Mention the name Haile Selassie and the image that comes to the mind of many people is that of a god, a rastafarian god who has continuosly been celebrated by Reggae lovers and especially those from Jamaica.
Away from his musical relevance, Selassie is regarded as one of those people that strongly pushed for the liberation of the African People.
It is for this reason that the African Union took it upon itself to honour the now fallen Emperor.
Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s last Emperor had his statue unveiled outside the African Union’s headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The likeness of Haile Selassie is being given pride of place outside the $200m (£154m) building in recognition for his role in establishing its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
The Unveiling ceremony was attended by African Leaders among them President Uhuru Kenyatta who termed it an honour to be part of the ceremony.
President Kenyatta said that Selassie’s contribution to Africa’s liberation cannot be overlooked.
“Honoured to have attended the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Emperor Haile Selassie at the AU Headquarters. The Emperor’s contribution to Africa’s liberation is the reason we are here today as a united Africa, as we seek collaborative ways to prosper our people and continent.” said President Kenyatta.
Honoured to have attended the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Emperor Haile Selassie at the AU Headquarters. The Emperor’s contribution to Africa’s liberation is the reason we are here today as a united Africa, as we seek collaborative ways to prosper our people and continent pic.twitter.com/kd63IZm62S
— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) February 10, 2019