Ethiopian World Federation Index

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“Be it understood that while we Ethiopian are justly proud of our national heritage, we do not look backwards to find our national purpose but forwards to the full realization of Our national goals.” 
--HIM Haile Selassie I, May 7, 1965 

“The ownership of a plot of land must be brought within the capacity of everyone who so desires. . . . It is Our task and responsibility, as it is of Our Government, to transform these objectives into coherent, acceptable and realistic legislative and financial programmes and to see to their accomplishment. If this is done, the duty owed to the Ethiopian nation and people will be discharged.. To succeed will require the single-minded, tenacious, and unselfish dedication of each one of us.”       
--HIM Haile Selassie I, Nov. 3, 1966 

“Even assuming, however, that the will and the desire exist, there remains the immensely difficult and complex task of organizing the nation’s energies and resources and directing them in a well-conceived and fully integrated fashion to the achieving of carefully studied and clearly defined ends.”
--HIM Haile Selassie I, Nov. 4, 1967 

“What Our country needs now is an increase in the supply of trained and skilled manpower, men, of professional integrity.” 
–HIM Haile Selassie, July 16, 1969

EWF UPDATE

Fifth Columns that in the past have damaged the EWF are imploding like dying stars. In their aftermath, well-meaning people in the spirit of the Federation who sought membership and were consequently victimized by Fifth Column fraud have been reaching out to members of the Executive Council, and a very positive moment of open discussion has developed. Affected members will be gathering this month to seize this opportunity.

International Officers ON THE MOVE

In the past two months, the International Organizer has traveled from England to America for organizing purposes, and the International President and an EWF Member recently journeyed to Antigua, Dominica and Martinique, distributing the EWF Constitution and the Voice of Ethiopia newsletters. They met with the Co-Chairman and some members of the Caribbean Rastafari Organization (CRO), as well as the Nyahbinghi Center in New Town, Dominica. Throughout the visit, They visited with EWF members in their homes, including President elect of the Maritnique Local #7 Yemikelakel.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The EWF is only as strong as its functioning membership. Up 'til now, the EWF has been merely a loose network of "members", scattered individuals and small groups, and not the efficient, well-oiled VEHICLE of activated Ethiopian Unity. This will change, naturally, through a properly conducted

MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN.

On the AU Celebration for Bob Marley's 60th Earthday 
by Ras Nathaniel

Last year, the London-based New African magazine of the African Diaspora compiled its list of the 100 most influential Africans ever. Topping the list was Kwame Nkrumah, followed by Nelson Mandela and then Robert Mugabe, Patrice Lumumba (6th), Martin Luther King (7th), Malcolm X (9th). Bob Marley was ranked 18th. HIM Haile Selassie ranked only 10th.

Now, to put this into perspective, consider that the very first Coronation ceremony every recorded (on a mace-head found at Quibel) was that of the 1st Dynasty Pharoah Menes. Menes was renown for having united Upper and Lower Kemet, the two lands, thus Menes wore the double-crown, and standard-bearers-flag bearers of the surrounding lands accompanied emissaries to pay tribute to Menes sitting on a throne and under a pavilion. Throughout the entire Kemetic Dynasties and Kingdoms, it was always a southern, Nubian/Ethiopian ruler who saved Egypt from destruction by uniting the Horn of Africa. Now go back and look at the pictures of Haile Selassie's coronation and compare it with the mace-head depicting the Coronation of Menes and notice that they are near exactly the same! Thus, Emperor Haile Selassie's Coronation, replete with standard-bearers and diplomats from around the world, was a very real, living continuation of the entire Kemetic ancient history. Moreover, Ethiopia was the last remaining un-colonized territory in 1936. Having defeated the Italians in the battle of Armageddon, Haile Selassie successfully managed to create the Organization of African Unity, Uniting some 34 "lands" by 1964. So consider now Pharaoh Menes, who united just two lands, versus Haile Selassie, who established the OAU in his capital city! . . . . . . .What does this have to do with Bob Marley? Well, to begin with, it was Bob who livicated his music, "Reggae" music, "to the King" whom he also declared was God Almighty. Bob was given the name Berhane Selassie which means "Light of the Trinity" because, more than any other, Bob shined the light on His Imperial Majesty. 

