Malaku E. Bayen

Malaku Emmanuel Bayen (April 29, 1900 – May 4, 1940) was an Ethiopian activist, best known for founding the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF), together with his uncle Haile Selassie, the Emperor of Ethiopia. During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War in 1935, he became the Emperor's personal physician, working as a doctor for the Ethiopian army. Until his early death in 1940, Bayen devoted himself to the cause of Ethiopian liberation and Black unity. He grew up in Harar, in the palace of Tafari Makonnen, the future emperor of Ethiopia and his mother's first cousin. Coming from an aristocratic family, Bayen was educated by priests, under the tutelage of Ras (Grand Duke) Tafari. The latter, on the other hand, was a Washington, D.C.-based physician, who was sent to his native nation (Ethiopia) to work as a public health officer.

Creation of the Ethiopian World Federation

In 1935, after graduating from medical school, Bayen returned to Ethiopia. until Emperor Selassie was forced to flee Ethiopia in May 1936, just before Italy's capture of Addis Ababa. Accompanying Selassie was Bayen and his family, who fled with the Emperor to England. At first, Bayen became involved with a charitable relief organization, United Aid for Ethiopia, until internal difficulties pushed him to leave. created a newspaper, the Voice of Ethiopia, in 1937. Bayen's close relations with Emperor Selassie and his continued commitment to pan-Africanism particularly in the United States cemented him as a foremost figure for Afro-Americans and others involved in volunteering with the Ethiopian Army, and his efforts in advocating for black unity have left a significant mark on black nationalism across the world.

Death On May 4, 1940, after suffering from pneumonia and a series of mental breakdowns, Bayen died, leaving behind his wife and son, Malaku Jr. One year after his death, the Voice of Ethiopia seemingly dissolved, and all publications ceased. While the EWF still continues to exist, it has been falsely associated with the Rastafarian movement but widely available for all black people and ran by African Americans as stated in the original Articles of Incorporation.