History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to

“History teaches us that unity is strength, and cautions us to submerge and overcome our differences in the quest for common goals, to strive, with all our combined strength, for the path to true African brotherhood and unity.” – Haile Selassie

These are the words of Haile Selassie, the Lion of Judah, Emperor of Ethiopia, and voice of wisdom who stood before kings and nations. In this declaration, spoken with the gravity of both leader and prophet, he distilled the ancient law of survival and greatness — that unity is strength, and division, the ruin of all peoples. His message rose not merely for Ethiopia, nor for Africa alone, but for all humankind: that no people can endure when scattered, and no civilization can rise while its sons and daughters are divided by pride, tribe, or suspicion. For in unity, the weak are made mighty; in division, even the strong are broken.

To understand his words, one must remember the wounds of Africa. For centuries, the continent’s kingdoms, rich with gold and wisdom, were divided by conquerors who sowed discord and fear. Brother turned against brother, tribe against tribe, as foreign powers carved the land like a feast laid out before strangers. Haile Selassie saw that the chains of colonialism were forged not merely by the oppressor’s strength, but by the victim’s disunity. He spoke these words to the gathering of African leaders in the early days of independence, when nations newly freed from empire stood uncertain, fragile, and alone. He called them to see that freedom without unity would be freedom soon lost. “History teaches us,” he said — and indeed it does — that no nation divided in heart can remain strong in hand.

Consider the example of Ethiopia itself, the empire Selassie inherited. It was the only African nation to resist the yoke of colonial rule, standing defiant against the armies of Mussolini. But this victory did not come through one man’s strength. It came through the rallying of a people — princes and peasants, Christians and Muslims — who set aside their differences and stood shoulder to shoulder as one body. When the invaders came, they did not see Amhara, Oromo, or Tigray — they saw Ethiopians united. That unity became their armor, their weapon, their salvation. It was proof before heaven and history that when a people are one in purpose, even the mightiest empire cannot subdue them.

Haile Selassie’s vision was not limited to war, but reached toward the dream of African brotherhood — a continent reborn, its nations bound together not by conquest, but by cooperation. He knew that independence without unity would leave Africa vulnerable to the same powers that once enslaved her. He warned that rivalries, jealousies, and narrow nationalism would only invite division once more. To “submerge and overcome our differences,” he said, was not to erase identity, but to transcend it — to understand that diversity, when harmonized, becomes strength. The lion and the gazelle may differ, yet both belong to the same savannah.

The truth of his words echoes far beyond Africa. History teaches that every great civilization perished when its people turned upon one another. The Greeks fell to infighting. Rome split into warring halves. Even mighty empires of the East were undone not by enemies from without, but by discord within. Unity is the pulse of every enduring nation; without it, even brilliance turns to ash. Yet, unity is not born of convenience — it is forged through patience, forgiveness, and shared purpose. It demands humility: the wisdom to see that the fate of one is tied to the fate of all.

Today, Selassie’s message stands as both mirror and challenge. The world, more connected than ever, trembles under the weight of its divisions — nations, races, faiths, and classes all pulling apart. But the lesson of history remains unchanged: that the only path to lasting peace is the path of unity. Whether in a family, a community, or a nation, the principle is the same — the rope of many strands cannot be broken.

Therefore, O listener of these ancient truths, remember this: unity is strength, not because it denies difference, but because it sanctifies it through shared purpose. Seek not enemies among your brothers, nor walls between your neighbors. Stand together in the face of falsehood and fear. When your tribe quarrels, be the voice of peace; when your people despair, be the bridge that binds them. For the hand that joins another becomes stronger, and the heart that embraces another becomes whole. Thus shall the dream of Haile Selassie — the dream of brotherhood, of unity, of peace — cease to be a vision, and become a living flame carried into eternity.