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Fighting Racism on the World Stage: Emperor Hailee Selassie
Fighting Racism on the World Stage: Emperor Hailee Selassie
by Onjoli Palmer
Hailee Selassie, the last crowned Ethiopian emperor whose unrelenting dedication
to reform, resistance to fascist powers, and allegiance to African unity forged the path for him to be seen as a renowned world leader. Although for some, Selassie is considered a character with colorful notoriety due to his partisanship for absolute monarchy in which he and only he was considered the main governmental power1.
Though he was a monarch, he exercised the tools of democracy to protect the
interests of his country on the world stage. On two occasions, nearly thirty years apart, he presented impassioned speeches at both the League of Nations and the UN attempting to appeal to the common humanity between Ethiopians and greater society. During both addresses, he argued for Ethiopia's right to exercise sovereign equality against invasive European powers and racial discrimination towards African nations.
In 1930, after being crowned King of Kings under the throne name of Hailee
Selassie, Ras Tafari was tasked with defending his country against the impending invasion of the Italian Military. A border dispute between the Italian military residing in Somalia – who were technically well within the borders of Ethiopia – led to the death of around 150 Ethiopian and 2 Italian military personnel. Unfortunately, when the conflict was evaluated by The League of Nations, it was both nations that were exonerated even though it was clear that the Italians had instigated the conflict2.
This served as a catalyst for the siege that would then be imposed upon Ethiopia in the Italian pursuit of conquest.
On October 3rd 1935, 100,000 Italian troops surrounded the Ethiopian frontier
and rapidly began to invade taking over the major cities Adigrat, Adowa, Axum and by early November, they had taken over Mek’ele. By Christmas time, Selassie decided to order an offensive attack against the Italians. Though there was initial success after the defeat of around 1,000 Eritreans under Italian commands, Italy maintained their dominance and continued to advance. This devastatingly led to the capture of the capital Addis Ababa on May 5, 19363. Hailee Selassie was then forced to exile and King Victor Emmanuel III was named the new emperor of Ethiopia. Selassie spent his time living in Palestine and later, England4.
One month later, on June 30th, 1936, Hailee Selassie appeared before the League
of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. He urged the 52 allied member nations to listen to his appeal of a country whose sovereignty was stripped. He pleaded for the audience to heed his warning of the existing and impending deconstruction of human rights5.
“In that unequal struggle between a Government commanding more than forty-two million inhabitants, having at its disposal financial, industrial and technical means which enabled it to create unlimited quantities of the most death-dealing weapons, and, on the other hand, a small people of twelve million inhabitants, without arms, without resources having on its side only the justice of its own cause and the promise of the League of Nations.” (Selassie 1936)6
The reception was concerningly dismissive as Selassie was immediately met with
taunts and uproar. Once the chaos was settled, he expressed the plight of innocent Ethiopian civilians murdered by poisonous gas, along with their homes and land entirely destroyed. Italy was in direct violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol that prohibited the use of chemical and biological warfare through their deployment of “deadly poisonous” rain over the Ethiopians. Their goal, simple, to effectively kill off every living creature within the most densely populated areas. A far cry from “fair” warfare and clearly illegal7.
Along with this, Selassie justifiably made note of the the previous 1928 Italo-Ethiopian
Treaty of Friendship which indefinitely prohibited recourse to arms, though it was vehemently neglected. Even after highlighting the incredibly vulnerable position Ethiopia was subject to, the international still failed to side with his cause and answered his plea with silence8.
In October 1963, 27 years later, Emperor Selassie returned to the world stage
once again. Amidst cold war tensions and the longstanding struggle against colonization and racial discrimination, Selassie addressed the United Nations to call for recognition of Africa’s sovereignty. He proposed that the solution to break free from persistent western powers will be reached through international unity9.
