Ethiopian Research Council 2023: A Look at Past Scholarly Journals

Ethiopian Research Council, 1990. First Edition. 

First Volume of a scholarly journal "to help narrate and interpret the historical, philosophical and social conditions of Ethiopia."

Wosene Yefru / Henok Journal of Historical and Philosophical Thought 

               

The Rebirth of the Ethiopian Research Council 2023

 

Emperor Haile Selassie I Quotes on Education'; The Wise Mind of Emperor Haile Selassie I

 

"Education, work and diligence are the main foundation of our national existence."

"Education of the youth is the surest guarantee for a better life."

"The possession of degrees alone does not classify anyone as fully educated."

Ethiopian Research Council 2023; Remembering Haile Selassie Diplomatic Visit to America October 1, 1963

                     Emperor Haile Selassie I, Edward Bunn, Gerard Campbell, Lucien Matte The hood of a doctor of humane letters is placed over the shoulder of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia as he his given an honorary degree in ceremonies at Georgetown University in Washington . 

In the group with the Emperor, from left, are: The Very Rev. Edward B. Bunn, S.J., President of Georgetown University; Father Gerard J. Campbell, executive vice-president of Georgetown; and the very Rev. Lucien Matte, S.J., President of the University of Sudbury

Notable Ethiopians in this video include: Ras Imru Haile Selassie Ketema Yifru, Foreign Minister Yilma Deressa, Finance Minister Berhanou Dinke, Ambassador to the United States Brigadier General Assefa Demissie, Aide de Camp Major General Wolde-Selassie Bereka, Special Chief of Staff in the Private Cabinet Dr. Minassie Haile, Chief of the Political Section in the Private Cabinet Dr. Tesfaye Gebre-Egzy, Permanent Representative to the UN Tsehafe-Tizaz Teferrawork Kidanewold, Minister of the Imperial Court Princess Hirut Desta Ephraim Isaac

The Five Year Economic Plan of Ethiopia 1957-1961; HIM Haile Selassie I Selected Speeches

Emperor Haile Selassie I and Nation of Islam leader, Elijah Muhammad, were in agreement on using the Five Year Economic Plan to develop and grow their nation systematically. 

Notes from Ethiopia's First Five Year Development Plan (1957-1961).

"It is evident that prior to the First Five-Year Economic Plan Ethiopia was engaged in the execution of numerous development undertakings. Long term projects were carried out in the respective fields of telecommunications, public health, road transport, air lines and other similar phases of development. Satisfactory results have likewise been attained. Nevertheless, a plan, embracing Ethiopia's socio-economic growth, was prepared from a wide and detailed study of such undertakings as were previously carried out through experience and also for the rational utilization of labor and capital. The advantages of a plan are by no means limited to the government; a plan shows the respective goals of our country in each sector, the required funds and their sources, as well as the success and failures of each year's endeavor." 

Selected Speeches of HIS Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Page 501

Mr. Muhammad mentioned the five year plans of Pakistan and Russia on two occasions in his timeless book Message to the Black Man in America.

“Russia did it and became independent. Pakistan did it and became independent and you can also do it and become independent.”  Message to the Black Man in America, page 201

The Five Year Economic Plan is "tried and true"! It has been studied, tested, and proven to work for the development of nations.

The Story of 40 Armenian Orphans, Emperor Haile Selassie I, and the First National Orchestra

 Armenians had traded with Ethiopia from as early as the first century AD.^[2]

Besides the obvious religious affiliation, there is also the story of the "Arba Lijoch" children coming to Ethiopia after the Armenian genocide. Arba Lijoch were a group of 40 Armenian orphans who had escaped from the atrocities in Ottoman Empire, and were afterwards adopted by Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, then Crown Prince Ras Tafari. He had met them while visiting the Armenian monastery in Jerusalem. They impressed him so much that he obtained permission from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem to adopt and bring them to Ethiopia, where he then arranged for them to receive musical instruction.^[3]

The Arba Lijoch arrived in Addis Ababa in 1924, and along with their bandleader Kevork Nalbandian became the first official orchestra of the nation. Nalbandian also composed the music for Ethiopia Hoy (words by Yoftehé Negusé), which was the Imperial National Anthem from 1930 to 1974.^[4]

Armenians have a much older presence in Ethiopia. Indeed, one of the first recorded diplomatic missions to Europe from Ethiopia was led by Matthew the Armenian who traveled to Portugal and Rome at the request of the Dowager Empress Eleni of Ethiopia to appeal for aid against Islamic incursions into Ethiopia in the 16th Century.

The population peaked in shortly before the Italian invasion in 1935 at around 2,800. By the fall of the Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, it was around 2,000, after which the numbers fell precipitously.^[5][6]

in 1924 the ruler of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, was visiting Jerusalem on a diplomatic trip, and fell in love with a brass band of Armenian children. Upon learning that they were orphans of the Armenian Genocide, he decided to adopt them.

He called this group of 40 Armenians, Arba Lijoch (“forty children” in Amharic, the official language in Ethiopia) and formed the royal imperial brass band of Ethiopia. The group was so successful that it eventually lead to a music renaissance and created a new music genre called Ethio-jazz.

While the Armenian orphans led the wave of musical modernization in Ethiopia, the Armenian community in Addis Ababa also governed the pharmaceutical and medical institutions at the turn of the 20th century. By the year 1935, the Armenian population in Addis Ababa was roughly estimated at a little over 2,000.

Today, there are about 100 Armenians remaining in Addis Ababa who stay interconnected largely in thanks to the Kevorkoff Armenian school and the St. George Apostolic Church, which continues to operate, thanks to Simon Hagopian, the son of one of the 40 orphans, and Archdeacon Vartkes Nalbandian

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (Author), Victoria Christopher Murray

 The Instant New York Times Bestseller! A Good Morning America* Book Club Pick!

The Personal Librarian

by Marie Benedict (Author), Victoria Christopher Murray

Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR! Named a Notable Book of the Year by the Washington Post!

“Historical fiction at its best!”
 
A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.