Hailed as the black Christ by many in the Rastafarian community and described as the ‘King of Kings, Lord of Lords.’ Haile Selassie was born near Harar on 23rd July 1894 and came to power in 1930. His royal line can be traced back as far as King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Selassie became viewed by many as the figurehead of African independence, whilst he became a central figure in the Rastafarian movement. African people looked to Ethiopia for a black Christ and for many, Haile Selassie was the one they had been waiting for. On his part however, Selassie always rejected the view that he was the second Christ, he always remained a Christian and upheld those principles. Emperor Haile Selassie began an aggressive programme of modernization and ordered the drafting of the first written constitution for the Empire, which was completed in 1931. The First Imperial Constitution provided for a Parliament for the first time in Ethiopian History. The Parliament was composed of two houses, a House of Deputies (lower house) and an Imperial Senate (upper house). The Senate was comprised of high nobles, and important personages who were appointed to their seats by the Emperor. The lower house was made up of land-owners, and was also filled by appointment of the Emperor. Although the structure of this new constitution maintained the absolute power of the monarchy, it did set down the rights of the people. The Emperor encouraged the spread of modern education, and sponsored many young Ethiopians to go to Europe to study. He built the Haile Selassie I Hospital (known today as the Yekatit 22), and several schools. Mussolini having invaded Ethiopia and the empire was crushed, Haile Selassie fled to England in 1936, first to London and then to Malvern in Worcestershire. The Emperor and his entourage were determined to make a stand against Italy at the League of Nations, even though France and the United Kingdom had continued to press Ethiopia to accept partition. The Emperor had a strong case and they could do little to prevent Ethiopia from presenting its case. The Emperor arrived in Geneva to address the League of Nations in person. He was the first head of state to appear before the assembly, and the only one who would ever address it. The Emperor then began his historic speech and although fluent in French, he spoke in Amharic. He traced the history of the conflict and the atrocities committed by the Italians and he appealed to the League to follow through on it's guarantees of collective security, and the promise that small and weak countries would not be allowed to be the victims of the large and strong. The Emperor returned to his capital on 5th May 1941, five years to the day of it's occupation by the Italians. There were some benfits in infrastructure development but much had been destroyed and the British administration would take years to dislodge. In 1974, the press was full of vitriol and scathing attacks on the fallen governments, on the corruption and incompetence of the officials, and even on the character and the performance of the Emperor himself. It was generally felt that reign had been too long and he should abdicate in favour of his son or one of his grandsons. A film shown later on Ethiopian television showed scenes of horrifying famine and starvation. The film also seemed to suggest that Selassie was heartless and living in luxury, while his subjects suffered untold misery. There was no mention made of the Aklilu cabinet hiding the famine from the Emperor, or of the octogenarian Emperor being out of touch. Selassie was kept in detention and later died in mysterious circumstances on 27th August 1975. Although buried in less than dignified circumstances, he was to be reburied after lying in state on 5th November 2000. A visit to Jamaica is an education, especially for a Jew. Rastafarians are a fascinating people, who largely model themselves on the Jews. The Rastafarians believe that Africans are the lost tribes of Israel, with a special identification with King David and the tribe of Judah. The Emperor Haile Selassie is worshipped as the long promised biblical Messiah. Their diet is essentially kosher, bereft of course of any animal or dairy products.