FictionThatMatters.org

The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat
by Ryszard Kapuscinski
Translated by William R. Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand
Penguin Classics, 192 pages. 1983, reprinted 2006.

At one point Ryszard Kapuscinski was the only Polish journalist reporting in the entire continent of Africa. He wrote during a time of significant upheaval, when peoples were shaking loose their colonial shackles with grand visions in the 1960s and 70s — often to succumb to sinister dictatorships. His news articles arrived in Poland through phone calls, spotty telegraph connections, and all manner of inventive communication. These pieces were informative, but Kapuscinski’s lasting legacy may be found in his insightful reportages, which he nicknamed ‘journalism by foot’. These pieces allowed him to share more personal observations that were not fit for the daily news.

Colossal Stature

Kapuscinski is at his best with The Emperor, his 1974 reportage about the 44 year rule of the Ethiopian monarch Haile Selassie. Selassie was a diminutive ruler of colossal stature. His army defeated the Italians under Mussolini. He kept lions at his palace, feeding them scraps of meat, and maintained a dozen opulent palaces throughout the country. He modernized Ethiopia’s infrastructure and drew his country into global politics, traveling the world with his elaborate retinue.

But the Emperor’s closest confidants suggest that he was a brutal ruler of exceptional cunning. He encouraged a culture of corruption and kept secrets, striving to maintain his power at all costs. When Ethiopia was wracked by famine, he refused to even criticize the noblemen who had horded foodstuffs, preferring loyalty over justice. Such shortcomings eventually led to the downfall of Haile Selassie’s regime by a coup d’état in 1974. He spent his final days in power in an office stuffed with hard cash and a few hundred million dollars collecting interest in overseas bank accounts.

Pillow Fluffing

But such facts are easily ascertainable.  The reason that Kapuscinski’s book is so wonderful is that it features a compilation of interviews with former members of Haile Selassie’s royal court.  These vary from finance ministers to scribes in the Ministry of the Pen.  The Emperor’s royal Pillow Placer explains how he had to choose pillows of exactly the right size and fluffiness so that the tiny monarch’s legs didn’t dangle like a child’s, and the Royal Door Opener relates how the door had to be opened at a precise moment so that the Emperor didn’t have to waste his time waiting, or look as if he was being shepherded from the room.

The Emperor never wrote anything down so as to allow him to rule with ambiguity.  He could then deny accusations or divert blame at will, and relied upon his extraordinary memory to snuff out plots or reward loyalty.

Beauty in the Words

The most delightful aspect of The Emperor is the richness of the language.  By the time the words reach us in English they have been translated from Amharic into English into Polish and then back again, or from Amharic into Polish and then into English.  So it is difficult to know whom to credit.  It could be the courtiers themselves, Kapuscinski, or the English translators.  But it appears the courtiers spoke with language steeped in imagery and allusion.  Each word is chosen carefully in order to persuade or evoke, and it is a fascinating ride.

Like the author Studs Terkel, Kapuscinski allows his interviewees to tell their story.  His creativity stems from the manner in which he arranges the various interviews, spinning together his yarn.

But the author does occasionally share his thoughts.  These sometimes redundant comments fill in gaps in the narrative.  I’ll close with a passage in which Kapuscinski really shines:

The magical aspect is that the highest one is endowed, often unconsciously, with divine characteristics. The supreme one is wise and noble, unblemished and kindly. Only the dignitaries are bad; they cause all the misery. Moreover, if the one on the top knew what his people were up to, he would immediately repair the damage and life would be better. Unfortunately, these crafty villains pull the wool over their master’s eyes, and that is why life is so hard, so low and miserable. This is magical thinking because, in reality, in an autocratic system it is precisely the one on the top who is the primary cause of what happens. He knows what is going on, and if he doesn’t know, it’s because he doesn’t want to know. It was no accident that the majority of the people around the Emperor were mean and servile. Meanness and servility were the conditions of ennoblement, the criteria by which the monarch chose his favorites, rewarded them, bestowed privileges on them. Not one step was taken, not one word said, without his knowledge and consent. Everyone spoke with his voice, even if they said diverse things, because he himself said diverse things. The condition for remaining in the Emperor’s circle was practicing the cult of the Emperor, and whoever grew weak and lost eagerness in the practice of this cult lost his place, dropped out, disappeared. Haile Selassie lived among shadows of himself, for what was the Imperial suite if not a multiplication of the Emperor’s shadow?

–Deji Olukotun

Sidenote:  Reggae and Haile Selassie

If you’ve ever heard a reggae song, you’ve probably heard of Haile Selassie. Bob Marley invoked Selassie’s name in prayer before his live performances, and even quotes directly from a speech of Selassie’s in his song War.

Rastafarianism is a heady mix of Christian, Caribbean, and African traditions.  The religion calls for a spiritual return to Africa or an actual physical return to the continent, depending on one’s interpretation.  Rastafarians embrace Haile Selassie because he ran a complex, powerful Christian kingdom in the heart of Africa and his lineage was said to be traceable directly to King Solomon in the Bible.

Selassie was at once both Christian and African, symbolizing a harmony of purpose and place.

Second Thoughts?

Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966 and didn’t openly deny the Rastafarian belief that he was their divine king on Earth; but he also advised them not to move to Ethiopia.  It was a small example of his extraordinary diplomatic cunning.  He helped bolster his divine image while refusing any direct assistance to his worshipers.

I wonder if most Rastafarians would reevaluate Selassie as a man after reading Kapuscinski’s The Emperor.  The book is a harsh indictment of his autocratic rule. However, Haile Selassie — the Conquerin’ Lion of Judah — represents more than one man. Rather he is the culmination of a century of Pan-Africanist thought and belief.  So the pressure-drop should keep on fallin’.

Image by Oddsock on Creative Commons