Haile Selassie (23/7/92 – 27/8/75)

Happy earthday to His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jah Ras Tafari Makonnen, King of Kings of Ethiopia.

That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned:

That until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes;

That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race;

That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained and until the ignoble but unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique, and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed;

until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and goodwill;

until all Africans stand and speak as free human beings, equal in the eyes of the Almighty;

until that day, the African continent shall not know peace.

We Africans will fight if necessary and we know that we shall win as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.

The legend lives on.