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Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

Papua Barat: Tempat Terjadinya Genosida


"Melalui transmigrasi, kita akan mencoba mewujudkan apa yang telah dijanjikan, yaitu menyatukan semua kelompok etnis menjadi satu bangsa... kelompok etnis yang berbeda pada akhirnya akan hilang karena integrasi... dan akan ada satu jenis manusia."

Itu adalah pernyataan Martano, Menteri Transmigrasi Indonesia, 20 Maret 1985.


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Pemerkosaan di Papua Barat


Oleh Marcus Colchester

Meningkatnya program Transmigrasi baru-baru ini di provinsi Irian Jaya yang dilanda pertikaian telah menunjukkan dengan gamblang signifikansi program tersebut bagi militer. Program transmigrasi didorong di provinsi tersebut sebagai bagian integral dari upaya Pemerintah untuk mengintegrasikan secara paksa masyarakat yang membangkang ke dalam tatanan nasional, yang secara terang-terangan menentang hak-hak mereka yang diakui secara internasional atas tanah mereka dan atas penentuan nasib sendiri.

Tiga setengah juta orang Paguana adalah ras Melanesia, yang berbicara lebih dari seribu bahasa yang berbeda dan terkait. Karena mereka beragam secara budaya dan bahasa, mereka mendiami hutan yang sama dan dataran tinggi yang curam yang membentang di tanah yang dulunya dikenal sebagai Nugini, yang sekarang terbagi menjadi Irian Jaya (Pupua Barat) dan Papua Nugini (PNC). Populasi di bagian barat diperkirakan mencapai 1,2 juta dari sekitar 800.000 adalah penduduk tradisional pulau-pulau tersebut, sisanya adalah pendatang baru. Orang Papua Barat tetap menjadi salah satu suku yang paling terisolasi dan tradisional di dunia, dengan kesetiaan yang kuat terhadap cara hidup leluhur mereka yang menemukan ekspresi yang kuat selama era kolonial dalam gerakan revitalisasi yang dikenal sebagai kultus kargo.

PEMBAGIAN: WARISAN KOLONIAL

Belanda memasukkan Papua Barat ke dalam kekaisaran mereka yang sedang berkembang pada abad ke-19, dan, pada tahun 1848, membuat perjanjian dengan Jerman dan Inggris untuk membagi pulau itu menjadi tiga bagian. Sebagai akibat dari Perang Dunia, kedua bagian timur masuk ke dalam kedaulatan Australia. Bagian barat dipertahankan oleh Belanda sebagai koloni terakhir yang tersisa di Hindia Timur, sementara Republik Indonesia tumbuh dalam kekacauan setelah penarikan Jepang. Upaya Belanda untuk mengembangkan Papua Barat, yang tidak berarti pada masa sebelum perang, ketika itu hanya diklaim sebagai penyangga terhadap perambahan teritorial, hampir tidak lebih efektif di era pascaperang. Belanda tidak melakukan apa pun selain mendirikan beberapa kota pesisir dan mengizinkan beberapa eksplorasi minyak.

PENGKHIANATAN DI PBB

Meningkatnya tekanan di Negara-negara Inisiatif untuk dekolonisasi Wilayah Ketiga, terkait dengan tekanan dari kelompok-kelompok ekonomi, baik transnasional maupun di AS dan Indonesia, memaksa Belanda untuk mengkodekan Papua Barat ke thi pada tahun 1962.

PBB, pada gilirannya, menyerahkan daerah itu ke dalam wilayah Indonesia pada tahun 1963, "dengan pengertian bahwa akan ada pemungutan suara pada tahun 1969 untuk menguji pendapat tentang Irian Barat". "Tindakan Pilihan Bebas" tahun 1969, yang menyusul enam tahun penindasan yang kejam, terkenal sebagai lelucon yang lengkap dan tragis di mana hanya 1.025 orang Paguana yang dipilih dengan cermat yang benar-benar memiliki hak suara. Suara bulat mereka yang mendukung pencaplokan ke dalam wilayah Indonesia diratifikasi oleh Majelis Umum. Setelah melepaskan kendali atas daerah itu dari satu wilayah kolonial, ON segera menyerahkannya kepada wilayah lain.