“We argue about means; we discuss alternative paths to the same objective; we engage in debates about techniques and tactics. But when semantics are stripped away, there is little argument among us. We are determined to create a union of Africans. In a very real sense, our continent is unmade; it still awaits its creation and its creators.”(Selassie 1963)10
This speech was met with far more positive reception. Even inspiring the musician
Bob Marley to base the lyrics of his song “War” off of this particular speech. Both times around Selassie’s words proved to be centered around a philosophy that strives to practice equality among society, regardless of their social determinants. His words hold true not only in the 30s and 60s, they are still extremely relevant today. We see countless examples of dominant countries exploiting and erasing vulnerable ones while actively breaking international law. It might be time to re-inform ourselves of Selassie’s plight as it applies to us today to begin to see a safer, more equal world for all.
Endnotes
1.
Britannica Editors. "Haile Selassie I"
2.
Yared,
E., & Yared, E. “The Second Italo-Abyssinian War”
3.
Mockler,
Anthony. Haile Selassie’s War
4.
Yared,
E., & Yared, E.“The Second Italo-Abyssinian War”
5.
Fleury,
A. (2026, July). “In 1936”
6.
BlackPast. 2008. “(1936) Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia”
7.
Fleury,
A. (2026, July). “In 1936”
8.
Fleury,
A. (2026, July). “In 1936”
9.
Sensimedia . (2015). “Haile Selassie, United Nations Address”
10.
Sensimedia . (2015). “Haile Selassie, United Nations Address”
Hailee Selassie, el último emperador coronado de Etiopía, cuya implacable dedicación a la reforma, resistencia a las potencias fascistas y lealtad a la unidad africana forjaron el camino para que fuera visto como un renombrado líder mundial. Aunque para algunos, Selassie es considerado un personaje de notoria vistosidad debido a su partidismo por la monarquía absoluta, en la cual él y solo él era considerado el principal poder gubernamental.
Aunque era un monarca, ejerció las herramientas de la democracia para proteger los intereses de su país en el escenario mundial. En dos ocasiones, con casi treinta años de diferencia, presentó discursos apasionados tanto en la Sociedad de las Naciones como en la ONU, intentando apelar a la humanidad común entre los etíopes y la sociedad en general. Durante ambas alocuciones, defendió el derecho de Etiopía a ejercer la igualdad soberana frente a las invasivas potencias europeas y la discriminación racial hacia las naciones africanas.
En 1930, tras ser coronado Rey de Reyes bajo el nombre dinástico de Hailee Selassie, Ras Tafari asumió la tarea de defender a su país contra la inminente invasión del ejército italiano. Una disputa fronteriza entre los militares italianos que residían en Somalia –quienes técnicamente se encontraban muy dentro de las fronteras de Etiopía– provocó la muerte de alrededor de 150 efectivos militares etíopes y 2 italianos. Desafortunadamente, cuando el conflicto fue evaluado por la Sociedad de las Naciones, ambas naciones fueron exoneradas a pesar de que estaba claro que los italianos habían instigado el conflicto. Esto sirvió como catalizador para el asedio que luego se impondría sobre Etiopía en la búsqueda italiana de conquista.
El 3 de octubre de 1935, 100.000 tropas italianas rodearon la frontera etíope y comenzaron a invadir rápidamente, apoderándose de las principales ciudades de Adigrat, Adua, Axum y, a principios de noviembre, de Mek'ele. Para la época de Navidad, Selassie decidió ordenar un ataque ofensivo contra los italianos. A pesar del éxito inicial tras la derrota de unos 1.000 eritreos bajo el mando italiano, Italia mantuvo su dominio y continuó avanzando. Esto condujo de manera devastadora a la captura de la capital, Adís Abeba, el 5 de mayo de 1936. Hailee Selassie se vio entonces obligado al exilio y el rey Víctor Manuel III fue nombrado nuevo emperador de Etiopía. Selassie pasó su tiempo viviendo en Palestina y, más tarde, en Inglaterra.
Un mes después, el 30 de junio de 1936, Hailee Selassie compareció ante la Sociedad de las Naciones en Ginebra, Suiza. Instó a las 52 naciones miembros aliadas a escuchar el llamado de un país cuya soberanía había sido despojada. Suplicó a la audiencia que prestara atención a su advertencia sobre la desconstrucción existente e inminente de los derechos humanos.
“En esa lucha desigual entre un Gobierno que manda a más de cuarenta y dos millones de habitantes, que tiene a su disposición medios financieros, industriales y técnicos que le permiten crear cantidades ilimitadas de las armas más mortíferas, y, por otra parte, un pequeño pueblo de doce millones de habitantes, sin armas, sin recursos, que no tiene de su lado más que la justicia de su propia causa y la promesa de la Sociedad de las Naciones.” (Selassie 1936)
La recepción fue preocupantemente despectiva, ya que Selassie fue recibido inmediatamente con burlas y alboroto. Una vez calmado el caos, expresó la difícil situación de los civiles etíopes inocentes asesinados por gases venenosos, junto con sus hogares y tierras totalmente destruidos. Italia violaba directamente el Protocolo de Ginebra de 1925 que prohibía el uso de la guerra química y biológica mediante el despliegue de una lluvia “mortalmente venenosa” sobre los etíopes. Su objetivo, simple, era matar eficazmente a toda criatura viviente dentro de las zonas más densamente pobladas. Algo muy alejado de una guerra “justa” y claramente ilegal.
Junto con esto, Selassie tomó nota justificadamente del anterior Tratado de Amistad Italo-Etíope de 1928 que prohibía indefinidamente el recurso a las armas, aunque fue vehementemente ignorado. Incluso después de resaltar la posición increíblemente vulnerable a la que estaba sujeta Etiopía, la comunidad internacional siguió sin ponerse de su lado y respondió a su súplica con el silencio.
En octubre de 1963, 27 años más tarde, el emperador Selassie regresó al escenario mundial una vez más. En medio de las tensiones de la guerra fría y la larga lucha contra la colonización y la discriminación racial, Selassie se dirigió a las Naciones Unidas para pedir el reconocimiento de la soberanía de África. Propuso que la solución para liberarse del persistente poder occidental se alcanzaría mediante la unidad internacional.
“Discutimos sobre los medios; debatimos caminos alternativos hacia el mismo objetivo; entablamos debates sobre técnicas y tácticas. Pero cuando se elimina la semántica, hay poca discusión entre nosotros. Estamos decididos a crear una unión de africanos. En un sentido muy real, nuestro continente está sin hacer; todavía espera su creación y a sus creadores.” (Selassie 1963)
Este discurso fue recibido con una recepción mucho más positiva. Incluso inspiró al músico Bob Marley a basar la letra de su canción “War” en este discurso en particular. En ambas ocasiones, las palabras de Selassie demostraron estar centradas en una filosofía que se esfuerza por practicar la igualdad en la sociedad, independientemente de sus determinantes sociales. Sus palabras no solo son ciertas en los años 30 y 60, sino que siguen siendo extremadamente relevantes hoy en día. Vemos innumerables ejemplos de países dominantes que explotan y borran a los vulnerables mientras violan activamente el derecho internacional. Quizás sea el momento de volver a informarnos sobre la lucha de Selassie, tal como se aplica a nosotros hoy, para comenzar a ver un mundo más seguro y equitativo para todos.
1935年10月3日，10萬義大利軍隊包圍了衣索比亞邊境並迅速開始入侵，佔領了阿迪格拉特（Adigrat）、阿杜瓦（Adowa）、阿克蘇姆（Axum）等主要城市，並在11月初佔領了默克萊（Mek’ele）。到了聖誕節期間，塞拉西決定下令對義大利人發動反攻。儘管最初在擊敗義大利指揮下的約1,000名厄利垂亞士兵後取得了短暫成功，但義大利依然保持著優勢並持續推進。這最終導致首都阿迪斯阿貝巴於1936年5月5日不幸淪陷。海爾·塞拉西隨後被迫流亡，義大利國王維托里奧·埃馬努埃萊三世（King Victor Emmanuel III）被宣布為衣索比亞的新皇帝。塞拉西此後先後居住在巴勒斯坦和英國。
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