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| Selected Speeches |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| Chapter III |
| Inter-Africa |
| Freedom - Somolia And The Congo Nov. 10, 1960 |
| Selected Speeches |
| Haile Selassie the First - November 10, 1960 |
...We have already referred to the unprecedented increase in the number of
African states which today enjoy their freedom. We rejoice with Our
African brothers in the irresistable tide which has brought them to the
shores of freedom, and We embrace them in the achievements of these
days. In particular, we extend the hand of felicitation and of brotherhood
to the people of Somalia whose independence We were among the first to
espouse and support and who have now this most precious of gifts for
themselves and their posterity. We are confident that the bonds which join
the peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia will, with each passing year, grow
perceptibly stronger and that any problems or difficulties which exist or
which may arise between us will be approached and resolved in a spirit of
mutual trust, respect and friendship.
During the last few months, the increasingly significant role being played
by the African nations in man's struggle for peace and freedom has been
sharply highlighted in the Congo crisis which, unfortunately even today
remains unresolved. In the Congo, We have witnessed the disheartening
spectacle of an African state, only barely emergent from colonial status,
being torn asunder by interests which seek only the exploitation of the
Congolese people for their own selfish ends and which threaten to
transform this newly independent nation into a mere pawn in the cold war
struggle. Ethiopia has supported the independence and the territorial unity
of the Congo, and We have deplored those attitudes which have thus far
obstructed the prompt solution of the difficulties which beset the Congo.
In Our messages to the Congo leaders, We have urged that they lay aside
personal differences and ambitions and that they work together for the
unity and stability of the nation which they lead. If they fail to do so, the
suffering of the Cogolese people will be great indeed.
It has been largely due to the decisive and resolute action of the United
Nations in the Congo and to the support which this Organization has
received from the great majority of African states that a potentially
explosive situation has thus far been contained and that the threat which
the Congo crisis poses for the stability and security of the African
continent has not burst beyond control. Ethiopia responded promptly to
the United Nations' call for assistance in the Congo. Four Ethiopian
battalions are serving under the United Nations banner in the Congo, and
Ethiopian technicians and experts are working within the administrative
framework which the United Nations has created there.
To those who would in the Congo, thwart the legitimate and normal
desires of the Congolese people and subvert and distort the forces at work
there to their own purposes, We would say only this: Africa has struggled
long and determinedly to rid itself of the yoke of oppression and
exploitation. Africans now, with the end of the struggle in view, with this
long-desired goal in sight, will not willingly see victory wrenched at the
last moment from their grasp. Do not seek to perpetrate, in some different
guise, the old forms of economic and political exploitation and oppression.
If, in truth, the basis struggle in the world today is for the minds of men,
then that nation or group of nations which seeks to impose its will upon
any African people will most assuredly be vanquished in this struggle.
Africa needs and desires and welcomes the help of others, both physical
and moral, but Africa must nevertheless be left to develop herself, her
people, her resources, as Africans determine. Leave to us, freely and
without qualm, the choice between good and evil, between injustice and
justice, between oppression and liberty. Our choice will be the right one,
and History will judge us, and you, the better for it.
African states which today enjoy their freedom. We rejoice with Our
African brothers in the irresistable tide which has brought them to the
shores of freedom, and We embrace them in the achievements of these
days. In particular, we extend the hand of felicitation and of brotherhood
to the people of Somalia whose independence We were among the first to
espouse and support and who have now this most precious of gifts for
themselves and their posterity. We are confident that the bonds which join
the peoples of Ethiopia and Somalia will, with each passing year, grow
perceptibly stronger and that any problems or difficulties which exist or
which may arise between us will be approached and resolved in a spirit of
mutual trust, respect and friendship.
During the last few months, the increasingly significant role being played
by the African nations in man's struggle for peace and freedom has been
sharply highlighted in the Congo crisis which, unfortunately even today
remains unresolved. In the Congo, We have witnessed the disheartening
spectacle of an African state, only barely emergent from colonial status,
being torn asunder by interests which seek only the exploitation of the
Congolese people for their own selfish ends and which threaten to
transform this newly independent nation into a mere pawn in the cold war
struggle. Ethiopia has supported the independence and the territorial unity
of the Congo, and We have deplored those attitudes which have thus far
obstructed the prompt solution of the difficulties which beset the Congo.
In Our messages to the Congo leaders, We have urged that they lay aside
personal differences and ambitions and that they work together for the
unity and stability of the nation which they lead. If they fail to do so, the
suffering of the Cogolese people will be great indeed.
It has been largely due to the decisive and resolute action of the United
Nations in the Congo and to the support which this Organization has
received from the great majority of African states that a potentially
explosive situation has thus far been contained and that the threat which
the Congo crisis poses for the stability and security of the African
continent has not burst beyond control. Ethiopia responded promptly to
the United Nations' call for assistance in the Congo. Four Ethiopian
battalions are serving under the United Nations banner in the Congo, and
Ethiopian technicians and experts are working within the administrative
framework which the United Nations has created there.
To those who would in the Congo, thwart the legitimate and normal
desires of the Congolese people and subvert and distort the forces at work
there to their own purposes, We would say only this: Africa has struggled
long and determinedly to rid itself of the yoke of oppression and
exploitation. Africans now, with the end of the struggle in view, with this
long-desired goal in sight, will not willingly see victory wrenched at the
last moment from their grasp. Do not seek to perpetrate, in some different
guise, the old forms of economic and political exploitation and oppression.
If, in truth, the basis struggle in the world today is for the minds of men,
then that nation or group of nations which seeks to impose its will upon
any African people will most assuredly be vanquished in this struggle.
Africa needs and desires and welcomes the help of others, both physical
and moral, but Africa must nevertheless be left to develop herself, her
people, her resources, as Africans determine. Leave to us, freely and
without qualm, the choice between good and evil, between injustice and
justice, between oppression and liberty. Our choice will be the right one,
and History will judge us, and you, the better for it.
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |