“Ethiopia always has a special place in my imagination and the prospect of visiting Ethiopia attracted me more strongly than a trip to France, England, and America combined. I felt I would be visiting my own genesis, unearthing the roots of what made me an African. “

Nelson Mandela spent time in Ethiopia in early 1960s where he received military training and was given a pistol, a gift by Ethiopian Col. General Biru Tadesse, whom Mandela visited  for military advice on fighting apartheid.

1962: Arrested, convicted of incitement and leaving country without a passport, sentenced to five years in prison ( shortely after leaving Ethiopia to South Africa )

1964  : Sentenced to life

1990 : Freed from prison

1993  : Nobel Peace Prize

1994  : First black president

Rest in Peace!