Royal Ethiopian Trust Garners International Media Attention

The Magdala Shield

HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie and The Royal Ethiopian Trust Negotiate the Return of Historic Shield from the Battle of Magdala

The return of The Magdala Shield has attracted worldwide press coverage.

Per the press release from The Royal Ethiopian Trust:

The Magdala Shield
The Magdala Shield
[Artwork: David Robert Wooten, GCEL, KCSE]

“The shield, one of numerous artifacts seized by British troops following the battle of Magdala in 1868, holds immense cultural value, and was acquired through negotiations with the UK-based Anderson & Garland auction house. The shield had been slated for public auction in February, but was withdrawn following pressure from the Ethiopian government.  Under Prince Ermias’ direction, the RET took proactive steps to negotiate the shield’s return to Ethiopia, in keeping with the organization’s mission to protect and celebrate the nation’s cultural treasures.

“‘This shield is not just a historical artifact; it is a symbol of Ethiopia’s history and resilience,’ said Prince Ermias. ‘Our efforts and success in regaining this treasure is a testament to our commitment to preserve our heritage and honor our ancestors who fought for our nation’s sovereignty.'”

For complete details on this and other projects visit The Royal Ethiopian Trust website.

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie Announces the Formation of the Royal Ethiopian Trust

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie Announces the Formation of the Royal Ethiopian Trust

1 October 2024

THE ROYAL ETHIOPIAN TRUST

Philanthropic Organization seeks to preserve, promote, and strengthen the Ethiopian Culture and Community

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie today announced the formation of the Royal Ethiopian Trust (RET), a 501(c)(3) organization established to advance the legacy of the Ethiopian Crown and promote the cultural, educational, and economic well-being of all Ethiopian people.

His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie

HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia
HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, President of the Crown Council of Ethiopia

Prince Ermias, grandson of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, represents the longest unbroken royal lineage in history, dating back 3,000 years. He and his family were exiled in 1974 when the Communist revolution deposed and assassinated then Emperor Haile Selassie. Educated at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Prince Ermias was appointed President of the Ethiopian Crown Council in 1993. He has remained an active steward of Ethiopia’s rich heritage from his home in the United States.

“The Royal Ethiopian Trust has been a long time in the making, and I am deeply thankful for the counsel and support we’ve received,” said Prince Ermias. “I look forward to working with our partners around the world to unite Ethiopia’s past and future, preserve our imperial heritage and foster progress for all Ethiopians.”

Prince Ermias also expressed gratitude to those who have accepted positions on the Trust’s founding Board of Directors. These individuals bring decades of entrepreneurial and philanthropic experience, along with close ties to the Ethiopian Royal Family and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Board will assist the RET in remaining operationally strong and focused on its mission.

The Royal Ethiopian Trust is structured around four core pillars that reflect its mission to safeguard Ethiopia’s cultural and historical heritage while fostering progress and unity:

  • Empowering Ethiopia’s Future through Education
  • Fostering Ethiopian Entrepreneurship
  • Preserving Ethiopia’s Imperial Heritage
  • Supporting the Ethiopian Crown

“With these pillars as our foundation, the Royal Ethiopian Trust is dedicated to the prosperity, cultural vibrancy and unity of Ethiopia,” said Deacon Solomon Kibriye, who has been appointed President of the RET. “We are committed to making a lasting impact that reflects the enduring spirit of Ethiopia.”

About the Royal Ethiopian Trust
The Royal Ethiopian Trust is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie, dedicated to preserving Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage and empowering its future. The Trust operates on four fundamental pillars: empowering youth through education, fostering entrepreneurship, preserving Imperial heritage, and supporting the Ethiopian Crown as a unifying symbol of national identity. Through these efforts, the Royal Ethiopian Trust seeks to ensure the prosperity, cultural vibrancy, and unity of Ethiopia and its people.

2024 Victory of Adwa Dinner

The Annual Victory of Adwa Dinner for 2024 was held 23 March 2024 in Washington, DC.

Click the photograph above to be taken to the website of the photographer who captured the event.

Proceeds from the sale of photographs on this website – which also includes photos from the 2019-2023 Victory of Adwa Dinners – will go to support The Crown Council of Ethiopia.

Palm Beach Freedom Institute Celebrates 80th Anniversary of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa

Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie would like to thank his good friend and colleague Paul du Quenoy of the Palm Beach Freedom Institute for his ongoing commitment to supporting the work of the Ethiopian Crown Council generally and its Holy Trinity Cathedral renovation campaign specifically.

CHERISHED SYMBOL: Members and friends of the Ethiopian community in the nation’s capital joined visitors from the Palm Beach Freedom Institute to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, constructed by the late Emperor Haile Selassie to commemorate the liberation of his country from Italian forces during World War II. The final resting place of the Emperor, other members of the Imperial Family and national patriots, the Cathedral is considered the “crown jewel of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church,” the late monarch’s grandson and gala patron, Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, told guests before a concert of traditional music, dinner and dancing to the sounds of the Alex Donner Orchestra. After noting that his country sadly remains better known for famine, oppression and civil war — “a legacy that is still rearing its ugly head” — the Prince said he hoped the Cathedral would continue to “symbolize a new Ethiopia and a new Africa” in the years to come.

Prince Ermias Selassie and his wife Princess Saba alongside the Lion of Judah Imperial flag of their homeland
Kazakhstan Amb. Yerzan Ashikbayev, Rhoda Septilici and Dinara Ashikbayeva
Gala co-chairwoman Robin Ganzert with daughters Aidan and Jocelyn Ganzert
Gala chairmen Paul and Irina du Quenoy

CHAMPIONS OF LIBERTY: “We oppose the horrors of communism in all its forms,” Freedom Gala chairman Paul du Quenoy noted, “and are proud to honor our stalwart Ethiopian friends as they emerge from its tyranny.”

[Source: Washington Life Magazine – https://washingtonlife.com/digital-edition/#nov2023_1]

Ethiopian Crown Delegation Visits Panama

Last month, representatives of the Ethiopian Crown Council traveled to Panama for an official visit hosted by the Panamanian government. HIH Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie, President of the Crown Council, led the delegation, which included his wife HIH Princess Saba Kebede and advisors to the Crown Council representing the Moa Anbessa Institute. The trip, organized by the Tourism Authority of Panama, included meetings and events with Panama’s ministries of Foreign Affairs, Culture, and Tourism. These activities were part of a larger event on the theme of reunion between Africa and the African diaspora. Other guests included Her Majesty Queen Diambi of Congo’s Bakwa Luntu people; His Royal Highness Doctor Rilwan Sulaiman, Emir of Bauchi (Nigeria); and His Royal Highness Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the ooni of Ife (Nigeria).

Ethiopian Crown Delegation Visiting Panama

On May 19, Prince Ermias gave a speech on the subject of colonialism and “The Unfinished Road to Freedom.” He described Ethiopia’s unique role in African history as the continent’s sole unconquered country and stressed the role that the Ethiopian monarchy played in unifying Ethiopia in the face of European aggression. He suggested that the final step in the liberation process was to “decolonize our minds.” He invited the audience to consider Africa’s wars over ethnicity, ideology, and natural resources, and asked “whether these are really our own values, or whether they have been imposed on us from the outside.” In his concluding remarks, he argued that “Africa’s traditional monarchies are a symbol of Africa’s freedom,” and called upon all Africans to “build a new generation of Africans proud of our traditions.”

HIH Prince Ermias signing books
HIH Prince Ermias signing books

On May 24, Prince Ermias joined the leadership of the Rastafarian community of Panama at an event hosted with the Ministry of Culture and the National Secretariat for the Development of Afro-Panamanians. Leading Rasta intellectuals presented on the topic of Rastafarians as a nation without a state. Prince Ermias gave a speech exploring the connections between the Rasta movement, Ethiopia’s church, and Ethiopia’s crown. He recorded the long history of support the African diaspora and the Rasta movement have given the Ethiopian crown, particularly during World War II and the years since the revolution of 1974.

In this speech, Prince Ermias invited the Rasta community to build closer ties to Ethiopia and to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. “The church gives me a goal and a guide,” he said in his concluding remarks, “the inspiration we can find in the humility, love, and forgiveness of Jesus and his ultimate sacrifice. The crown gives me a burden to carry, the obligation I owe to my cousins, my uncle, my grandfather, and to all of our ancestors, the duty I have to preserve the memory of my family and its role in the history of my culture and my people. So I have both a burden and a guide. The Rastas who have grown ever closer to our church and the Rastas who stand loyal to our crown have carried the same burden with me, following the same guide.”

Coverage of the Crown Council trip to Panama in the press and in social media has been extensive, and Prince Ermias’s speech to the Rasta community received live televised coverage. Ethiopian news site Borkena published a statement about the trip by the Moa Anbessa Institute on June 7. That statement read, in part:

It is our belief that the process of healing and reconciliation for the purposes of promoting and fostering peace and unity on the basis of a common history and identity starts with education, understanding and an open heart to learn and to forgive. Thus, it is only when we understand, forgive past injustices and reconcile with our history that we can begin to chart a path forward built on mutual trust, confidence and partnership beneficial to all people including the environment in which we live.

The Crown Council is grateful to support from the Moa Anbessa Institute and for the presence of its representatives on this trip. The Moa Anbessa statement makes an important point. Education and understanding are crucial for peace and reconciliation, both in Ethiopia specifically and Africa more generally. The Crown Council invites all Ethiopians to join in this journey, and invites everyone to remember the crucial role that Africa’s traditional institutions have to play in building bridges of peace and reconciliation, and in building Africa’s future.

Ethiopian Crown Council Honors Aklilu Demessie With Knight Grand Cross Award

Mr Aklilu Demessie received the prestigious Knight Grand Cross from Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie during the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony held at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: March 13th, 2020

New York (TADIAS) — Mr. Aklilu Demessie, a Board member and Vice President of the Menelik Foundation in Cleveland, and one of the founders of the Society of Ethiopians Established in the community Diaspora (SEED), has been honored by Ethiopian Crown Council for his lifetime achievements in community service. The announcement notes that Mr. Demessie is “an active member of the core group that has helped establish a Sister Cities agreement between the city of Cleveland and Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.”

Mr Aklilu Demessie received the prestigious Knight Grand Cross from Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie during the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony held at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Mr Aklilu Demessie received the prestigious Knight Grand Cross from Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie during the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony held at the Army & Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)

Mr. Demessie received the prestigious Knight Grand Cross from Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, who is the grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie, during the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony held at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th.

Mr. Demessie is “one of the select group of holders of the Knight Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Star of Ethiopia — one of the most venerated decorations of the Solomonic gift,” the announcement stated. “The honor is one of the highest Ethiopian rankings and included the formality of a dubbing with Imperial Court Sword on both shoulders by Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie Haile-Selassie.”

The press release added that Mr. Demessie is also “a member and Vice President of the board of the International Community Council and Worldwide International Network (ICC-WIN) of Cleveland Ohio in which 121 countries are represented. He has served as the President of the Northeast Ohio Ethiopian Community Association (NEOECA) as well as President of the Ethiopian Cleveland Connection (ECC) in the 1990s. Mr. Demessie is one of the founding Board members of The Society of Ethiopians Established in the Diaspora (SEED) which gives scholarships to outstanding high school graduates and identifies future leaders among American-born kids of Ethiopian heritage, and encourages good citizenship and community service in addition to honoring and awarding their adult role models on the same stage annually.”

Mr. Aklilu Demessie holding his award after the ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Aklilu Demessie holding his award after the ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Demessie as featured in the award program. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Demessie as featured in the award program. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Aklilu Demessie pictured with legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed at the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February Commemoration 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Aklilu Demessie pictured with legendary singer Mahmoud Ahmed at the annual Victory of Adwa Commemoration dinner & award ceremony at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C. on February Commemoration 29th, 2020. (Courtesy photo)

Aklilu Demessie holds an MS in Engineering Mechanics and BS in Civil Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Prior to that he spent a year as an American Field Service, AFS scholar in the USA and graduated from Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio in 1971.

Per the announcement Mr. Demessie “started his professional career at Cleveland Pneumatic Company as a Stress Analyst and progressed to a Supervisory position in the Engineering Department over the years. Mr. Demessie worked as a Senior Engineer/Group Leader at the former Goodrich Landing Gear with over 40 years of experience as a professional in this area. Currently, he is retired but works part time at Collins Aerospace in the Landing Gear Division in Independence, Ohio.”

Mr. Demessie, who lives in Hudson, Ohio is married and has two adult children, Menna Demessie, PhD, Nebyat Demessie, MHSA (both graduates of WRA) and his wife of 42 years, Zufan L. Demessie, RN, BAcy.

Gregory Copley’s Interview with Australia’s SBS Broadcasting System

Gregory Copley, President of ISSA

Interview today with Australia’s SBS broadcasting system and its Amharic channel. Discussion on the Ethiopian Crown and Ethiopian Government, including Nobel Prize Winner Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali.

“Emperor Haile Selassie followed the model of Emperor Menelik ensuring that Ethiopia should remain independent and dignified country.” – Gregory Copley, President of ISSA, and its Zahedi Center for the Study of Monarchy, Traditional Governance, and Sovereignty

Listen to Full interview of Gregory Copley with SBS Broadcasting