Afewerk Tekle
(Ethiopian artist)
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AFEWORK TEKLE
Afewerk Tekle, born on October 22 1932, was one of Ethiopia's most celebrated artists, particularly knownfor his
paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.
Born in Ankober to Feleketch Yamatawork and Tekle Mamo, Afewerk grew up under the Italian occupation during the
Second World War. Following the war, in 1947, Afewerk decided that he wanted to help rebuild Ethiopia and elected to
travel to England to study mining engineering. Before departing, Afewerk, together with other students leaving to study
overseas, was addressed by Emperor Haile Selassie. Afewerk recalls being told "you must work hard, and when you come
back do not tell us what tall buildings you saw in Europe, or what wide streets they have, but make sure you return
equipped with the skills and the mindset to rebuild Ethiopia".
Afewerk had already shown talent as an artist as a child, decorating several walls in his home town. Whilst at boarding
school in England, this talent was recognised and encouraged by his teachers. As a result, Afewerk was persuaded to
switch from engineering and enroll in Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. He then went on to the Slade School of
Art where he studied painting, sculpture and architecture.
Returning to Ethiopia as a university graduate, Afewerk could have accepted an assigned ministerial post, but instead
decided to spend time travelling around the provinces of Ethiopia to get more experience of his native country and
culture, which he reflected in his paintings. In 1954 he held his first one-man show in Addis Ababa, that gave him the
funds to travel around Europe for two years where he learnt how to design and construct stained glass windows. He also
made a special study on Ethiopian illustrated manuscripts in the British Library, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and
the Vatican Library.
Back in Ethiopia, Afewerk opened a studio in the National Library of Ethiopia. His growing recognition lead to
government commissions for murals and mosaics in St George's Cathedral, Addis Ababa, and several of his designs were
used on the national stamps. He was also commissioned to produce sculptures of famous Ethiopians, although only the
monumental statue of Ras Makonnen in Harrar was completed. Most notably, in 1958 he designed the stained glass
windows in the Africa Hall of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa. The three windows
cover an area of 150 square meters, and represent the sorrow of Africa's past, the struggle of the present, and hope for
Africa's future.
In 1961 Afewerk held a major retrospective in Addis Ababa, which led to his painting Maskal Flower being shown at
international exhibitions in Russia, the United States and Senegal. Increasing funds allowed Afewerk to travel around the
continent of Africa. With much of Africa still emerging from colonialism, Afewerk became fired with black emancipation
and the struggles for independence. This is reflected in his paintings of this time, with titles like Backbones of African
Civilization and African Unity.
In 1964 he became the first laureate of the Haile Selassie I Prize for Fine Arts. As his reputation spread abroad, Afewerk
was invited to put on an exhibition in Moscow following which he toured the Soviet Union giving lectures. The American
government responded with an invitation for one man exhibitions in Washington and New York and a similar lecture
tour of American universities. Additional international exhibitions followed in Senegal, Turkey, Zaire, the United Arab
Republic, Bulgaria, Munich, Kenya and Algeria.
Through much of the 1970s Afewerk was engaged in producing murals and mosaics for many public and religious
buildings around Ethiopia, including the mutual Last Judgement in the Adigrat Cathedral in Tigrai. In 1977, his painting
Unity Triptych won the gold medal in the Algiers International Festival.
The early 1980s saw a second major exhibition in Moscow and an exhibition in Bonn. In 1981, his painting Self-portrait
was the first work by an African artist to enter the permanent collection of the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
In 1997 he exhibited at the Biennale of Aquitaine, France, winning first prize in the international competition. He was
also nominated as the Laureate of the Biennale which gave him membership of the French International Academy of Arts.
Afewerk Tekle had membership of the Russian Academy of Arts, so he became the first African member in 1983.
Afewerk Tekle died on 10 April 2012 from severe stomach ulcer complications after receiving treatment at a private
hospital in Addis Ababa and was buried at the cemetery of the Holy Trinity Cathedral at Addis Ababa. The artist's death
received wide media coverage in the country, with a national committee-arranged funeral.
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot ~ FB Post 03-15-2018
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Ahati Kilindi Iyi - Master of African Martial Arts
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What I didn't know about Frederick Douglass: before he married the white woman who gets
all the credit for supporting him and his work, he was married to Anna Douglass, a Black
woman who got him free (literally) and spent 44 years as his dutiful wife, even and especially
when he didn't deserve it. Say HER name: Anna Murray-Douglass.
"By the late 1840s Anna lost much of her emotional support system. Her daughter, Rosetta,
was away at school in Albany, New York; and her friend and household helper, Harriet Bailey,
had married and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, her husband toured
England, where rumors spread about the attention lavished on him by the English ladies.
After his return in 1847 Douglass moved the family to Rochester, New York, taking Anna away
from the small but active black community of which she had been a part in Lynn. Shortly
thereafter she suffered the indignity of having the British reformer Julia Griffiths move into
the Douglass home, which caused a storm of controversy alleging Frederick’s infidelity with
Griffiths. The departure of Griffiths was followed by the arrival of Ottilie Assing, who installed
herself in the Douglass home for several months out of the year over the next twenty years.
For much of her life Anna lived isolated from supportive African American companionship
while hosting a string of white abolitionists who could barely conceal their disdain for her.
Only the extended stays of Rosetta and her children and the companionship of Louisa
Sprague, Rosetta’s sister-in-law who lived in the Douglass home as a housekeeper, relieved
Anna’s loneliness. -
See more at: http://blog.oup.com/2007/02/black_history_m3/#sthash.Zbok7bPL.dpuf
Source: FB Feb 11, 2018 -Sylvia Harris - Melanin: The Chemical Key of Royalty aka (The Cotton
Fieldz)
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Happy Black History Month!! Do you recognize this great man? If not, you most certainly know of his contributions to
black history. Carter G. Woodson was a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher and is
recognized as the father of Black History Month. Woodson dedicated himself to the field of African-American history,
working to make sure that the subject was taught in schools and studied by scholars.⠀
⠀
Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which Carter founded in 1926. Celebrated the second week of
February, its original goal was to educate kids on the history of blacks in the United States. Carter worked with schools
and teachers to develop programming and literature and lobbied extensively to have it celebrated nationally. As the
popularity of the week developed, Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University proposed Black
History Month in February 1969. The first celebration took place at Kent State in February 1970 and in 1976, President
Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial, establishing it as a
nationwide institution. ⠀
⠀
The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Black
History month is also observed in the United Kingdom and Canada. It was first celebrated in the United Kingdom in 1987
and is in October. It was first recognized in Canada in 1995, and in 2008 the Canadian Senate unanimously approved a
motion to recognize February as Black History Month in Canada.⠀
⠀
There are both advocates and proponents of Black History Month. Advocates argue that it is a way to celebrate black
culture and help prevent injustice in future generations. However, criticisms of Black History Month vary from it shouldn’
t be limited to just one month, to sentiments that it is not necessary because black history is already intertwined into the
everyday study of history, so it shouldn’t be separated and given preferential treatment. ⠀
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Professor Booker T. Coleman (Kaba Hiawatha Kamene)
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Professor Booker T. Coleman is featured in the Documentaries "Hidden Colors 1 & 2".
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Candace of 332 BC has a particular story that still should stand tall today. Despite the lack of knowledge of these Queens
this legend made it’s way out.
Her actual name was said to be Amanirenas. She was blind in one eye due to losing it in a battle with the Romans. She was
known to be a fierce, tactical and uniting leader.
Alexander the Greek had reached Kemet (Ancient Egypt) and was gearing up to battle into Ethiopia. Alexander never
fought Candace though and there are a few accounts as to why.
The wildly accepted view one given by Chancellor Williams who wrote ” The Destruction of Black Civilization” is that
upon hearing Alexander the great coming Empress Candace, or Amanirenas, gathered her black troops, lined them up
across the first cataract along with herself and stood on top of two African Elephants on a throne and waited for
Alexander to show up. Alexander the “great”, didn’t want to chance a loss and give up his undefeated winning streak. He
definitely didn’t want to lose it to a woman so once seeing the black Queen on her Elephants and her black armies along
with her, Alexander the “great” halted his armies at the first cataract, and turned back up into Egypt. Once he saw the
deadly military tactician in all her glory and her black army with the latest iron weapons, he decided against an invasion
and turned around.
Source: FB Feb 11, 2018 Edward ThomasMelanin: The Chemical Key of Royalty aka (The Cotton Fieldz)
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According to a legend in 332 BC, Alexander the Great headed south of Egypt planning to conquer the kingdoms in the
region of Nubia, or Kush. His plans were thwarted, however, by the warrior queen Candace of Meroe. “She would not let
him enter Ethiopia and warned him not to despise them because they were black for, ‘We are whiter and brighter in our
souls than the rest of you.'”Alexander heeded her advice and headed for Egypt. But this is only a tale; Alexander never
ventured into Nubia.
An impressive series of Nubian warrior queens, queen regents, and queen mothers, known as kentakes (Greek: Candace
"Candake"), are only appearing to the light of history through the ongoing deciphering of the Merotic script. They
controlled what is now Ethiopia, Sudan, and parts of Egypt. One of the earliest references to the kentakes comes from 332
B.C. when Alexander the Great set his sights on the rich kingdom of Nubia.
She placed her armies and waited on a war elephant for the Macedonian conqueror to appear for battle. Alexander
approached the field from a low ridge, but when he saw the Black Queen's army displayed in a brilliant military formation
before him, he stopped. After studying the array of warriors waiting with such deadly precision and realizing that to
challenge the kentakes could quite possibly be fatal, he turned his armies away from Nubia toward a successful campaign
in Egypt.
There are different accounts of what actually occurred when Candace confronted Alexander. According to Chancellor
Williams, after seeing Candace’s formidable defense of well-trained soldiers armed with iron weapons, Alexander
reconsidered his decision to go into battle because his opponent’s air of confidence forced him to think about his
winning streak. William Leo Hansberry says that Alexander met semi-privately with Candace. Legend has it that Candace
advised Alexander to leave the region immediately and if he refused, after defeating his army, she would cut off his head
and roll it down a hill. He also weighed the possibility of losing to a woman general against his reputation.
Source: FB Feb 09, 2018 Melanated People Empowerment
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Dr. David Imhotep is the Author of "The First Americans Were Africans: Documented Evidence". Contrary to popular
belief, African people came to the Americas long before Columbus and long before the Native Americans. In this fantastic
visual presentation, Dr. David Imhotep will show evidence of an African Presence in The Americas over 56,000 years old
and much, much more.
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Dr. Frances Cress Welsing is a psychiatrist and is the author of the book, "The Isis Papers: The Keys To The Colors". She is
an expert on what European White Supremacy and Racism are and how they work. She is also feature in the documentary
"Hidden Colors".
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Dr. George G.M. James
Dr. George Granville Monah James (unknown – 1954) was a well-
regarded historian and author from Georgetown, Guyana. He’s best
known for his 1954 book “Stolen Legacy,” in which he presented
evidence that Greek philosophy originated in ancient Egypt. He
gained his doctorate degree at Columbia University in New York,
became a professor of logic and Greek at Livingstone College in
Salisbury, N. C., for two years, and then taught at the University of
Arkansas, Pine Bluff.
In “Stolen Legacy,” James painstakingly documents the African
origins of Graco-Roman philosophical thought. He asserted that
“Greek philosophy” was not created by the Greeks at all, instead it
was borrowed without acknowledgement from the ancient Egyptians.
James even challenged the foundations of Judaism and Judeo-
Christianity and argued that the statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis
with her child Horus in her arms is the origin of the Virgin Mary and
child.
He mysteriously died, shortly after publishing Stolen Legacy.
Source: FB Post ~ Afrikans Unite - Retrieved-2018-03-09
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Thomas Edison (like many other white supremacists of the day) was known for stealing inventions of Black creators.
Grainville T Woods was called “Black Edison” because “White Edison” kept trying to steal his inventions.
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Let the hungry be fed, the naked clothed ,the sick be nourished, aged
be protected and the infants cared for!
Picture from St. Pauls Hospital in Addis Ababa
Source: Jens Kmp FB Post ~ 14 January 2018
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Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango
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Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was an investigative journalist, newspaper editor,
and suffragist who documented lynching in the United States. She was one of
the founders of the NAACP, and one of the first to report and write about
lynching in the U.S. She traveled around the country documenting incidents
and the causes behind them. She published a book called "Southern Horrors:
Lynch Law in All Its Phases." It refuted the common rumor that lynch mobs
were responding to black men raping white women and pointed to economic
and other factors as the cause. Her report caused her to be run out of
Memphis, TN but they could not silence her. She continued her work in
Chicago, publishing another book, a statistical report on lynching. She also
spoke to audiences in the U.S and Europe and launched anti-lynching groups.
