A conversation with Adiam Berhane

Issayas Tesfamariam: First thank you for your time and for all the lovely pictures. Can you briefly tell my readers about yourself?

Adiam Berhane: My name is Adiam Berhane. I was born in Asmara, but I left for Milan, Italy when I was two-years old. I was in Italy until I was almost 10, at which time we moved to Washington D.C. My parents owned a very successful Eritrean restaurant in D.C.I went to Blessed Sacrament, Washington Ethical H.S. , Howard University ( Political Science and History) and Georgetown Law School. I do not practice law. I have worked in the entertainment field since graduating from school. I do brand management for magazines and record labels.

Issayas: What kind of law did you study at Georgetown Law School?

Adiam: I started out wanting to do international law, but ended up studying entertainment law.

Issayas: You mentioned that you do brand management for magazines and record labels. Can you elaborate?

Adiam: I have done brand management for Unleashed Magazine, Vibe and Source. I worked in artist management with Black Friday , we had a deal with Def Jam. I have also consulted for Czar Entertainment. The smaller labels I have worked with are Rockafella, Ruff Ryders, and Soul Life.















Adiam with Jerry Wonder(left) and Wyclef (above) at a benefit for Obama in 2008.

Issayas: What is brand management? What kinds of things do you do?

Adiam: Brand management is when you take a brand- a person, a product, a record, a magazine- and manage how they will be presented and marketed. There are different aspects of it , whether you are there at the beginning of the launch of the product or if you have to come in for a revamp. In brand management you have to make sure the brand is legally sound-trademarks,etc..., after that you establish a goal with your client and it goes from there. If I have a client who tells me that they are looking for a younger audience, then I'll have to work on the product and marketing to make sure that the intended audience is reached. I often have to revamp the websites of companies or even make sure they have a web presence. The work you do depends on the client. Like yourself, a filmmaker, we would talk about what it is that you want to, what type of film you would like to make etc.. That is, it is a matter of looking at your product and determining the best way for you to reach your desired target-audience and how to translate that into revenue for you. There would be cross marketing and a bunch of other stuff. It's is too long to explain on a short conversation.

Issayas: You just came back from Eritrea. How long were you there? And what was your impression?

Adiam: I was in Eritrea from May 5th to June 5th. I spent my first day and my last day at the Asmara Children Home. This is the orphanage in Asmara, and I went the first day to take the two suitcases of stuff I brought for the kids and the last day I had a cake made for them and I went to say goodbye. The place is immaculate and the children are very well taken care of. It impressed me very much, the level of care they were receiving. I stopped by unannounced so there was no time to "stage" anything. The cafes , especially Modka, became a very delicious routine for me. I was impressed by the tech savvy-ness of the young people in Eritrea. There must be an internet cafe on every block-or two per block! I found wireless internet and excellent food at the Midian Hotel , so I became a regular there. I would sit in the lobby and have a cappuccino while working on my laptop.The cleanliness of Eritrea was inspiring.

Issayas: When did you visit Eritrea prior to your last visit?

Adiam: I was there five years ago which is was too long. I am going to try and go every year like my mother. It is so hard for me to take a continuous month off, but I think with better internet connection I will be able to do that. My mother goes for longer, at least 2 months more like 3 ! I think that I will go yearly even if I cannot stay a whole month.

Issayas: Talking about young people being tech savvy in Eritrea, a couple of years ago, we filmed at the Midian hotel. It's a nice place. What impressed me the most during that filming was that their IT person (a young man who has his own company) had created a software that tallies the accounts, and other things. This is a software created in Eritrea by Eritreans. (Note: you can check out their website at http://www.midianhotel.com)



Pictures from Midian Hotel website

Adiam: The young people in Eritrea are all online, chatting, sharing their music and movies with their flash-drives, and they can surf the web with the greatest of ease. Cell phones are common. They watch their favorite shows-such as Prison Break- before they are on TV by going online. There are also iPods and MP3 players all over the place. They are very aware of tech terms and the latest advances in technology. About Midian hotel, the hotel is located behind Nyala building. There is internet connection in every room, there is a business center with computers and faxes, and there is wi-fi connection throughout the common areas. I found the place because my godfather took me to see his photos that are hanging there. I was more thrilled about the wireless connection. I ended up having lunch there one day and the food was better than anything I had had. The place is spotless, the bathrooms alone are worth going there. Yemane, the owner, told me it is because he integrates himself into everything. There were many journalists and foreigners who were staying there. By the way , there is wireless connection at several other hotels. I helped a couple of guys out who are web designers and also did the wireless for Midian and they said that the government was spending some serious money to get broadband over there. Also , the majority of the art and painting he has there are by Eritreans or of Eritrea. Did I tell you I got to see and meet Abraham Sahle, the noted Eritrean artist?

Issayas: No you didn't.














Abraham Sahle
















































Examples of Abraham Sahle's paintings.

Issayas: Did you have a chance to visit different parts of Eritrea? Where did you visit?

Adiam: I was very lucky on my trip because my godfather Girmay Gerenzei is a noted photographer, and actually his dad (who recently passed) is noted as being Eritrea's first professional photographer. Girmay took me everywhere, with a history lesson to go with it, and best of all he knew the best spots to take photographs all over Eritrea. We went to Massawa and he took me to the old mosque, it is small, and not open to the public. It is one of only two mosques built during the Prophet Mohammed's time. It is different in the sense that all mosques face Mecca, but since there was no Mecca at the time , this one faces Jerusalem.

















I went to Isola Verde, a few minutes by motorboat from Massawa. I spent a very beautiful and lazy day swimming there with my grandmother. The best part about Massawa was seeing the unfinished Dahlak hotel. The owner, Primo, is a friend of my parents and he was also in Italy. Primo is a very proud Eritrean and he has made huge contributions. He also owns the Keren Hotel. He grew up dirt poor in Asmara but has become quite successful. The place is a labor of love, it is beautiful just amazing. I saw the new four-lane road in Ginda which is more than impressive.

Massawa
















Interior of Keren Hotel in Asmara .
























New road in Ginda. It's four lanes and very wide so that large trucks
do not have to take the narrower road.

Girmay stopped all over for me take photos. We went to Keren, and the most amazing thing there was the new St. Antonio church. It was entirely designed and built by Eritreans. The priest told me that they didn't receive a single penny from the Vatican. This is one of the most beautiful places of worship I have ever seen. The road was great, and we stopped at the new Costina Hotel in Keren and had really good mango juice. The fruit and tea in Keren were great. I saw the shrine of Miriam Dearit. The farms on the way to Keren are huge and gorgeous.

The new church in Keren.
































































Shrine of Mariam Dearit.
















The new Costina Hotel in Keren












New Bank in Keren.













Sarina Hotel, Keren




























Azel pharmaceutical company in Keren

Issayas: Thank you for sharing with me the pictures that you took in Eritrea. I noticed that you visited the synagogue in Asmara. Can you tell me about it?

Adiam: Girmay took me to see Sam Cohen, who runs the Sinagoga di Asmara . It's only block from Girmay's Foto Asmarina, so we walked there. Sam Cohen is an Italian Sephardic Jew, whose family is from Yemen. Eritrea had a large Jewish population at one point.The Sinagoga (synagogue) is a beautiful building. The women pray upstairs and the men downstairs. Sam showed me their shofar, he said they were very proud of it, and apparently it is the envy of many synagogues. He said he is the one that blows in on Rosh Hashana. He then opened up the archives for me and it surely is a treasure trove. There were posters from the books- Jews in Eritrea- and the movie Shalom, Asmara. I never even knew the two existed. There were pictures of president Issias Afeworki celebrating at the Israeli Embassy. There was a camp photo of the 400 Jews that were arrested and jailed in Eritrea during British occupation. I remember reading about Mossad leader Rafi Eitan and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir being prisoners in Eritrea but here was a picture. He even found some old Encode beef bullion which was made in Eritrea and was kosher. It was a treat for a history buff like me. Sam Cohen told me that when the Jews escaped from Asmara, Sembel they did so by digging some tunnels. He said that those escape routes/tunnels have never been discovered.













Exterior of the synagogue in Asmara
















Sam Cohen showing his shofar which he argues is the envy of many synagogues.































































































Below: From the Archives of Asmara Synagogue











































Visit of Chief Rabbi Yizhak (Isaac) Herzog to Eritrea in 1946.
He was Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1919-1936) and Chief Rabbi
of the British Mandate of Palestine(1936-1948)












































Incode beef bullion

Issayas: Adiam, thank you so much for you time and for giving me the opportunity to talk to you about your trip. And again, thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures with us .

Adiam: No problem.

June 20th: Eritrean Martyrs' Day

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance"

Asmara: City of Radiance. A trailer

KIDANE KIFLU AND THE JACK KRAMER PAPERS: ADDENDUM

                       KIDANE KIFLU AND THE JACK KRAMER PAPERS: ADDENDUM

In my previous series of postings entitled " Kidane Kiflu and the Jack Kramer Papers", I mentioned that the research was on-going. The continuing research for the aforementioned led me to two interviews that were conducted by Gunther Schroeder. From the 1980's to early 1990's, Gunther Schroeder interviewed, what would be considered a WHO'S WHO list of people from ELF and Harakat (ELM). (Note: He also interviewed very few people from EPLF. During that period he interviewed over 50 people).

Going through the transcripts of the above mentioned interviews, two interviews grabbed my attention. The first was Gunther's interview with Abdella Hassan Ali. If you recall, Abdella Hassan Ali was one of the fighters (the other being Aberra Mekonnen) who accompanied Jack Kramer from Kassala to the field in 1968. I'll present part of the transcript that relates to Kidane Kiflu and Jack Kramer. I'll present the second interview in its entirety.