Every Bob Marley fan is familiar with the famous picture of Bob pointing up in the air while a spotlight illuminated a backdrop of Haile Selassie in His Coronation robes. 

The purpose of Bob's music was to spread the message of Rastafari, demanding, "Give us the teachings of His Imperial Majesty."

From this perspective, then, it seems very backwards that Bob Marley, Kwame Nkrumah, or anyone else should be considered greater and more influential than His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie.

We must take a more critical look, now that the African Union is mobilizing tremendous resources to honor Bob Marley on his 60th birthday.

Perhaps Rita Marley is to be congratulated for her effort to "repatriate" Bob's bones to Shashemane. Some may argue that this will lead to tourist dollars and development for Shashemane, which they view as a positive step in the right direction. They are not alone because many African government officials are looking to tourism to become the engine for economic growth. However, is this what Bob would have wanted?

If Bob were here today, would he have argued that his bones were more important than the living? What about all the living descendants of the Africans who were brought to the Americas in chains against their will who still desire to Repatriate to their ForeMother and ForeFathers' land? Is it more important to mobilize resources to bring Bob's bones home than it is to bring the Repatriate the Rastafari Family?

For those who see things Biblically, never were the patriarchs bones returned to ancestral lands ahead of the people, for who would there be to carry them?

Exodus: Movement of Jah People

Time Magazine named Bob's Exodus the album of the Millennium. Exodus encapsulated the vision of the Rastafari Repatriation Movement that was initiated by Ras Tafari himself in the summer of 1919 when the Imperial Commander of the Ethiopian Army, and the Mayors of Addis Ababa and Gondar, while visiting the United States, offered an invitation to Repatriate on behalf of Ethiopian Regent and Plenipotentiary Ras Tafari, to Rabbi Arnold Ford, leader of the Hebrew Israelites in New York, and Musical Director of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

Given that the UNIA was the largest, greatest organization of the scattered Ethiopians/Africans, it made perfect sense for Ras Tafari to make the offer to the UNIA. Finally, as musical director, Rabbi Arnold Ford could use the traditional, spiritual medium of song (psalms, hymns), to communicate the Ethiopian message to the mass of black people scattered in north, south and central America. This, Rabbi Ford did, as a forerunner to Bob, and it is no coincidence that the “Universal Ethiopian Anthem” is still sung by the EWF today. 

So it was Haile Selassie’s desire, and Bob’s enduring legacy, that all our focus should be on preparation for Repatriation.

In 2003, The Ethiopian Commissioner of Tourism told ART International Promotions (founded and owned by Rastafari Idren  in Ethiopia) that they were planning a big “Reggae” event. I was present during the meeting when it was suggested that Ethiopia could use one of its newly-purchased Boeing 747 airplanes to fly directly to Jamaica to pick up a load of Rastafari Repatriates along with the reggae singers and players of instruments and footballers. Afterwards, I pleaded with the Rastafari Family Worldwide to conduct a Repatriation Census so that a planeload—the largest group of repatriates ever—could return home to Ethiopia. The Rastafari Family Worldwide was instructed to hold Rastafari National Conferences in 2004 in conjunction with the Jubilee Commemoration of Haile Selassie’s First visit to the Americas in order to identify 500 Rasses and their families ready to Repatriate before the Ethiopian Millennium. Had the Rastafari Family listened, followed instructions, and worked out certain details through negotiation based on the strength of the Repatriation Census figures, they could have presented the African Union with a list of the first 500 Repatriates and organized a staging area in Jamaica or St. Lucia (which announced diplomatic relations with Ethiopia and visa-free travel)  for the first group of Rasses to depart. This is what Bob would have wanted for his 60^th birthday.

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