She famously said, "I'd rather go down in history as one lone Negro who
dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save
my skin by taking back what I said"
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Professor Joseph Ben Levi
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Nanny, Queen of the Maroons
Lived and died in Nanny Town.
Nanny of the Maroons stands out in history as the
only female among Jamaica’s national heroes. She
possessed that fierce fighting spirit generally
associated with the courage of men. In fact, Nanny
is described as a fearless Asante warrior who used
militarist techniques to foul and beguile the
English. Like the heroes of the pre Independence
era, Nanny too met her untimely death at the
instigation of the English sometime around 1750’s.
Yet, the spirit of Nanny of the Maroons remains
today as a symbol of that indomitable desire that
will never yield to captivity.
Some call her the, "Mother of all Jamaicans."
#IWD2018
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot ~ FB Post 03-08-2018
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Queen Makeda
(Queen of Saba)
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Queen Makeda, (Queen of Saba)
*The name Sheba is Saba in the Ethiopian Language and the two names can be used interchangeably: However I will keep to the
Ethiopian usage of Saba
About a thousand years before the birth of Christ, the Queen of Saba, (Sheba), a descendant of a powerful line of kings, took the
sovereign authority of her forebears with the throne name of Queen of Saba, and began ruling over ancient Ethiopia and Yemen from
her capital at Saba near Aksum. She inherited the throne from her father Tewasia as the fifty-second sovereign of Ethiopia and reigned
over her joint kingdoms for thirty-one years. The Queen of Saba was known by various names, including that of the “Queen of Saba”,
her throne name mentioned in the Old Testament. In the New Testament she is known as the Queen of the South which literally
means in Ge’ez “Negesta Azeb.” She is known as Queen of the south because of the fact that she ruled over Ethiopia and Yemen, both
located to the South of Jerusalem. In the Kebre Nagast (Glory of Kings) she is mentioned as Makeda, her first name which was given to
her by her parents, meaning the king’s cushion which means support. Arab historians refer to her as Queen Belqis.
The Queen of Saba, considered as the greatest ruler of Aksum, ruled over both Ethiopia and Yemen. The history of the Queen occupies
a very important chapter in the history of Ethiopia, owing to the continuity in government and traditions and administration and the
memory of the greatness that has been passed from generation to generation through oral history as well as books like the Kebre
Nagast (The Kebre Nagast was written in Ge’ez by Nebure Id Yishaq, the administrator of Aksum, in the 4th century A.D. It tells the
story of Solomon and Saba, and describes how Ethiopia came to possess the Ark of the Covenant containing the two Tablets of the
Law written by the Hand of God. It is the royal chronicle which records the glory of the sovereigns of Ethiopia.) The Ethiopia Emperors
also traced their lineage to Menelik, son of Queen of Saba, from the very beginning of the establishment of the Solomonic line until the
Ethiopian people’s revolution in 1974.
The Queen of Saba was an energetic ruler who maintained and expanded existing commercial activity, the trade route of which
extended as far as Palestine and India. To facilitate commerce, she had a fleet of seventy-three seaworthy ships and a caravan of five
hundred and twenty camels. These means of transport and the conduct of trade were the responsibility of Tamrin, reputed to have
been her trusted “Minister of Trade”. Ethiopian traders took with them civet, incense, gold, ivory precious stones and ebony to foreign
countries for trading purposes. Traders from other countries also plied to and from Ethiopia carrying precious stones, gold, and civet
and spread the fame of Ethiopia and Queen of Saba far and wide.
Source: Tsega Tekle Haimanot ~ FB post ~ 12 Sep 2019
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Marduk Bel is a Master Teacher and specializes in the language of the Twa, the Medu Neter and Ancient African History.
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Maya Angelou Poem: Still I Rise!
In Honor of Black History Month let us remember to Still Rise!
Thank you Mother Maya Angelou for your witness and ministry!
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Michael Imhotep is the President of The African History Network which focuses on Educating, Empowering and Inspiring
people of African Descent throughout the Diaspora and around the world. He is the Host/Executive Producer of The
African History Network Show which can be heard on Thursdays, 8pm-11pm EST on www.AfricanHistoryNetwork.com
or you can listen by phone at (914) 338-1375. To contact him please email
CustomerService@AfricanHistoryNetwork.com.
The African History Network Show (CD in MP3 Format)
Here you will find the exciting interviews from "The African History Network Show". Now you can have them on MP3 CD
so you can listen to them when you want to and these are excellent study tools.
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Robert X is a researcher from Chicago and has been doing research on African History, DNA, Metaphysics and other topics for almost
30 years. He is know for his very well documented
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Emperor Tewodros II
(c. 1818 - April 13, 1868)
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Ras Kassa becomes Emperor Tewodros II. Emperor Téwodros II (baptized as Sahle Dingil) (c. 1818 – April 13, 1868) was
the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death. Born Kassa Haile Giorgis, but was more regularly referred to as Kassa
Hailu (meaning "restitution" and "His [or the] power"). His rule is often placed as the beginning of modern Ethiopia,
ending the decentralized Zemene Mesafint (Era of the Princes).
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03-06-2019 Update:
The National Army Museum in the UK, has agreed to return to Ethiopia a lock of hair belonging to Emperor Tewodros II, after more
than 150 years.
Emperor Tewodros committed suicide rather than surrender to British forces at the battle of Maqdala in 1868. The British ransacked
the emperor's fortress, deploying dozens of mules and camels to carry off treasure.
Ethiopia has been campaigning to have the artifacts returned. Ethiopia also want the remains of Emperor Tewodros's son,
Alemayehu, returned from Windsor castle to Ethiopia.
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William Henry Hastie was the first black federal judge and the first
black governor of the Virgin Islands.
He also served as Dean of Howard University Law School,
civilian aide to the Secretary of War, and as a member of President
Franklin Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet”
In 1930, Hastie received his LL.B. degree from Harvard University. He
was also admitted to the District of Columbia Bar in 1931 and
practiced law with his cousin Charles Hamilton Houston who later
became Dean of Howard University Law School. Hastie returned to
Harvard in 1933 to receive his J.D. degree.
In 1933, he became one of the first black members of the Roosevelt
Administration. He was appointed the President’s race relations
advisor. Later he was given the post of assistant solicitor for the
Department of Interior. While working for the Department he wrote a
constitution for the Virgin Islands.
In March 1937, Hastie was appointed judge of the Federal District
Court in the Virgin Islands by President Roosevelt, becoming the
nation’s first black Federal judge.
He served for two years, and then he resigned in 1939 to become
Dean and Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law.
He received the Spingarn Medal in 1943.
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Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa
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#blackwomenmatter Yaa Asantewaa, is one of the most courageous and revolutionary women I know. A Mother, a
Warrior, and a Queen who loved her land just as much as her people. During the reign of the Asante Empire, Britain began
to invade and control many of the Afrakan territories. They would exile many powerful Afrakan Kings which would lead to
the destruction of the people and land. The British were known to abuse, rape, and kill many Afrakan and would steal the
most valuable treasures in the land. Many of which have not been recovered to this very day. Two of these Afrakan rulers
who would be exiled would be Queen Asantewaa’s Grandson and the King of the Asante Empire. This did not sit well with
many but they felt powerless. To make matters worse, the British Governor, who referred to himself as “General of
Ghana”, demanded the Asante Golden Stool. The Golden Stool was a symbol of the spirit of the Asante people.
It was a Spiritual gift that Britain had no right to claim. At a conference, Yaa Asantewaa gave a speech that would shake
the nation. She said, “Is it true that the bravery of the Ashanti is no more? I cannot believe it. It cannot be! I must say this:
if you the men of Ashanti will not go forward, then we will. We the women will. I shall call upon my fellow women. We will
fight the white men. We will fight till the last of us falls in the battlefields.” After the speech, she would lead one of the
largest rebellions against the British colonial powers and the last major war led by Afrakan Woman.
It is very important to know the contributions of Black woman like Yaa Asantewaa throughout history so that we may
never grow ignorant of our Women’s worth. Queen Nana Yaa Asantewaa is an inspiration to people everywhere that
courage is the most important virtue a person can possess. ~ King Kwajo
Source: YES #blackwomenmatter · 7 August 2017
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Nothing is hidden from God's view!...
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All rights reserved.
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