New alternative narratives

WHEN MUSSOLINI INVADED Ethiopia's capital in May 1935, he forced its Emperor, Haile Selassie I, into exile. The Emperor arrived in the city of Bath, England, in October 1936, and lived in a property called Fairfield House with his family, government advisors and Orthodox priests. After returning to Ethiopia in 1941, the Emperor gave the house to the city of Bath as a gift to be used by aged citizens. This chapter explores the legacy of this period in Bath's history and what it means for the people living and visiting there today. I will discuss attempts to introduce this alternative historical narrative into the fabric of Bath's identity and beyond, discussing reflexively through my experiences of working in a voluntary capacity with Fairfield over a period of 17 years.

To understand the modern-day impact of this Ethiopian Emperor living in Bath, it is important to state that Haile Selassie I is viewed as a deity by members of the Rastafari faith. Whilst it is not only Rastafari that are interested in this history and recognize its importance (as will be discussed below), it is undoubtedly Rastafari that have most kept the name of Haile Selassie alive in public consciousness, especially through lyrics in reggae music and the use of the Emperor's face on items such as clothing, flags and other tributes. The complexity of feelings towards the legacy of this history is summed up by the Rastafari High Priest for the South West UK region, Honourable Ras Bandele Selassie:

This notion, that the memory that sites hold acts as a source of both pain and comfort, positions Fairfield as an embodiment of what historian Olivette Otele refers to as a ‘reluctant site of memory – a seen or unseen space that owes their very existence to brutal European colonial conquest’.