Tafari Makonnen was born on this day, the 23rd of July, in 1892.

In 1930 would assume the throne of Ethiopia as the Emperor Haile Selassie I.

Through the vagaries of mysterious karma, and possibly at least in part to the royal family’s claim to be descendent from the biblical Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, he would find a lasting place in religions as a central figure in the Rastafarian movement. Mildly ironic, of course, as he remained an Oriental Orthodox Christian for the whole of his life.

He died under clouded circumstances while in the custody of a revolutionary government.

Personally I have a distaste for monarchs of all stripes. And as it appears to be true for all who obtain such levels of power, there is blood on his hands and his memory is at best complicated.

And within that complexity he offered some lovely things. Bob Marley put some of his words to music.

Prophetic, I think, and appropriate from a divine Emperor…