YiNageraal Cover

I’ve seen Evita Peron of Argentina and Haileselassie I of Ethiopia as the two faces of a dime. Or “YeZinjero Konjo”, as the saying goes. Which doesn’t mean I don’t find the idea of royalty exotic. If you can’t see anything cute in people who expect you to be humbled (and take offense when you didn’t) in their presence for the mere privilege of birth right, you’ll atleast appreciate their looks.

With one infamous exception, royalties are a good looking bunch. They got everything in the book to make them perfect for the ideal “bed fellow, in marriage pleasures playfellow” candidate. They got the looks (a result of a procreation system somebody once referred to as “breeding”, as in.. you know.. horses), they got manners, long titles and old money. So you bear with them, even when they refer to themselves as “His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Selassie” –of LaLa Land?!— and have your boss scold you for not realizing you do not refer to “Leul Be’edeGebriel HaileYesus” as “Ato Leul”.

Anywho…

What brought about this musing is a suggestion from Inem about a publisher based in America who might consider taking a look at my [rejected] book and respond in less than 2 years. This suggestion came with an e-mail address. An e-mail address that created an impression and a desire to-write-a-post-on in my bosom. Goggling for a supporting material make me stumble on a “royalty” website entitled The Crown Council of Ethiopia.

The story I was looking for, which is credited to either Literary Giant NeGaaDras Tessema Eshete or “socio political pundit” Aleqa Gebre Hanna, can be considered as the Ethiopian version of a famous western proverb. It goes: