160 Yr Old Man in Ethiopia Remembers Emperors Menelik & Selassie
It has been reported that a 160 year old man is still living today in the remote parts of Ethiopia.
Retired farmer Dhaqabo Ebba, the grand old man is said to clearly remember details of the first Italian war of aggression against Ethiopia. Ethiopia was then ruled by Emperor Menelik, an Uncle to Emperor Haile Selassie. In that war, the Ethiopian armed forces led by Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italians. This was in 1895.
In 1895, the grand old man was already married with two wives. He had a son old enough to herd cattle at that time.
According to the reports, this man provided so much minute details of that period around 1895 that the earliest one could calculate his real age was between 140 to 160 years.
Though there is no documentary proof of his real age, his story is corroborated by material and documentary evidence of the said period, as well as the confirmation of his neighbours and fellow villagers.
As the oldest man in his region where records are passed and kept orally, he is a living library and an encyclopaedia of cultural and scientific knowledge of the folks of those times.
Interview: Amharic Version
This man might possibly be the oldest man in Africa and the world
An Ethiopian reporter claims to have discovered the world’s oldest living man.
NEWS REPORT: BBC UK
Retired farmer Dhaqabo Ebba claims to have clear memories of Italy’s 1895 invasion of the country. In an interview with regional Oromiya TV, he provided so much detail on the changes of power in his local area that reporter Mohammed Ademo has become convinced that Dhaqabo must be at least 160 – 46 years older than the oldest ever recorded man.
‘When Italy invaded Ethiopia I had two wives, and my son was old enough to herd cattle,’ he said at home near Dodola. He went on to recount his childhood eight-day horseback ride to Addis Ababa – a journey of a few hours today.
There is no way of verifying Mr Dhaqabo’s age, but Mohammed Ademo notes that in an oral society like the Oromo, “every time an elder dies, a library is lost. Ebba is one such library from whom so much can still be preserved”.
Source: AfricanResource
