February 15, 2026
By Samuel Estefanous
(estefanoussamuel@yahoo.com)
This I will admit hands down- my fascination with the Emperor Tewodros II never subsides. I have been incurably hooked ever since I was a kid and given a tattered copy of a play in verse sentimentally narrating his mad adventures (by Girmachew T., I guess, I am not sure though).
He is someone whom you would characterize as “only too human”. He isn’t ashamed to cry in public when his heart is broken. He mourned the loss of Tewabech publicly for the remainder of his life. There is this incident Blanc tells when one of his ferenji artisan’s wife was on her deathbed and the unfortunate husband came to plead with the Emperor to allow Blanc to attend to her (Blanc dubbed in medicine among his multiple specializations).
On hearing the woman was transitioning, Tewodros broke down and wept before the ferenjis for whom he had so much disdained. Contrast this with the semi-divine aura Emperor Hailesilassie had tried to construct for his person and throne. They say the latter wouldn’t even shake the hands of ‘natives’. He might have held hands and exchanged warm hugs and kisses with the likes of Kenyatta and Kwame but he rarely allowed any degree of intimacy to ‘the natives’-his own subjects.
Tewodros never hesitated to apologize when he believed he had wronged the innocent-in public, too. He rarely stood during the ceremony. He never suffered from any excesses of ego. The problem was for the most part he had always believed that he was punishing the wicked. It was this self-righteousness that had ruined him at the end. At any rate, it isn’t about his inexhaustible love for Tewabech or his down to earth almost peasant-like simplicity of heart I intend to dwell on for now. I just couldn’t get one of his epic pronouncements of justice out of my head. I mean it is almost theatrical, a draconian sense of justice that blends soft hearted clemency with raw unmitigated cruelty in the same breath.
The man in the dock was your quintessential usual suspect type of the era. He had a weakness for Tej, the local fermented honey beer. So when the urge to have a taste became agonizingly unbearable, the man sneaked into the royal quarter and begged the maids for a glass or two. That was a trespass the Emperor never tolerated-sneaking into the female wing of the royal quarter that is. Knowing this the poor fella took his chance but it wasn’t meant to be. He was apprehended by the royal guards and his case was brought to ye’zufan chilot where the Emperor was presiding. The charges were read out and the accused pleaded ‘guilty as charged’. The Emperor knew the thirst for the all-powerful liquor only too well and his heart was filled with strong empathy. So what he did was, he kept quizzing the accused about the extent of his affection for the “yellow mistress”.
‘Very much so, My Lord.’ The convicted felon admitted the right way. The Emperor couldn’t find in his noble heart to let the uncompromising love for Teji go unrequited, so what he did he delivered his royal verdict in two segments, one from the Fetha-negest and another from the bottom of his kind heart.
‘Guilt is admitted therefore there is no point in further complicating the proceeding thus warden you are hereby instructed to execute the following punishment- give the convicted felon two cups of Teji to quench his parching thirst and fifty lashes of alenga for the misdemeanor.’
You might be wondering what edifying lessons one could draw from this unusual Imperial judgment. I know it doesn’t establish a Cassation Bench like stare decisis to be subscribed to by lower courts. But there is a great sense of justice in the pronouncement. The law isn’t just dry bones and wizened tendons. It is flesh and blood as well. Sometimes you need to administer the flogging without losing the care and treat the accused to the finest Tej straight from the royal brewery. Emperor Tewodros knew far more about the wisdom of alternating carrot and stick. Only he did it naturally and not in a careerist spirit to benefit from the procedure. God Bless his noble heart, the good Lord might have forgiven him half his sins on account of that epic humane verdict of his.
Just look at what the Ministry of Revenue is doing. In a blind push to increase the Tax to GDP ratio it is killing businesses including Startups in the incubation phase. With one hand it is lending support with the other it is draining the living breath from struggling businesses. By the way, two thumbs up to Minister Muferiat for her courage to release the report that irrevocably confirmed that 80% of businesses are flashed down the gutter because of draconian law enforcement. How could anybody in his right mind kill a thriving business capable of generating substantial tax by demanding to ‘cough up all you got now or die’ like a highway robber does?
I understand the government needs to raise the tax to GDP ratio. But how come we are always drawing comparisons with Kenya? I would rather the government tries to compare notes with past administrations and study how wisely or badly the issues were entertained and treated before shooting itself in the foot. I mean half Prosperity Shumes were in the defunct government, weren’t they? I don’t think PP means what it says when it comes to Medmer.
Look at chaos outlawing TOTs receipt has created among SMEs. They are starving their families – I mean literally starving because they couldn’t collect receivable accounts they have been sweating to earn theses past three months. Can you believe this? They are law abiding timid citizens and they don’t have the slightest intention to protest the regulation but the government imposed the law without taking in to account the simple fact that the only security printer in the country of 130 million is just Brehan w’e Selam printers! Talk of Kenya! These toiling masses are being punished for no fault of theirs; they are starving on account of the inefficiency arbitrariness and impulsive nature of the incumbent’s culture of governance. Makes one miss Tewodros’ flogging in good earnest. At least he CARED. He cared enough to treat a felon to two wanchas of the finest Tej in town.
God Bless.
To be continued
Editor’s Note : Views in the article do not necessarily reflect the views of borkena.com
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