Book Review: The Biography of

Empress Menen Asfaw

The Mother of the Ethiopian Nation

http://www.roots-publishing.com

Revealing, well written and rich with historic photographs, this just published biography marks the 120th anniversary of Empress Menen’s birth and the 100th anniversary of her marriage to Haile Sellassie I, the last reining Emperor of Ethiopia. Empress Menen was an illuminated example of leadership, generosity and motherhood, and was a steady source of strength for her husband during their fifty years of marriage.

Empress Menen (April 3, 1891-February 15, 1962) was a remarkable woman. She was born to nobility in the remote highland enclave of Ambessel. At twenty she moved to the capital city of Ethiopia where she met her future husband, and traveled forty-five days by horseback to wed Tafari Mekonnen (who later became Emperor Haile Sellassie I). She became an Empress during a lengthy coronation ceremony in 1930 while pregnant with her last child. She made several pilgrimages to the Holy Land, first by ship and train, and later by jet-airliner. She maintained vast humanitarian efforts for her people by building churches, opening childcare centers and the first-ever high school for young women in her country. According to the Ethiopian Calendar Empress Menen was born March 25, 1883 and died February 8, 1954.

This ground-breaking book came about when Anjahli Parnell first asked for guidance from God and then set the intention of finding out more about Empress Menen before she and her Rastafari ‘kingman’ (husband) visited Ethiopia in 2009. While there she was handed a rare copy of a biography of Empress Menen Asfaw, which was written shortly after her passing in 1962. After permission was granted from the Ethiopian Crown Council, the original volume was translated from the ancient Ge’ez language, revised and enhanced with additional material to produce this revealing biography, Empress Menen Asfaw, The Mother of the Ethiopian Nation.

This book is 240 pages and has 62 historical photographs. It is offered to all lovers of Ethiopian history and in particular, the ‘sistren’ devoted to the Rastafari faith and ‘livity’ (lifestyle).

The Biography of Empress Menen Asfaw is available for pre-order at 1-800-BookLog, and by visiting www.atlasbooks.com in December at a price of $19.99. For further information, please visit the website

http:// www.roots-publishing.com

“The rich, complex and challenging life of Empress Menen has remained obscure for decades. With the first time translation and publication of this new volume, I trust readers will once again become reacquainted with the life of the Empress and her great contribution to her faith, her country and her family.”

HIH Ermias Sahle Selassie, President of the Ethiopian Crown Council