FLANDER SUMBER DAYA

Sumber daya alam yang belum dimanfaatkan di Papua Barat merupakan salah satu alasan utama mengapa Papua Barat dianeksasi oleh Indonesia. Wilayah ini telah menjadi provinsi yang paling menguntungkan di Indonesia. Wilayah ini menghasilkan ekspor minyak, timah, emas, tembaga, dan mineral lainnya dalam jumlah besar. Terdapat perdagangan kulit buaya dan kulit penyu yang berkembang pesat. Sebagian besar tanah suku diambil alih sebagai perkebunan kelapa sawit.
Penebangan hutan di Papua Barat telah merusak hutan-hutan di sana. Daerah-daerah dataran rendah yang luas telah diberikan konsesi. Namun, untuk mendorong perdagangan kayu, kontrol normal yang mengatur masalah hak penebangan telah dicabut. Perusahaan-perusahaan yang beroperasi di Papua Barat secara terang-terangan mengabaikan hak-hak adat dan hukum penduduk setempat dan, lebih sering daripada tidak, menghindari pembayaran kompensasi atas kerusakan yang disebabkan pada lingkungan mereka. Di daerah-daerah tersebut, penduduk setempat telah ditipu dalam pemilihan tenaga kerja, sementara di tempat lain mereka dibayar dengan upah yang sangat rendah untuk menghancurkan hutan mereka sendiri.
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TOK BLONG SPPF adalah bahasa Inggris pidgin yang digunakan di banyak bagian Pasifik. Secara harfiah dapat diterjemahkan sebagai "pembicaraan ini ditujukan kepada SPPF atau. Buletin SPPP. TOK BLONG SPPF diterbitkan empat kali setahun oleh South Pacific Peoples Foundation of Canada, 407-620 View Victoria, BC, Canada VSW LI dan tersedia bagi para donatur SPPF (minimal 310 tahun). SPPF hadir untuk mengangkat isu-isu kritis di Pasifik Selatan kepada khalayak Kanada melalui berbagai metode pendidikan publik, dan untuk membantu mendapatkan bantuan keuangan, teknis, dan bantuan lain dari Kanada yang relevan ke Pasifik Selatan untuk membantu penduduk pulau dalam pengembangan diri mereka sendiri. TOK BLONG SFPF disunting oleh Phil Esmonde.

WEWAK SEPIK AIRLINE

Bobby Gibbes (World War II Australian Pilot) played a key role in developing aviation in Papua New Guinea. 

He started Sepik Air in the 1950s with a single aircraft. His plane landed at various isolated airstrips in East Sepik; Ambunti, Angoram, Maprik, Karawari etc.

These airstrips were used for transporting cargo medical supplies and passengers especially missionaries. 

In 1972 Dennis Buchanan an Australian businessman and owner of Territory Airlines (TAL) "Talair" took over "Sepik Air". 

Under Buchanans leadership "Talair" grew into Papua New Guineas largest regional airline operating across the country. 

In the 1980s Talair faced financial difficulties and was acquired by Air Niugini marking the end of Talair as an independent airline.

Talair's routes and services were absorbed into Air Niuginis network which continues to serve as the national carrier of Papua New Guinea

(Picture: Wewak Sepik Airline aircraft drops off local passengers after a flight)

Almighty God, Loving God, Free West Papua

Almighty God, 
Our Redeemer and Saviour of the world, Our Creator and Source of Life, Love and Peace;
We come before you on this special day as we witness another year of commemoration day for the people of West Papua. 

Loving God, 
as we gather here, miles away from our brothers and sisters in the islands of Papua and in particular, West Papua, we confess the sins of humankind, the greed, the violence, the victimization, the power hunger, throughout history. 
As humans, it is difficult for us to forgive those who cause hurt, pain and suffering. But as your children, we humbly ask Your forgiveness upon us all – humankind; for perpetrators of violence and inhumane acts, for perpetrators of prejudice and injustice. 
We also ask Your forgiveness upon each one of us who may not feel directly affected by the situation, but continue to be arrogant, blind and deaf to the injustices in our Pasefika region. Lord have mercy on us, your children. 

Loving God,
as we commemorate this day, with all the history and pain it has brought about, for some it may be a day to remember victory, while to many, a day of pain.
We can only give You thanks and praise for all Your blessings and for helping your people through all the challenges, trials and tribulations they have faced over the years and continue to face today as they strive for self determination.
We give you thanks for those gone before us. 
We give you thanks for the many rich natural resources that West Papua has to offer. And we give you thanks for the people who continue to be resilient, strong and courageous in all they endure. 
We give You thanks for those today who continue to be the prophetic voice in your lands. We give you thanks for the work of the Pacific Conference of Churches, the Pacific Network on Globalization, and many others, known and unknown to us, who through their acts of service, continues to be a pillar of hope to our people of West Papua. 

Loving God, 
You are familiar with suffering and the pain of your children doesn't escape your gaze of compassion.
We ask for you to set people free in West Papua. We pray for the ones who have been oppressed and in fear for so long. We pray for those in power, who are giving the orders for violence out of greed or fear of scarcity, or prejudice.

May your kingdom of justice, peace, joy and forgiveness transform the situation. Bring courage and peace to those in the independence movement. Please bring your healing and your making things right and new.
We make this our humble prayer which we ask and plead in the name of God the Father, Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

[Prayer for The West Papua Annexation Day]

28 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗦 & 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧𝗦 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗕𝗔 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘



1)The first Nigerian Medical Doctor was Nathaniel Thomas King. His father was Rev Thomas King who assisted Bishop Ajayi Crowder in translating the Bible to Yoruba language. Dr King lived from 1847 to 1884.

2)The Yoruba language is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of native speakers in the world, 50 million people speak Yoruba language natively in 2022 according to Ethnologue.

3)The first Nigerian Lawyer was Chief Sapara Williams. A Yoruba man who became a Lawyer in 1879. He was the Lodifi of Ilesa.

4)WNTV Ibadan was the first TV station in Nigeria and Africa. The first broadcast was aired on October 31, 1959. The government of Yorubaland were visionary enough ensuring their denizens had access to mass audiovisual media before countries like; Egypt: 1960, New Zealand: 1960, Israel: 1966 & South Africa: 1976. The station played a significant role in beaming taped Yoruba traveling theatre productions to households all over the old Western region.

5)The first Nigerian to release a music album was Canon Josiah Jesse Ransome-Kuti, Fela Anikulapo’s grandfather and Wole Soyinka’s great grandfather. He released it in 1878 and his last album was released in August 1921. His works are still kept at the British Museum. 

6)In 1894, Olayinka Herbert Macaulay became the first trained Nigerian Engineer. He also trained in England as an Architect. He was a Civil Engineer. He later ventured into politics and formed the first political party in Nigeria, Nigeria National Democratic Party, NNDP in 1923 and later the NCNC, the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons. He was also a Journalist and a Surveyor. He is widely considered as the founder of Nigerian Nationalism. 

7)The first Nigerian woman to qualify and practice law was Stella Thomas, a Yoruba woman who became a Lawyer in 1935 and also became the first female magistrate in Nigeria in 1943.

8)Dr Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi nee Akerele was the first female physician in Nigeria. She became a Medical Doctor in 1910.

9)Folake Solanke was the first female Senior Advocate in Nigeria. She was also the first Nigerian female lawyer to wear the silk gown as Senior Counsel. 

10)The first indigenous Chief Justice of Nigeria was Sir Adetokunbo Ademola. He was also the longest serving Chief Justice of Nigeria between 1958 and 1972.

11)The Yoruba language and culture is one of the most influential on the African continent and in the Americas. The Yoruba are also one of the best researched ethnicities in Africa.

12)Chief Akintola Williams was the first Chattered Accountant in Nigeria who qualified in 1919 and also the first Nigerian to form a private accounting firm, Akintola Williams and Co in 1952.

13)The first woman to drive a car in Nigeria was Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the mother of Olikoye, Fela and Beko.

14)The Yoruba people have the highest spontaneous rate of twin births in the world- About 1 in 20 births. Twins were traditionally revered and highly sought after in Yoruba society. There is an Orisha that protects them.

15)Emmanuel Olatunde Odeku (born, Emanuel Olatunde Alaba Olanrewaju Odeku from Awe in Oyo state 1927, Lagos, Nigeria – died, London, 1974) was the first African neurosurgeon trained in the United States who also pioneered neurosurgery in Africa.

16)Chief Hubert Adedeji Ogunde and Moses Olaiya are regarded as the patriarchs of Nigerian theatre and movie industry. Ogunde was an actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician who founded the first contemporary professional theatrical company in Nigeria, the African Music Research Party, in 1945.

17)The first bank in Nigeria was established in Lagos in 1894, 10 years before the amalgamation. Its second branch was opened in Calabar in 1912 and it was facilitated by King Jaja of Opobo. It had its first northern branch in Zaria. 
It is First Bank Nigeria.

18)The Yoruba homeland, based majorly in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, is home to more than 70% of Nigeria's industrial capacity and is also host to the backbone of Nigeria's entertainment industry.

20)In 1986, Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, the great grandson of Canon Josiah Jesse Ransome-Kuti became the first African to win a Nobel Laureate in the field of  Literature. 

21)In 1976, Shooting Stars Sports Club 3SC of Ibadan formerly known as WNDC Ibadan (Western Nigeria Development Company), and were later called IICC (Industrial Investment and Credit Corporation) won the African Winners’ Cup thereby becoming the first Nigerian club side to win continental honour for Nigeria.

22)The first Nigerian to score a World Cup goal was Rashidi Yekini. He was a Yoruba man from Kwara state. He scored it against Bulgaria at USA ‘94.

23)The area of Yorubaland covers approximately 145,000 Suare Kilometre of land. Were it to be an independent country, it would be physically bigger than Greece, Hungary, Serbia, South Korea, Portugal, Ireland, Sierra Leone and many more countries.

24)The first television station in Africa was the Western Nigerian Television Service located in Ibadan’s and established in 1959.

25)The first university in Nigeria is University of Ibadan. Today, the Southwestern part of Nigeria also has the highest number of private universities in Nigeria.

26)The Yoruba are a people with a historical propensity for living in large urban centres. Yoruba cities have always been among the most populous in Africa. Today, around 11.5% of all West Africans are ethnic Yoruba while Yorubaland contains more than 30% of all Nigerian cities with over 100,000 people. They have been described as the most Urban African ethnic group by various ethnologists, sociologists and anthropologic writers.

27)CMS Grammar School, Lagos is the oldest secondary school in Nigeria. It was established in 1859.

28)And the first known primary school in Nigeria was Nursery of the Infant Church established in 1843 in Badagry and moved to its permanent site and renamed St Thomas Primary School in 1845.

📸 A Yoruba Woman in 1959. (Elliot Elisofon) 

Credit: Yoruba Intelligence Network 

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FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, WHO IS EZE CHIMA

Chima: The Aro Native Doctor.


“Eze Chima was an Aro native doctor. In pursuance of the role of the Aros in the Atlantic Slave Trade quoted…from Michael Crowder’s story of Nigeria, Chima left Arochukwu to Benin to set up as an agent of the Aro Long Juju, for the usual purpose of collecting slaves from Benin.

Whenever, in the olden days, a native doctor travelled to a place, he by custom would, on arrival, report himself to the local chief or to the head of the society of native doctors of the land. He is either the guest of the head chief of the clan or puts up with head of the local society of native doctors. Accordingly, when Chima arrived Benin he reported himself to the Oba of Benin who accepted him as his guest.

In time Chima settled down and set up practice as a native doctor and agent of Aro Oracle. He impressed the Oba of Benin so much with his magical art that he became very influential over the Oba. In consequence, the Oba installed Chima a chief in the palace of Benin. Thus the plain blunt and ordinary native doctor who left Arochukwu to establish an agency of the Long Juju, earned a chieftaincy title and became Chief Chima or Eze Chima.

Having found his feet firm in Benin, Eze Chima sent for his brother Ekensu and other relatives from Arochukwu, and also set up an Aro settlement in Benin similar to those Aros had set up within the description of Michael Crowder, in other areas throughout former Eastern Nigeria. 

With the march of time, Chima’s practice in Benin expanded down to Niger Delta. Among the Urhobos and Itshekiris also the fame of the Aro Oracle spread and clients from those areas trooped to him to consult the Oracle. The greatest index of Chima’s influence on culture in Benin Kingdom is found in the fact that Benin people adopted the Igbo days of the week – Eke, Orie, Afo and Nkwo – on which Chima made one sacrifice or the other or observed his abstinences and spiritual disciplines, as names also of Benin week days. And till today the Binis have, as the Igbo, Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo – as names of their week days. 

How Chima left Benin:

At the time Eze Chima lived in Benin, the mother of Oba of Benin was Asije. The Oba’s brother who also was the Oba’s War Lord was called Gbunwala. One day, Asije the mother of both the Oba and Gbunwala, the Benin War Lord went into a farm belonging to Eze Chima’s people and collected firewood. Eze Chima’s people then caught Asije the Oba’s mother, and beat her thoroughly for taking wood from their farm without permission. Back home, Asije reported to her children – the Oba of Benin and Gbunwala, the Benin War Lord, her bitter experience with Eze Chima’s people. Red with anger, Gbunwala, the Oba’s brother and War Lord, took some of his soldiers, went to Chima’s settlement, set upon Chima’s people – beat them thoroughly and killed some of them.

