Asfa-Wossen Asserate
Encyclopedia
Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate (Amharic: አስፋ-ዎሠን አሠርዓተ; born October 31, 1948 in Addis Ababa
, Ethiopia
), is a management consultant and an author
writing in German, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty
, the deposed royal family of Ethiopia
. He is a grandnephew of the last Ethiopian Emperor
Haile Selassie and a son of the former governor
and viceroy
of Eritrea
, Li'ul Ras Asserate Kasa (Asserate-Maryam Kasa).
Lij ('prince
') Asfa-Wossen went to the German school in Addis Abeba, before studying law
, economics
and history
in Tübingen
and Cambridge
. In 1978, he earned a PhD
in Ethiopian history in Frankfurt am Main. In 1974 a Communist revolution
in Ethiopia made impossible his return to his homeland: his father and sixty other dignitaries of the Haile Selassie regime
were executed without a trial. The Asserate family was held under house arrest for years without knowing when and if they would be released. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate who learned of the fate of his father over the radio has been living in Germany
ever since and became a German citizen in 1981.
Since 1983, he has been working as a management consultant and author. He dedicated much of his energies campaigning against the Communist dictatorship
in Ethiopia, and above all, he pulled all diplomatic strings to help his incarcerated family. After the fall of the Communist Mengistu regime in 1991 he has been striving to improve the foreign trade
relations of his native country. Furthermore, he has been committed to human rights
. In 1994 he founded „Orbis Aethiopicus“, a society that holds scientific congresses with a focus on Ethiopian culture, history and other matters.
") was published. It deals with the topic of manners in the context of sociology
and cultural history
in Europe
an societies. It is not meant to be a guide of good manners, but tries to give a rather descriptive approach. But as the author often also reveals his opinions on certain problems of behaviour, the book does give some orientation.
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
), is a management consultant and an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
writing in German, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty
Solomonic dynasty
The Solomonic dynasty is the Imperial House of Abyssinia. Its members claim lineal descent from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, the latter of whom tradition asserts gave birth to the first King Menelik I after her Biblically described visit to Solomon in Jerusalem .-Overview:The dynasty, a...
, the deposed royal family of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. He is a grandnephew of the last Ethiopian Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Haile Selassie and a son of the former governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
and viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Li'ul Ras Asserate Kasa (Asserate-Maryam Kasa).
Lij ('prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
') Asfa-Wossen went to the German school in Addis Abeba, before studying law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. In 1978, he earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Ethiopian history in Frankfurt am Main. In 1974 a Communist revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
in Ethiopia made impossible his return to his homeland: his father and sixty other dignitaries of the Haile Selassie regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
were executed without a trial. The Asserate family was held under house arrest for years without knowing when and if they would be released. Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate who learned of the fate of his father over the radio has been living in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
ever since and became a German citizen in 1981.
Since 1983, he has been working as a management consultant and author. He dedicated much of his energies campaigning against the Communist dictatorship
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
in Ethiopia, and above all, he pulled all diplomatic strings to help his incarcerated family. After the fall of the Communist Mengistu regime in 1991 he has been striving to improve the foreign trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
relations of his native country. Furthermore, he has been committed to human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. In 1994 he founded „Orbis Aethiopicus“, a society that holds scientific congresses with a focus on Ethiopian culture, history and other matters.
Literary work
In 2003, his book "Manieren" ("MannersManners
In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which demonstrate that a person is proper, polite, and refined. They are like laws in that they codify or set a standard for human behavior, but they are unlike laws in that there is no formal system for punishing transgressions, the...
") was published. It deals with the topic of manners in the context of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and cultural history
Cultural history
The term cultural history refers both to an academic discipline and to its subject matter.Cultural history, as a discipline, at least in its common definition since the 1970s, often combines the approaches of anthropology and history to look at popular cultural traditions and cultural...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an societies. It is not meant to be a guide of good manners, but tries to give a rather descriptive approach. But as the author often also reveals his opinions on certain problems of behaviour, the book does give some orientation.
External links
- Rasselas - A Premium Coffee by Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate of Ethiopia Charity project of Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate.