DID YOU KNOW…William H. Ellis (a.k.a. Guillaume Enriques Ellesio) from Texas, was escorted to Ethiopia and introduced to Emperor Menelik by Benito Sylvain. Mr Ellis, nicknamed ‘the Moor” by some, was a Wall Street tycoon of sorts who hobnobbed with the likes of steel magnet Andrew Carnegie and gun manufacturer Henry Hotchkiss. He was a dapper, flamboyant bon vivant and a self-made diplomat. He read whatever books he could find (US$3000 dollars worth, he said) on Ethiopia before he embarked on his eventful trip and audience with Emperor Menelik in the Fall of 1903. Although peppered with generous dashes of hyperbole, Mr. Ellis’s renditions about his stay and accomplishments in Ethiopia provide interesting perspectives on the Emperor and Ethiopia.
In one of his communications, Ellis relates a conversation with Emperor Menelik on US President Abraham Lincoln and his struggle to keep the country united and, in the process also open the way for the legal manumission of slaves. “Tears came to his eyes,” says Ellis, as Emperor Menelik heard of “the liberation of slaves…” in America, and he exclaimed, “What a great man!” More importantly, a theme that was to become the basis for relations of amity, trust and mutual respect between the United States and Ethiopia were the slogans, “America for Americans,” “Europe for Europeans,” and “Africa for Africans.” The Emperor loudly acclaimed the last refrain, Africa For Africans, telling Ellis to repeat that for him. #Hisimperialmajesty #haileselassie #rastafari #Emperormenelik #Rasta #Orthodox #Ethiopianorthodox #Tewahedo #Africanchristianity #Ethiopia #Africa #Kingofkings #Selassie #Majesty #Emperor #King #throneofdavid #Solomonicdynasty #Wisdom #Anointed #History #Worldhistory #Facts#Love#Light (at Tupac Amaru Shakur Center of Art Center)
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