Selassie......a dictator

[JahSekou]

I was reasoning with fellow Ethiopian breddrin at a cafe one day and along came another breddrin, Ethiopian also but noticably different tribe from my fellow breddrin. They told me he was Oromo and that they always feel sorry for Oromos. Well I reasoned with other breddrin and sistren from the Ark and from Eritrea and I've heard numerous stories.

As a Rasta I cannot disregard any Black woman or man's story. But I was told and have read numerous stories of Selassie misfortunes towards many of the numerous tribes of the Holy Land. I know propoganda lurks everywhere.....but where do we go from here?

[Africanprince]

Selassie was human, and human make mistakes. I learned in one of my Pan African Studies classes that Selassie has a Swiss account with 13 billion dollars of the peoples money that no one could touch.  His kids can't access it, the people can't get that money out.

[stiritup66]

Greetings in the name of the Most High,
     Haile Selassie I tought the Is MANY things. One of my favorite teachings was to trust your heart and mind above all. If it is true, these negative things, we must take the good over the bad. The teachings that he gave to the world are much more powerful than these few actions he committed. As prince said, Selassie was a human. He was bound to be tempted by sin or unkindness as all humans are. The important thing is that we can see in his words and works he overcame this constantly. He gave a teaching to the children that maybe they can follow even better than him.
    Another thing to keep in mind is we have no way of knowing the workings of Yah. Selassie was a gift to the people from our creator. I know this may sound cruel, but who is to now if these seemingly negative actions won't turn out to be positive after all? Take into account the "butterfly's wings". Time and time alone will provide us with this answer.
     One thing I would be careful about is learning "facts" which do not benifit anyone. Take a look at the swiss bank account one. There would be no reason to stockpile such an incredible amount of money if no one can use it. Selassie certainly can't use it especially if his family doesn't have access to it! The people wouldn't have gained from getting money taken away from them; who would benifit in that situation? Usually if you find the benifiter you find the commiter of the crime. Even the students who heard this fact did not benifit, the only benifiter was Babylon! If someone in that class looked to Selassie as their Savior, or someone's friend in that class did, this "fact" could easily spread doubt into their heart. Overstand what I mean? Whether the intent was cruel or not, it is something that must be looked out for.

Seek Yah Guience, look to Selassie I, Rastafari!
Cedric

[gman]

The physical historical figure Haile Selassie I was an emperor. By the very fact of being an emperor, HIM could not help but be seen as a downpresser by one or other group of people. Within the context of being born into Ethiopia's ruling class though, Selassie did far more to attempt to change Ethiopia's feudal system to make it more equitable, than any ruler before him. If Selassie had not been an Emperor, there was no way his words would have reached to the four corners of the earth, no way that HIM as a Black man could have addressed the League of Nations, etc. I could go into my itations about all that but for the time being suffice it to say that, considering the position he was born into, he did the positive he could do from that position, but inevitably that very position entailed some negatives. You simply cannot be an emperor without being a dictator. I think it is significant that HIM is the LAST emperor and no one since has sat on the throne. HIM came to show us an example of doing the best you can from the position you're in,and that it is time for us to live up as kings and queens in our own right.
Well I could talk more on that some other time, but right now, about the swiss bank account business, I have heard that allegation many times but have never seen it backed up and substantiated anywhere. If anyone can substantiate this please do but until then I will treat it as a rumor.

[NB]

Throughout my talks with Ethiopians in Ethiopia, I've heard some negative notions towards Oromo people, attributed to the late Emperor Menelik.  Perhaps these notions carried over and were put on Selassie just due to his closeness to Menelik and his family.  Obviously Selassie did more to unite Ethiopians with themselves and the rest of the world, than any other ruler before H.I.M..  I've heard the bank account rumour and while thinking about it knew that Selassie was surrounded by corruption, trying to keep and eye on those he did not trust by keeping them closest to H.I.M.'s self, that would justify keeping funds that otherwise might be stolen in such a safe place.  May Selassie I's name go untarnished forIver.  Selam

[Ras Adisa Kwabena]

There are 3 allegations against HIM that have been spread mostly as propaganda by the Marxist regime that followed his reign.

1) Selassie stole billions and hid it in Switzerland
2) Selassie let hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians starve in the famine
3) Selassie oppressed the Oromo peoples

1) That allegation cannot be considered remotely valid. They've never been able to show any evidence of such an act, and even worse, the Swiss have denied it. Remember that the Swiss reduced their privacy laws and opened their books to foreign governments attempting to detect financial crimes. If the Durge had at least shown some evidence this would be an argument, but they have not.

2) Selassie was 80 when the famine was going on. As the sole head of Ethiopia, the full government was upon his shoulders. Obviously their would be a huge bureaucracy to handle the "day-to-day" affairs of the nation. The bureaucrats under HIM kept information away from the King about the famine. He had no real idea of what was happening in those rural areas of his country. The church and the nobility controlled over 70% of the land (especially the farm land).

3) Menelik conquered the Oromo to expand his Amharic empire. The policy was to integrate the Oromo's, force them to reject their own culture by making them feel they were weak. This is quite similar to what happened to black people. Traditional Oromo were denied jobs until they would conform. HIM didn't do much to alleviate the suffering of the Oromo, but he wouldn't have even thought they were being oppressed. He didn't personally deny them work. What would the Oromo have him do? and what is the reasoning behind him doing what they'd ask?

HIM sent the youths abroad to learn, the same youths that returned and were responsible for overthrowing his government. HIM vastly improved the educational infrastructure of Ethiopia. HIM created hundreds of new schools. HIM took land from the church to give to ordinary farmers. HIM abolished slavery in the nation (Even though the arabs continued it in some rural areas). HIM was King of Kings, he didn't control all things that happened in the rural areas and such. Ethiopia is a widespread land, where the Emperor is pretty much the leader of the capital with power over the other areas, but no direct supervision of those areas.

[afrikanrebel06]

he also killed his daughter and his son,the persecution of the oromo cant be forgotten or whiped out,
also he was half arab,we have to remember him,above all,we can not deify him,i do agree though,he was human and made many mistakes, there was no way on earth,i am gonna chant or call his name,because it is invokinga heavy spiritual energy to be manifested, people that chants,jah rastafari,i and i sellassi,wonder why they will attract a spiritual force that wont help them,indeed his speech at the league of nations was
magnificent,my suggestion is... dont invokea force that will have some negative consquences on your life.

[gman]

"He also killed his daughter and son..."
SAY WHAT???
Rewind and come again please... where did you get THAT piece of "information"?
For your own sake, don't spread unsubstantiated (and totally untrue) rumors. Don't repeat nothing you hear until you've checked into it. You have some good things to say, but you've just shot yourself in the foot posting that, now people are gonna think you're nothing but an anti-rasta propagandist and won't bodda to listen to the good things you have to say.
Also, do you know what the words Ras, Tafari, Haile, and Selassie mean in Amharic?
I don't feel that no bad vibes come with those words, not at all.
Don't come like a missionary now... although I must say I would prefer a missionary of African spirituality, rather than a Xtian missionary... still, missionary vibes are not the way to go, period.
Do some more research about Rastafari (the man, the movemant, and what the actual words Ras, Tafari, Haile and Selassie mean). This site is a good place to learn more cos you have some serious elders like Baba Ras Marcus and some serious youts like Natural Blacks on here.
Guidance and Protection.

