BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ON May 5, 1941 is the day when Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I returned from exile with Gideon forces and his army with the help of British soldiers and free Ethiopia from the Italian army that had occupied the country for five years. It is also known as Victory Day in Ethiopia.
The event will be organised by the Ancient Order of Melchezedek House of David group and will be held at the field next to the Health Centre in Dieppe Bay.
According to Sankofa Lion, PRO/Secretary of the group, in 1935 Benito Mussolini, the 40th Prime Minister of Italy and also founder of Fascism, invaded Ethiopia with the blessings of the then Pope.
“Here you have the Pope blessing Italy to invade a Christian nation. It was a Christian nation invading a Christian nation, so one of them had to be the Anti-Christ. And from the Bible we read that the Pope and the fascist army, Mussolini and Hitler, were the
Anti-Christ at that time and Haile Selassie, at that time reigning on the throne of David, was representing God.
“Representing the people and representing God, not for Ethiopia but the whole world. Ethiopia was the only nation that was not enslaved by another nation; it was the only nation that has been free since man was created on earth,” he said.
He said that on this day many people are invited to come together and celebrate the event, as it is to educate the people and to bring fun.
“We will have fun sports. We might have a donkey race, and this is not just for the Rasta youths but the youth in the village that attend these functions also to participate. And at the end, we have a prize giving,” he said.
The group also celebrates other events including African Liberation Day on May 25th; July 23rd the ‘earthlight’ of Haile Selassie, his baptismal in January, the Ethiopian New Year, September 11; the Coronation of Selassie which occurred on November 2, 1930; and Christmas Day Ethiopian style.
“The Coronation Day, which is one the most historical event to ever happen in our history on Nov. 2, 1930, was when his majesty crowned kings of kings and lords of lords, conquering lion in the tribe of Judea, which was the same title given onto Christ during his time. And Christmas Ethiopian style, which is not the actual birth date of Christ but when they found him and knew he was actually alive, we celebrate by following the Ethiopians and celebrate on the seventh of January.
That was the day finding of Christ,” he said.
