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Location:
Shashamane is a town in the southern part of the
Shoa province, roughly 150 miles from the
Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Located in the
Rift Valley at an altitude of 2000 feet, it is famous
for its fertile land and lies on both sides of the
Kings Highway, which leads to Kenya.
Shashamane, originally established as a
garrison town, dates back to the beginning of the
19th century.
Map of Ethiopia
History of the Settlement:
Shashamane, a small district village town,
gained international attention in the African
Diaspora when 500 acres of its fertile land were
granted as a gift to the Black people of the West
in 1948 by His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile
Selassie I, the then-reigning Ethiopian Emperor.
Scenery around Shashamane
The Italian invasion of Ethiopia did more to ignite
Pan-African sentiment than any other event in
modern times. In the folklore of Africans in and
outside of Africa, Ethiopia was the bastion and
symbol of African freedom and independence. In
the Bible, Blacks read that Ethiopia was the land
of Queen of Sheba and its Monarch represented
a direct genealogical link to the Solomonic
Throne. Ethiopia was the sacred land that the
Greek historian Homer wrote about as the "land
where the gods loved to be." Now Italy's threat to
the Motherland's sovereignty -- the subsequent
invasion and occupation of Ethiopia and exile of
its Sovereign, sparked a tremendous mass
movement of international demonstration and
support from Blacks for Ethiopia and its
Emperor in the war of resistance. Rallies and
fundraising events were carried out by Blacks
throughout the United States and the Caribbean
to help Ethiopia to regain her independence.
Settlers clearing land for development
New school building
Shashamane Land Grant
On the request of Black church leaders and
organizations in the USA, the Emperor sent his
personal Emissary Dr. Malaku E. Bayen to
organize the support of Africans in the Americas.
This was done officially under the banner of
Ethiopian World Federation Inc. (E.W.F),
registered in New York, USA. Exactly 7 years
after the Liberation of Ethiopia and the return of
the Emperor in 1941, the triumphant Emperor
Haile Selassie I, bestowed the gift to the Black
peoples of the West of 500 acres of land in
Shashamane, Shoa Province.
The road to Shashamane
Settlers from Jamaica
Between 1952 and 1974 approximately 22
families migrated to Shashamane to take up the
offer of the Shashamane land grant. The vast
majority of these early settlers came from
Jamaica, as the Rastafarian groups in Jamaica
were most appreciative of the Emperor's gift and
stretched forth their hands to receive it.
Nationalization of Land Grant
In 1975 the Provisional Military Government of
Ethiopia issued the land Reform proclamation,
nationalizing all lands in Ethiopia, turning them
over to the Peasant Association. This included
the seizure of the Shashamane Land Grant. In
1976 the remaining Jamaican settlers made a
petition through the Embassy of Jamaica for the
return of the land grant, but only 100 acres was
returned and divided among the settlers. Today
the population of the settlement has grown to
over 200 of which 65% are children born on the
land in Shashamane. This settlement in Ethiopia
represents the largest community of Jamaicans
residing in Africa.
"It is the duty of the educated few to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the unfortunate many."
-- H.I.M. Haile Selassie I
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