On this day in a small village known as Funyan Bira Leul-Ras Imru was born

Blogger's Note: The following is largely based on biographical sketch of Leul-Ras Imru Haile Selassie that appeared in Ethiopian Calendar with biographies 2003 E.C. edition. The current edition which is on sale contains primary resource document related to Ras Imru. Click here to order this year's edition.
Imru Haile Selassie 1885-1972 E.C (1892-1980)
Leul-Ras (Prince-General), member of Ethiopian Nobility, Patriot of Italo-Ethiopian war, diplomat, reformist politician & writer.
 Imru Haile Selassie was born at Funyan Bira, Gursum district in Harargie Province on Hidar 15, 1885 E.C / Nov. 24, 1892 four months after the birth of his first cousin Lij (Prince) Tafari Mekonnen who would later become Emperor Haile Selassie. His mother Mezleqia died when he was a few months old. Not long after Imru‘s fourth birthday, he was sent to Ras (General) Makonnen, his mother‘s uncle, to be educated in his palace alongside his son Tafari.
In Ras Mekonnen‘s household Lij Imru received traditional education of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Later, he received formal education from Catholic Missionaries. Imru was about 13 years old when Ras Mekonnen died and the children from his palace were sent to Addis Ababa to continue their education in Emperor Menelik‘s palace. Later, when Menelik II School, the first modern secular school in the nation opened in 1908, Imru and Tafari completed their studies in just one year as they were enrolled in a special class created for boys from Harar because they had an advanced background from their education in Harar.In 1909 Imru accompanied seventeen-year-old Lij Tafari Makonnen when he was appointed governor of part of Sidamo Province. Imru was in turn appointed by Tafari to govern a subdistrict in his domain.In 1911 Imru followed Tafari to Harargie province where he was made governor bearing the title of Dejazmatch. There, too, Tafari gave Imru the title of Grazmatch and appointed him to govern Jarso district and later Jijiga district. In 1917 Imru was promoted to the rank of Dejazmach and appointed governor of Harar by then Prince-Regent Ras Tafari.Imru stayed in that post for 11 years and pursued progressive policies for political reform started by Ras Tafari. He brought Hakim Werqneh Eshete (a.k.a. Dr. Charles Martin) and Bejirond Tekle-Hawaryat, two European-educated intellectuals well known for their progressive ideas, to administer districts under him. Imru through their help instituted reforms such as judicial practice & taxation at the district level, then to the whole province. After Ras Tafari was crowned king in 1928, Imru was sent to Wello Province as governor. In the memoir which was published recently he recalled that his governance in Wello was not as smooth as that of Harargie. The restless province required use of significant military force to pacify it. Also, by building roads, bridges and schools, he was able to integrate the region into the central government.

&nbsp. In November 1932, he was promoted to Ras and made ruler of Gojjam Province.He set out to replicate in Gojam the modernisation and reform he had instituted in Harar and Wello. However, tradition was well-entrenched in Gojam, and his modernization efforts
to institute educational, legal and customs & taxation reforms were met with heavy resistance. Though he succeeded in establishing law & order through capital punishment as well as crackdown on local rebels and chieftains, he failed to institute land reform, largely
due to opposition from the Orthodox Church which had control over a vast portion of the
land in the province.
In 1935 Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia. From October 1935, Ras Imru commanded
his provincial Army on Shire front to lead a counterattack against the Italian invaders. His
early offense deep into the Italian rear threatened the Italian advance. Ultimately, Imru was
stopped and his army was destroyed by the use of poison gas dropped from the air.
In May 1936, Emperor Haile Selassie appointed Ras Imru as Prince Regent in his absence,
departing Ethiopia with his family to present the case of Ethiopia to the League of
Nations in Geneva. When Italian forces took Addis Ababa, Imru continued to resist
the Italians by moving with his forces to South western Ethiopia and making Gore,
Illubabor the ―seat of Ethiopian Government‖. When his position in Gore, became
untenable, he took his forces and retreated to the southeast. The Italians followed him
and surrounded his forces on the north bank of the Gojeb River. In the end Ras Imru
and his dwindling forces were forced to surrender in December 19, 1936. He was
taken to Italy and imprisoned on the Island of Ponza. Sources citing fellow resistant
fighter and inmate, Hadis Alemayehu, indicate that Italian officials offered Ras Imru
the return of his lands if he would recognize Italian rule, but he replied that estates
meant nothing to him so long as he was deprived of his country. He was later freed
by British forces upon the formal surrender of Italy in 1943.