From that day, Gbunwala began to harass Eze Chima and his people. In the circumstance, Eze Chima decided to quit Benin with his people and return to the East whence he came to rejoin his Igbo kith and kin – or, in the alternative to find new settlements for himself and his people in places far and safe beyond the reach of Oba of Benin.

This story was told in Igbo Primer popularly known as “Azu Ndu”, approved by Government Education Department for infant classes of primary schools in the Igbo Provinces of then Eastern Nigeria, since the beginning of the 20th century. 
On their way out of Benin, some of the Eze Chima’s people settled at Agbo (Agbor), 44 miles away from Benin City which they considered far, and out of reach, molestations and influence of the Oba of Benin and his brother, Gbunwala. Others went beyond this distance and settled at Isele-Uku, Onicha-Olona, Onicha-Ugbo and Obio. When they reached the West bank of the Niger, some took a canoe and paddled down the River to Abo and settled. Led by Oreze, the eldest son of Eze Chima, the balance of Eze Chima clan crossed the River Niger to the eastern bank and settled among Oze people – the original inhabitants of what is today the big and prosperous commercial and education centre of Onicha (Onitsha). On page 73 of his story of Nigeria, Mr Michael Crowder believed that the migration of Onicha (Onitsha) people – this is of Umu Eze Chima clans – from Benin took place in the 17th century. 

Benin-Igbo Exchange of Culture:

Having lived for some years in Benin as one of the chiefs of the palace of the Oba of Benin, Eze Chima, the Aro agent of the Aro Oracle in Benin and his people had learnt Benin chieftaincy institutions and titles and so adapted the Benin system to the administrative structures and customs of the place where they settled among other West Niger Igbo and in Onicha (Onitsha) on the east bank. But as Eze Chima took away from Benin a copy of their chieftaincy institutions, so did he deposit in Benin, and the Binis adopted it, Igbo weekdays – Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo – which are vital in the determination of appropriate days for abstinences , spiritual religious cultures of the Igbo and Bini too. In other words, the West Niger Igbo borrowed from Benin in chieftaincy, traditions, just as the Binis borrowed from the Igbo in religious traditions—through the agency of Eze Chima.” End of quote!

Africa History Note; Emperor Menelik II and his consort, Empress Taitu

A combined repost with appropriate edits to mark the joint birthday of Emperor Menelik II and his consort, Empress Taitu.

178 years ago in the town of Angolalla in Northern Shewa, a son was born to Abeto Beshah Wered (later Negus Haile Melekot) and Woizero Idjigayehu Lemma.  A lot of speculation exists about the origins of his mother, but she was in fact a lady of a family of northern Shewa, in the service of Beshah Wered’s great-grandmother Zenebework, widow of Merid Azmatch Wossen Seged. The child would be baptized as Sahle Dengel, but his grandfather Negus Sahle Selassie, king of Shewa, renamed him Menelik.  Menelik’s paternal line had reigned as rulers of Shewa as Merid Azmatches and then Kings.  They were descended from Abeto Yacob, the youngest son of Emperor Libne Dengel.

The baby born on August 17, 1844 would eventually mount the Imperial throne as Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia.  He would successfully consolidate the authority of the central government over peripheral areas, and restored the sovereignty of the Ethiopian Crown over the various vassal kingdoms and sultanates who had functioned with autonomy since the Zemene Mesafint.  He would successfully defend his realm against Italian colonialism, decisively defeating the largest European army assembled in Africa until that time at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.  He started his country on the road to modernity, setting up the foundations for development.

Menelik was married three time.  His first wife was Alitash Tewodros, daughter of Emperor Tewodros II whom he abandoned when he escaped from Magdala and returned to Shewa to reclaim his crown.  His second wife was Bafena Wolde, a formidable woman of great beauty from Merhabete who plotted against her husband in order to place her sons from a previous marriage in power.  Menelik divorced her due to this plotting.  His third wife was Taitu Bitul, the intelligent and resolute woman who would be his partner in power.  More on her below. 

Menelik II was the type of leader who suspended the collection of taxes when a rinderpest outbreak killed off most cattle including ploughing oxen, leading to a devastating famine.  He led by example going out to personally break the earth with a hoe, to encourage cattle-less farmers to do the same, stressing that there was no dishonor in working with one’s hands.  Easily moved by the plight of others, compassionate and merciful, he earned the nickname Imiye Menelik እምዬ ምኒልክ (Mother Menelik) because he was seen to be more like an indigent and affectionate mother figure, than the typical stern father figure image of traditional Emperors.  Tolerant in matters of religion, firmly believing that everyone had the right to practice their religion unmolested, he nevertheless was personally a devout member of the Orthodox Church and devoted to the Virgin Mary.   He had the ability to turn enemies into friends, but was firm when firmness was needed. 

