International Politics

Complete responsibility for Africans

"…We here are all dedicated to the betterment of conditions of man's life; we all know the sorrows and misery of those who do not live but merely exist, the lot of men whose living conditions are sub-standard. But when we speak of the betterment of man's life, we mean not merely the economic improvement of living standards; we refer, in addition, to the spiritual conditions in which man lives, for just as a man without means to feed his hunger and to clothe his nakedness can take no pride in his existence as a human being, so, also is one who is reviled and discriminated against because of his race or religion, robbed of his self-respect and human dignity."

Speech by Emperor Haile Selassie I

3^rd September 1961