The people of Africa had passed through unbearable human rights violation and persecution during the hey days of slave trade and later colonization.
This had left their homelands poor and backward, further vulnerable to economic and political backlashes that still linger today.
The Africans and African origins who live in different parts of the world today are also victims of the trauma of the past, mistreatment due to their color. To repair this unending injustice against Africans and African origins, African Union has adopted the issue as its annual theme for the year 2025.
Today’s Herald Guest is known by his formal name Ambrose King, originally from Jamaica. The Ethiopian Herald had a brief conversation with King on Pan African Issues including the repatriation of African origins to their ancestral homestead, the justice that should be done to them to heal the wounds of colonization and slave trade among others. Enjoy reading!
Thank you for your willingness for the interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Ambrose King. My baptism name is Woldesellasie and my cultural name is Ras Tagesse. I am the country representative for a Very Old Pan African organization, which is now registered in Ethiopia as a CSO.
What are you working on as a CSO?
We are into development programs and educational programs. We have a Monumental development program endorsed by Oromia Regional Government, the government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the African Union. This is a Monumental project or our number one Project, which is basically to start establishing green garden communities here in Ethiopia on the historical land, granted to the pan- African movement under the auspices of our organization In 1948. This was as a direct consequence of the help that we gave to Ethiopia in defeating fascism. That help consisted of sending medicine and first aid And purchasing weapons and sending also doctors and the first African-American Pilots such as Colonel John C Robinson.
And for this help we were granted a piece of land, 500 acres for 500 families way back in 1948. That land is located in Shashemene. Therefore, our number one Project is to start this green garden community’s model in the borough of Shashemene because of the historical importance. Then this pilot project can be replicated throughout Ethiopia and throughout the continent to redevelop the continent along green lines.
So how is that project progressing? Are you facing any obstacles?
Since 2017, we received the endorsements from the three government authorities mentioned but then the problem was to secure the seed Capital. Now the seed Capital will be to commission a 5-man scientific team Comprising urban planner, architect, civil engineer, sociologist and environmentalist.
These are the five experts who would be required to put together a concise project proposal for the establishment of this first green garden community. To secure that funding, we have identified a budget but we are a CSO. We are at Grassroots level. We represent the poor people. Poor people do not have any money. We were looking for the money from the African Union but the African Union made us aware that they’re not a funding agency. The project is on pause since then.
So now that the African Union has adopted this theme Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations, which is payment. We are again raising this issue that we should secure this funding and this should be a form of restitution in funding development projects, such as ours.
In Addis Ababa for the last two years, we’ve been implementing an educational project where we are teaching, Imaging, animation, and media. This is in partnership with the American embassy at our venue, which is St. Mary’s University College, graduates campus. We graduated more than 40 students last year. Five of them have started entrepreneurship or their own business.
Seven of them were employed. So these are an example of some of the projects that we are implementing over the years.
Now let me take you to the agenda African Union : Justice for Africans and African descent through reparation. So how do you see the fact that African Union raised these?
Well, this is a pan-African road map. Pan-Africanism started more than 100 years ago, especially with honorable Marcus Messiah Garvey. And the UNIA in the 1920s and then it transpired into the Ethiopian World Federation. Our organization was established by an Ethiopian Dr. Melaku Beyene the first, Ethiopian to graduate from an American University. So we’ve been on this pan- African Road map for more than a 100 years. The objective was Africa for the Africans, those at home and those abroad.
So The fact that the African Union in 2025 has now realized that they need to get on board and has adopted this theme is very good progress for us. But we want to remind them that simply focusing on reparations payment is shortchanging ourselves. We must maintain the moral High ground and deal with the moral issue as opposed to the material issue. I would suggest that the material issue is reparations, meaning payment; but the moral issue is repatriation, which means repatriation of individuals, repatriation of monies, repatriation of property, and even the repatriation of lands. So we want to reintroduce into the narrative to the African Union this repatriation issue, the moral High Ground.
Does that mean you want them to upscale as a Quest from preparation to repatriation?
Most definitely
So have you raised this question so far?
This is our first opportunity now that they have adopted the theme and announced it at the recently held African Summit. This is the opportunity that we are utilizing. We have a relationship with the African Union, which goes back many decades when it was even known as the Organization of African Unity (OA). So we are again, lobbying the African Union and Sido, which represents the diaspora to make sure this is reintroduced Into The Narrative.
How have you communicated to African and African descent communities in Africa, Out of Africa ? What is their response?
Yes. We have many friendly African States who have their representatives, their embassies here, also their representatives to the African Union are all here in this diplomatic Capital Addis Ababa. So we are also lobbying for their support so that we can get our foot in the door again, with the African Union so that they can take note of what we are saying.
What is the difference that you expect from being repatriated? Reclaiming land, their culture, their religion? How do you explain that?
You see, a better description of repatriation is the Redevelopment of the continent of Africa. Emperor Hailesellasie I made a speech in 1963 at the opening of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) where he said Africa awaits its creation and its creators; meaning The people from the West, the so-called diaspora coming home and helping the people Africans at home in redeveloping the continent. So although the professionals all the Tradesmen, all the farmers who have built up the West, because we built up the West should now returned home and help in rebuilding Africa. So, the repatriation is really better described as the Redevelopment of the continent by Africans abroad and Africans at home.
Africa is a continent that struggles economically despite its rich potential. How do you think could the repatriation succeed under such circumstances?
Yes. It is a long journey. In addition, Basically, Unity is the accepted goal and we are on this long journey of Absolute Unity. The Pan-Africa, pan-African Mission and the mission of the organization of African Unity was to create the United States of Africa. We still have not reached that. If we can unite, then I think all our problems will be corrected.
But the problem is, we are not able yet to achieve that United States of Africa government even after how many years since the OAU was established in 1963. Now, 2023 would be 60 years. So, 62 years later, we still haven’t United. So that tells you the enormity of the task, which we are being faced with, but we are confident of the victory of good over evil. Therefore, we are relentlessly agitating, canvassing, lobbying for the United States of Africa. SO our unity is what is needed.
Africa is not a poor continent. Africa is rich. However, all of our riches are raped by these same perpetrator nations. Our unity will stop that. We do not have to have weapons of mass destruction to defend our Unity. Just as how Ethiopia defended her Integrity, without modern weapons without tanks without airplanes without mustard gas.
But by presentation, representation at the League of Nations and applying to the humanity of the Human family. Ethiopia was able to defeat fascism. It is our Unity, which is our strength. We are not poor. We are the richest continent in the world. But we don’t have any Unity; consequently The Brain Drain is affecting us. All our youth are running away.
All our resources are being raped, so our Unity is the biggest challenge that we have to overcome and I think we are on the way there. We’ve seen also three West African States namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger who are taking a lead in correcting us and the way we’ve been working and existing with these perpetrator Nations for the last 60 years. We have to take a new direction where righteousness shall cover the earth. Therefore, these are biblical references, which is what this faith, based communities, and ethical organizations must promote.
Concerning the project in Shashemene, what you already working on is developing the area just as a Heritage from the Empire. So and uh how can it help the repatriation, or how it can set example or serve as a model in the repatriation process in the end?
It’s a fundamental human rights that every family should have house and land. We are fighting over borders, Colonial borders, Regional borders, where the population of these African States is not enough to occupy all of the land.
Therefore, we must realize this and understand. This is a victim of neo colonialism. If we can make an example of these house and land given to families, where they can develop their house, develop their vegetable gardens and whatever Surplus land, they have in cooperation with their neighbors, do sharecropping and have a city or a village that is entirely run on green technologies such as solar energy, biogas energy, wind pump energy, rainwater harvesting, recycling of waste and so on and so forth. Imagine every family has a house and garden.
This will be very conducive to peace because that is what all human beings want. They want a roof over their head. They want a bread to put on their table and be able to feed and clothe themselves. So, we’ve got to take a new policy. The land should be given to everybody equally and it should not be bought and sold. There’s too much land for us to occupy. We must realize this. So we want to use Shashemene as an example, as a model of what the future should be.
That can be replicated throughout the continent, so we feel this is the best way it meets the climatic challenge that we are facing. So we think Africa leads the way in the future and we are on a Divine Mission. We are confident of this victory of good over evil. So it must come about. So this is what we are fighting for.
Thank you very much for your time!
Thank you
BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 24 MAY 2025