[afrikanrebel06]

i am gonna get the name of the book with a sisth from montreal and let u all know  right away,answer me
gman,why deify the man,when he was only and onlya hue man being like you and me?
and nah,i am nota king james slave aka black christian,or christanized  slave.
i practise afrikan spirituality,i only call those on my blood line,and pour libations for other ancestors,brazilian rastas dont deify sellassie did you know that  gman?

guidance and protection to you as well,brother

[gman]

When did I ever say that I "deify" Selassie?
What does "deify" mean anyway?
Do you "deify" Ogun, Shango, Oya, Yemaja?
(I have heard it said that according to tradition, at least some of the orixas were once people, human beings like me and you, who performed certain great deeds and became elevated to the stature of orixas.)
Womb/Man is God and God is Womb/Man is what RasTafari saying.
I see you agreeing with Mutabaruka quote on a next thread in this forum. You do know that Muta is a Rastaman, right?
How many Rastas do you know?
How much posts have you read on this website and the ones associated with it?
Do you know what the words "Ras", "Tafari", "Haile", and "Selassie" mean yet?

[gman]

PS I have met some Brazilian Rastas. Have you ever met any Guyanese Rastas?

[afrikanrebel06]

ok i havent met gyuanese rastas what did guyanese do for grenada,thats what iam interested in, we can still keep the dialogue going grenadians often tell me,that garveyites didnt do didly squad for them,most of them know about doctor walter rodney
deify means to make him intoa god or something,i know he made excellent speech at the league of nations,
@gman,deities are different than human beings,the orixas goes back to ancient kemet,the kemetic deities are the same as the yorubic deities,check this site www.theafrican.com,grisso has interesting articles there
ok gman,we agree to disagree so what my brazilian brotha told you,ask him about Edson gomes well known rasta ina BRAZIL and singer

[afrikanrebel06]

  yes i like muta baruka, a friend of mine told me she saw him in montreal but he doesnt say to worship selassie,she heard in talking and lotta of rastaman that was on his show got up and left,hmm,wonder why huh gman,they didnt want to hear what he has to say,she stayed for the whole show
the funny part she told me some rastas were accompanied by whitewoman and they had to leave because their mastas( whitewomen) didnt like what he had to say.
what do you think rastaman with whitewomen,i have seen here in torontoa few? what are ur thoughts on dat?

[natural blacks]

Muta doesn't say worship HAILE SELASSIE, but he does say "EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE IS THE ALMIGHTY"...without any apologies or stutters. He doesn't say worship because he doesn't worship. Rastas (Nyahbinghi) don't "worship". InI give ises...praises. There is a difference, I'd like to believe you know this.

Muta has also said:

"I bun GOD...HAILE SELASSIE higher than GOD"
"Rasta, has nothing to do with jesus christ"

You need to IVERstand rastafari before you begin to criticise. I can see where you'd get the ideas u have of rasta from "rastas" out there, but u need to IVERstand that not every man or woman u see shouting "RASTAFARI!" or with locks to their knees has a full IVERstanding of rasta and the evolution of the culture. You need to IVERstand rasta fully...the ideas, the struggles, the growth. It is a relatively young culture that's still being fine-tuned...the pyramids weren't built in a day. I'm sure the ideas surrounding Yoruba Spirituality now may differ somewhat from what they were many years ago...whatever has ceased to grow is dead...RASTA LIVE!

I don't support/agree with inter-racial marriage for rastas...or even for any black person. But what can you do? Live yuh live and love yuh life..there's always some person who can "bun yuh out" as well.

Love and Blessings....EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE I is the MOST HIGH! EMPRESS MENEN...InI MOTHER OF CREATION!

[afrikanrebel06]

ok natural blacks,i agree with some stuff and i disagree with others,yes i do practise afrikan spirituality,i know some people here have talked to our fellow bretherns ethiopians,so have i,some agree and some dont agree,i did talk toa friend of mine,from ethiopia and he told me the history of him,
selassie,he also told me there are manuscripts in ethiopia that talks how he persecuted the oromos,who pracitses afrikan spirituality, there are also manuscript that traces his lineage back to queen sheba and king solomon,we can thank him and call it up during libetation,i only call those that are on my blood line,when i pour libetion then i call up the rest of dem, btw natural blacks,you are in modern day rome right aka
LONDON UK,correct,is ur site still up hehe