Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie (born Tafari Makonnen ) ( 1892 – 1975 )
Emperor of Ethiopia ( 1930 – 74 ). He lived in exile in Britain during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia ( 1936 – 41 ), but was restored to the throne by the Allies and ruled until deposed in a Communist military coup. As a statesman, he made his country a prominent force in Africa and helped establish the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union ) in the early 1960s. He was deposed by left-wing army officers in 1974 and assassinated the following year. He is revered by the Rastafarian religious sect, which is named after him.