3:26 PM
President
Girma Woldegiorgis in a letter sent to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
asked for a statue to be erected in honour of the late Emperor of Ethiopia,
Haile-Selassie I.
“A
statue must be erected to commemorate the Emperor…he was the first leader of
Africa and I think he deserves a statue,” the president said during the
interview. According to the president, the Ethiopian government is making good
progress on the matter and hopes that it will materialize. .It is to be
recalled that Kwame Nkrumah’s statue, which was unveiled at the African Union
(AU) headquarters, has sparked anger amongst Ethiopian scholars, historians and
politicians, who feel Haile-Selassie deserved the honor. Back then, Members of
Parliament have also been drawn into the debate and raised the issue with
former prime minister, the late Meles Zenawi. Meles downplayed the request and
defended the decision to honor Nkrumah, the former Ghanaian leader, whom he
described as a pan-African.
What
has further angered locals was that, with the AU headquarters being in Addis
Ababa, many expected a statue of Haile-Selassie to be erected. Ethiopian
historians said they also remembered Selassie for his leading role in the
creation of the OAU. However, Meles’s administration has often criticized
Haile-Selassie’s track record. To date there are still many who appreciated the
former Emperor, for his role in Africa’s independence and unity. (Source:
Reporter)
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