In recent years, shameless revisionists have tried to turn Emperor Menelik II into a monster.  It is an insidious effort to undermine the Ethiopianism he stood for.  However, truth and history cannot remain buried or be corrupted forever.  The truth will prevail.

Taitu Bitul Haile Mariam was born at Debre Tabor some time between 1840 and 1853.  Scholars seem to lean towards 1851.  She was the third of five children of Ras Bitul Haile Mariam, half brother of Dejazmatch Wube Haile Mariam of Simien.  Her mother Woizero Yewubdar was a noblewoman of Begemidir and Gojjam.  Her uncle Dejazmatch Wube once ruled a big chunk of northern Ethiopia from his seat in Simien, including Tigray and wide swaths of what is now Eritrea.  He was one of the most powerful nobles of his day and even had ambitions of being crowned Emperor being descended from a daughter of Emperor Susenyous the Catholic.  Her Yejju relatives were the Wereshek dynasty of Princes who had ruled as Regents the Ethiopian Empire in the place of the then powerless Emperors throughout the Zemene Mesafint period.  Tewodros II swept away the power of the regional landlords, by first deposing her Wereshek relatives, and then her uncle Wube, being crowned Emperor in the very church Wube had built for his own planned coronation.  Many of her relatives found themselves imprisoned by the new Emperor.

Her brothers, Wele and Alula Bitul were imprisoned at the mountain citadel of Magdala where they became friends with their fellow prisoner, Menelik, the Prince of Shewa who had been kept a prisoner since boyhood when his father King Haile Melekot had died leaving Shewa defenseless against the forces of Tewodros.  Their friendship had continued after Menelik escaped from Magdala and been restored to his Shewan kingdom.  In the mean time Taitu had entered at least three marriages of which little is known other than that she produced no children that survived infancy. After Menelik’s marriage to Bafena disintegrated, Menelik had rejected many a candidate for his hand.  Menelik was looking for a wife and his friend Ras Wele Bitul suggested he meet his sister.  It is said that Wele and Alula had intended to introduce Menelik to their sister Woizero Desta, but when he saw Taitu he was captivated.  They married in a communion marriage at Easter in 1883.  In 1889, Taitu was crowned Empress-consort (Etege) of Ethiopia on the second day of her husband’s coronation as Emperor.  

Taitu more than any other Ethiopian royal consort of a reigning Emperor, acted as a true partner in power to her husband.  She took part in every discussion in matters of state and took part in the both the process and decisions of policy and action. Empress Taitu was the the other side of the coin of Menelik’s reign, the Ying to his Yang.  Menelik II was debonair, playful, something of a procrastinator, and loathe to make decisions that he believed might result in negative feelings.  His favorite phrase when confronted with such decisions was said to be “alright, let’s discuss this further tomorrow”.  Taitu on the other hand had no problem saying “No!”  Menelik found it useful to deflect such difficult decisions to her, and Taitu dealt with them without hesitation.  This may have been one of the reasons that Menelik was so widely adored while Taitu inspired awe and nervousness in her lifetime..  She did not mind a certain level of unpopularity as long as it got things done.  Taitu played a vital role in the negotiations with Italy leading up to the Battle of Adwa, and led a troop of soldiers and camp attendants during that war.  It was Taitu who came up with the idea to cut off the water supply to the Italian fort at Enda Iyesus overlooking Mekele which resulted in victory there before Adwa.  She was often portrayed by foreign sources as anti-modernization and anti-foreigner in contrast to her husband who was an enthusiastic modernizer.  However, Taitu was not so much against modernization as she was concerned about the ability of the state to keep up with the increased public demands that rapid development might bring.  She regarded many of the modern marvels like automobiles and telephones with disdain.  She challenged Alfred Ilg, (one of the few westerners she actually got along well with) on the need to build a railway connecting Addis Ababa to Djibouti.  Who would feed the families of the mostly lowland Muslim caravan traders when the train put them out of business, she wanted to know?  How is a train a benefit if it robs a large group of their livelihood?  Among her greatest contributions was founding and naming the City of Addis Ababa. 

May the memory of Menelik II, King of Kings of Ethiopia, and Taitu Bitul, Light of Ethiopia, be eternal.

✍🏿 Solomon Kibriye