Queen Taytu 💜

As a friend and I waited for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 to start, we had a discussion about representation in cinema. In particular, we discussed Disney's Live-Action remake of The Little Mermaid. While we both applaud Disney for doing the bare minimum, we think that they are going about it the wrong way. Rather than recasting black, or non-white, actors in roles previously filled by white actors, why not tell our stories instead? Therefore, instead of The Little Mermaid, perhaps Disney could draw inspiration from the Anansi of West Africa. Or the story of Wekatilili wa Menza's 800km trek from Northern Kenya to the Coast. Or better yet, the story of Empress Taytu of Ethiopia!

At this point, my friend pointed out that major production houses would only focus on stories which were well-known. Hence the never-ending Cleopatra movies and the rise of stories about Queen Amina, Queen Nzinga, or the Dora Mijale. I conceded that he has a point. At that level of creation, art is not about expression but money. Hence why the movies that are being produced are increasingly formulaic. Yet, we cannot afford to think this way. To accept that certain stories may never be told because they are simply not popular enough. Even though the only way to increase the popularity of a story is to share it. 

Let us, for a moment, set aside the discussion of whether Hollywood is the best medium to share our stories. Instead, let us focus on the stories that they produce. 

We cannot lament the lack of diversity in the stories we are told if we do not believe in the untold stories ourselves. Therefore, today I want to tell you about Empress Taytu of Ethiopia. A slightly more problematic Queen Ramonda.

Born in Debre Tabor as Weletta Mikael, Taytu was born into a rather wealthy family. Her father. Betul Haile Maryam, was part of the ruling family that claimed Solomonic lineage. While her uncle (Betul's brother) was a famous Amhara warlord and ruler of Simien, Tigray and Eritrea. At the age of 3, Taytu underwent female genital mutilation which may have left her barren as Taytu was married 4 times and never produced children in any of them. It is unclear if this was the result of preventative measures, or of biology. The fact that Taytu remained an attractive marriage prospect – in an era where women were valued mainly for their wombs – suggests that she had some qualities that rivalled her ability to procreate. 

First, Taytu was incredibly well-educated. No record exists of her curriculum, but we know that she could read and write. It is believed that she was taught diplomacy, politics and economics. In addition to theology because she was literate in the Geez language (the language of Ethiopian liturgy and literature). Second, Taytu was beautiful because of her light skin. She would often highlight this beauty by carefully choosing members of her inner circle; choosing only women with darker complexions, the better to show off her own light coffee skin. Which ... is fucked up. Not only does it reduce a living, breathing human being to a quality and function; thus denying them the fullness of their being. Taytu's choices perpetuate a harmful beauty standard that continues to exist today. She used her power to subtly demean those around her, to make herself look good. All the while being incredibly aware of the mechanisms of racism, as they applied to her. 

In her later political career, she was deeply suspicious of Europeans in Ethiopia. In Menelik II's court, she led the faction opposing their presence within the Kingdom. She led the charge in warning Menelik II of the European's assessment of him, and of their desire to attack and consume their Kingdom. She went as far as to call the Italian emissaries on their intentions in the late 19th Century, saying “You want other countries to see Ethiopia as your protege, but that will never be.” Eventually, Empress Taytu persuaded Menelik II to go to War to preserve Ethiopia's sovereignty against Italian imperialism. This was the Battle of Adwa (1896). In this Battle, Taytu led troops into battle. She had her own contingent of 5000 troops, and 100 women – including the crown Princess (Menelik II’s daughter from a previous marriage). With her troops, Taytu commenced the Siege of Mek’ele, in order to reclaim the old capital from the Italians. The Siege lasted only 10 days and ended with the Italian's unconditional surrender. 

Cataloguing Taytu's wins like this suggest that she was great because she displayed a number of masculine qualities. Intelligence. Politically savvy. Great leader. Aggressive. Bold. But that is not why I am inspired by her history.  Taytu never once diminished her light for others. She never once made herself small to make Menelik II and the other men of the court, feel big. She always gave all of herself to everything she did, and she did not care if you liked her. And I know many of you are thinking, well this doesn’t exactly make her a hero. But it does.

To women like me.

Women who made the mistake of listening to people who told them they were too much. Too loud. Too smart. Too bright. Women who accepted the box they were put in, and have just amassed the courage to look beyond its borders. 

Taytu could be our hero. Our role model. Isn't it time we shared her story?

Happy Sunday Everyone :)