Ras Imru‘s appointment as an Ambassador to the United States in 1947 where he attended the first General assembly of the United Nations and later from 1954 to 1959 as an Ambassador to India, kept him away from Ethiopia for much of the immediate post-war period. On returning home, with the title Leul Ras (Prince-General) Imru insisted
that his share of the lands awarded to him in Arsi province, be given to the resistant fighters who had fought under his command. Since then, land reform had become the cause-celebre of his later life which was followed by his son Mikael Imru the future Prime Minster. His liberal progressive views as well as the reformist and modernizing credentials he had built throughout his career had earned him respect & recognition even among those who were in opposition of the feudal monarchist regime.
The leaders of the failed coup d‘etat attempt in 1960 made radio announcement that they designate Leul-Ras Imru to be appointed as a Prime Minister. He did not accept the appointment and he had attempted to prevent bloodshed by talking to General Mengistu and his brother Germame Neway, leaders of the coup attempt with whom he was in good terms. Even the student movement leaders who led urban based ptotest against Haile Selassie‘s regime in the 1960s as well as the military Junta
who succeeded to overthrow the Emperor in mid 70s looked Leul-Ras Imru with high
regard. When he died on Nehase 11, 1972E.C. (August 15, 1980) his funeral was declared
a state funeral by the Military regime.
This biographical sketch is compiled from the following sources:
Imru Haile Selassie: From Wikipedia the Online Encyclopedia.
Molvaer, R. (1997) – Black Lions: The Creative Lives of Modern Ethiopian Literary Giants. Lawrenceville:
NJ, Red Sea Press, 1997.

The campaign to stop atrocities against Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia

Mass rallies were held across countries and continents in solidarity with Ethiopians who were killed, beaten and terrorized by Saudi mobs & security forces. Unfortunately, Ethiopians can not held such mass rallies in front of Saudi Embassy in Ethiopia, because the current regime in Addis Ababa do not allow it. Those whose loved ones were killed, beaten or thrown to jail joined few hundreds protestors in front of Saudi Embassy but were forced to be dispersed after Federal Police sent by their own government beat them & sending some of the protestors to jail. Any other government would have allowed its own citizens to vent their outrage in peaceful manner and use this mass mobilization to pressure the Saudi government to do something about the atrocities. The ever insecure government aware of its failure in protecting its own citizens from such atrocities in Saudi Arabia & other middle eastern countries chose instead to do its own crackdown on protestors and deal with Saudi authorities under the radar.  Time will tell if that involves taking money from Saudi Arabia to repatriate Ethiopians 
The Ethiopian diaspora especially those who live or grew up in America, Europe, Australia even in Israel, South Korea etc did not need permission to come out in large number and expressed their dismay in what they saw and heard about the plight of their fellow citizens in Saudi Arabia.
The rallies mostly in front of Saudi Embassies or Consular Offices were impressive not only in number but in bringing different people with religious, ethnic background or political persuasions together. Even Eritreans participated in some of these rallies. Even though these rallies were unprecedented and impressive, I have mixed feeling about them.
On one hand, I am glad to see some members of our community including my friends getting involved in matters that goes beyond themselves, their families or houses of faith. These were people who were quick to say 'ine politika alwedim' with their twisted understanding of politics. Seeing them coming out in big number to show solidarity and to condemn the barbaric act against fellow citizens is encouraging.
On the other hand, I was disturbed by the selective moral outrage that I am witnessing among my friends and many well meaning members of our community.  If Ethiopians are beaten & thrown out to jail by their own government, why are we surprised/angered when other foreign governments or individuals ill treated our fellow citizens?  In terms of scale who committed the worst offenses? I wonder what would be our answer if those parents whose children were killed by security forces of the current regime during 2005 protests ask us how come we chose to ignore their pain & loss?
Based on track record, I also doubt if these periodic manifestations of outrage & staging rallies would have bigger impacts or bring long standing solutions. Only sustained campaign until demands are met can bring about changes and waging a sustained campaign requires skills. One way of developing such skills is learning the basic tenets of advocacy or learning from others who had made successful campaigns. For that to happen humility i.e. saying that I do not know, but I am ready to learn comes first. First of all such virtue is lacking in our community. Secondly, even if one expresses willingness, often what I hear is "it is good for long term but can not be solution for current crisis". My answer is the things you learn every step of the way would make you think of the solution differently than you had original thought. It is better to take the baby steps now, than dealing with crisis unprepared. We have seen the alternative. Ad hoc or quickly assembled periodical mass rallies, emotional speeches etc.. may make us feel good but have they made real impacts? Ask yourself, if some of us have developed our skills earlier, do you think the current rallies in front of Saudi Embassies would be conducted in such a way? Personally, I do not think so. Without going into details, it could have been waged differently. A skillful campaign would have worked out its demands (short term & large term) and based on that devise actions which escalate or grow in intensity starting from cordial meeting with Embassy officials, to various forms of rallies and direct action measures. Few points when considering the next step (sustained campaign) or long term solutions:

• Making rallies as individuals or pairs on rotating basis. But this could have been better if it was incorporated in the original rallies campaign plan with definite objective and demands.

• Once temporary measures are taken and some of the demands are met, working toward convening a meeting between community organizations and invited experts on migrants rights such as the person interviewed by Tadias in this article or Washington representatives of International Office of Migration (IOM), International labor Organization (ILO), UNHCR, UN office for Migration etc.. to learn about migrant workers rights and discuss things we can do to help them.

Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie I in November 1930 - program schedule

On November 2, 1930 (Tiqimt 23, 1923) Crown Prince Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia with the crown name Qedamawi Atse Haile Selassie (Emperor Haile Selassie I). Here are some pages from a document prepared for the coronation ceremony.