallel between what Jesus said and this? there is nothing similar, however Jesus is the Christ and Selassie was not.
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