1. Ras Cultura Special: Haile Selassie, the voice of Africa.

The first decades of Haile Selassie's government were marked by intense administrative and diplomatic activities. As early as 1931, he promulgated the first Ethiopian constitution and established Parliament. He built schools and hospitals, promoted reforms in the tax system, administration and public services. He created the Airlines, the Bank of Etiópia and a new currency, the Ethiopian dollar. In 1935, terror and war broke out with the invasion of Ethiopian territory by troops from Mussoline. Thousands of civilians were massacred. At this point, Haile Selassie had enemies at home: the Church withheld support in reprisal for the taxes levied on its lands; the wealthier classes were unhappy with the loss of privileges. The war-political impasse culminated with the Emperor exiled to England in 1936. In the following years, Selassie continued his diplomatic struggle, especially at the Tribune of Liga das Nações and, later, at ONU, where he gave numerous speeches. In the first of these statements, in exile, speaking about the Italian neocolonialism that was attacking his country, Selassie declared: You threw a lit match at Etiópia, but it will burn all of Europe." (Selassie Apud Imssembly for Rastafari National Education, 2001). In Etiópia, guerrillas and revolts against Italian rule proliferated. With the advent of World War II, África's voice was finally heard: in 1940, the British sided with the Ethiopian people. In April 1941, with the help of the Breton army, "Leão de Judah" defeated the fascists and returned to their country. Work began again: slaves were freed and agrarian reform began. A new constitution was promulgated in 1955. In 1963, Etiópia was one of the leading nations in the formation of Organização da Unidade Africana (OUA) which brought together thirty countries on the continent and which to this day has its headquarters in Adis Abeba (Ethiopian capital). In 1974, Selassie's reign came to an end. He was 82 years old and the much he had done to develop his land was not enough. Great problems still plagued the population, with 95% illiterate and high unemployment rates. The political class was contaminated by corruption and hunger, associated with the specter of drought, killed tens of thousands of people. Young people mobilized demanding freedom of the press and the institution of a democratic regime, with the creation of parties. A military coup was the outcome of this web of tensions. Selassie was arrested and his family exiled, in Europe and the United States. The "Black Messiah" died under mysterious circumstances, in military custody, on August 25, 1975. According to the unofficial version, he had been strangled. His bones were kept in a box that said "Do Not Move." The authorities didn't know what to do with it. On November 5, 2000, Haile Selassie's remains were buried in Holy Trinity Church. Salomão's ring, which had been entrusted to him at the time of the coronation, migrated with the "Ras Negus" family, and in the late 1970s it was given as a gift to Bob Marley, in London, by Asja Woosen, one of Selassie's sons. After the death of the also considered king - King of Reggae Music - the ring disappeared. A mystery yet to be solved.

WORDS OF THE KING

For 44 years, during which he was Emperor of Etiópia, Haile Selassie stood out among all the world leaders who fought for a better world. Among African heads of state, he was the main articulator of the realization of the ideal of a free and developed África. He undertook diplomatic trips to numerous countries, drawing attention to the issues of Etiópia and the continent as a whole. Its appeal, "Look at África", bears fruit to this day, inspiring black movements, maintaining África as a fundamental vector (a force) in the equalization of socio-political forces acting on the planet. In the session below, some of the speeches of "Ras Selassie", who never feared to speak the name of God on international platforms, are listed. In the examples related here, the current ideas of Leão de Judah are notably relevant: Apart from the Kingdom of God, there is no human government that has more merit than another. But, on this Earth, when a powerful government believes it is right to eliminate another nation, against which no offense can be charged, then the time has come for the aggrieved party to bring the evils they have suffered before Liga das Nações. God and History will be watching, as witnesses, the judgment that will be given here." (First utterance of Haile Selassie in Liga das Nações, 1936) Much space has been given to the rich in their actions against human life on this planet, such as the arms race, but little publicized are the side effects and indirect consequences of astronomical military spending. Disarmament must be undertaken so that the threat of a global holocaust can be extinguished. With a drastic reduction in military budgets, the necessary resources will be released to raise all human beings to the condition of truly free men." (Belgrado Lecture, 1961) We must look, first, to Almighty God, who raised man above the animals and gave him intelligence and reason. We must place our faith in Him, for He will not leave us and will not allow the destruction of humanity, which He created in His image. We must look at ourselves, at the depths of our souls. We must transform ourselves into something we have never been before. Our education, experience, and environment prepared us poorly. We must become greater than we have been, more courageous, higher in spirit, with a greater vision. We must become like a new race, overcoming small prejudices, giving our loyalty not to nations but, above all, to our brothers and to the human community." (ONU, October - 1963) We Africans occupy a different position; in fact, unique among the nations of this century. Having suffered oppression, tyranny and yoke for so long, who would have more right to demand better opportunities and the right to live and grow as free men? Wouldn't we have the right to raise the cry for justice for all? We demand the end of colonialism, because the domination of one people by another is not correct. We demand an end to nuclear testing and the arms race because these activities represent terrible threats to humanity and a material and cultural waste. This is all a big mistake." (Address to African Leaders. Adis Abeba - 1963). What economically backward countries are seeking (...) is the application of the money currently wasted on armaments to solving socio-economic problems. The major challenges we currently face are two: preserving peace and improving living conditions in that half of the world that is poor. These two questions are, of course, interdependent. Without peace, it is useless to talk about improving humanity's living conditions and without such improvements, ensuring peace becomes much more difficult. These two problems must be attacked simultaneously (...) One of the tragedies of our day is that half of humanity finds itself struggling with hunger, never satisfied, poverty, ignorance, disease. If the large sums spent by governments on the invention and manufacture of weapons were redirected to meet the vital needs of men across the planet, these men could regain their dignity, their happiness and their confidence, their faith in the future." (Dome of Organização da Unidade Africana - OUA. Cairo - Egito, 1964). With faith, courage and a just cause, even in the 20th century, Davi would also defeat Goliath."