The reason why I started writing "Kidane Kiflu and the Jack Kramer Papers" was because of Kidane's letters to Jack Kramer. The letters are located at the Hoover Institution Archives in Palo Alto, California, USA. The letters reveal the political maturity of Kidane. In the letters, Kidane was reflecting his and his comrade-in-arms sentiment of the time and their vision for the future of Eritrea's struggle for independence. For the purpose of this article, his comrade-in-arms included people like Tekue Yehdego, Wolderufael Sebhatu, Mehari Debesai and others. The same people were mentioned by General Ghirmay Mehari and Naizghi Kiflu in part VII of "Kidane Kiflu and the Jack Kramer Papers".

I found some letters that Tekue Yehdego, Wolderufael Sebhatu and Mehari Debesai wrote (separately) to the Eritreans in the diaspora. The letters were written in the early 1970's. I'll post samples of their letters in another time. Suffice it to say, despite their young age, what makes all their respective letters (including Kidane's) valuable is the similarity of their sharp analysis, the clarity of their message, organizational ability, boldness, humbleness, politeness, determination, resolve and focus.

Here is an excerpt from the transcript of Gunther’s interview with Abdalla Hassan Ali.

ABDALLA HASSAN ALI
On The Student Movement In Asmara And History Of ELF
Kassala/13-02-1991/Arabic/English (Translator: Tesfay Weldemikiel)
Transcript read and corrected by Abdalla Hassan Ali summer 1991

Gunther: When you came to Kassala it was the time when the Harakat Eslah and the movement of the fighters were agitating there. What where the issues and how did you participate in those activities?

Abdalla Hassan Ali: At that time in Kassala the general atmosphere was intensifying in calling for the unity of the zones, also there was slogan about there should be one leadership and its center must be the field, that the congress should be held and also there were slogans calling for the programmatic declaration of ELF. In Kassala there were many houses which belonged to the different zones, these centers accepted the fighters who came either for rest or for treatment but all the fighters used to gather and to exchange ideas. And also there were people entering Kassala from different zones and the organized people in Sudan also had the same sentiments and views of this general at¬mosphere. So being in Kassala at this time I participated in the activities calling for the unity of ELA and the establishment of one leadership whose center would be in the field. There was no difference between the general sentiment of those fighters and people here in Kassala and the Harakat Eslah. And finally the task was done jointly. From Harakat Eslah there were Abdelqader Remadan, Abdalla Suleiman, Kidane Kiflu and others. So even this expresses the general sentiment of the situation. There was no difference, we can not see them as different groups. We were doing meetings together. Although we can't say that this gives a form of two bodies, from those who were known as army committee were such persons as Abubaker Mehamed Jime, one martyr called Abdalla Talodi, Abdalla Mehamed, Taha Ibrahim, Mehamed Nur and also Idris "Sharif".

Gunther:How did it come about that Aberra Mekonnen and you were given the assignment to accompany Jack Kramer to the field eventhough you were active in the movement of the fighters? Was Aberra also of this movement?

Abdalla Hassan Ali:Aberra Mekonnen was with us also in these activities. When he came to the field he directly came to Kassala before even taking a military training and he participated di¬rectly in this situation. At that time, even though the Harakat Eslah and the movement of the fighters were present, this does not mean that the relations between the fighters participating in them and the Revolutionary Command did not exist. For example, Said Saber has been working in the information Department, Welday was a member of the Revolutionary Command and
Kidane Kiflu and myself were under the Kiada Sewriya. When this American journalist came it was seen that the Americans still do not have a clear assessment of the situation. So it was organized that if this American goes to the field and writes of what he sees it would be for the benefit of the revolution. So I and Aberra Mekonnen were ordered to go with Jack Kramer to the field. We were not long with him, we accompanied him from Kassala to Barka, we visited some place in Barka and then, because he had to meet some units in the 2nd zone and then enter
to Keren, he was given some fighters who accompanied him and they directed him to zone no. 2 and with Aberra Mekonnen I returned to Kassala with his documents and films.

Gunther: When you came to Kassala in 1968 what was then the relationshiop betwen the ELF and the Sudanese government? Was there a tendency of the government to impose restrictions on the activities of the ELF in Sudan?

Abdalla Hassan Ali:At that time, of course, I was new in Sudan and how the government of Sudan functioned and what its relation to the revolution was, I did not know. But what I had come in contact with was that the Sudanese authorities were arresting some fighters who were released after paying some fees. The members of the Kiada Sewriya were mainly operating underground and the activities of the Ethiopians also intensified. They have been throwing
some bombs in the Western Gash area of Kassala against the Sudanese petrol distribution area to threaten them, This was the general information I had, but I realy did not know what was going on.

Gunther:What did you do after you returned to Kassala with the materials of Kramer?

Abdalla Hassan Ali: After the formation of the Tripartite Unity I went to that area and with me were many other fighters who were sent to the field in many directions and with the same ideas we had we joined the units in the different zones. I went to Akele Guzay and joi¬ned the unit called seriya 8. Seriya 8 at that time had about 150 fighters. In the Tri-partite Unity there were at least eight seriya but also independent gantas for guerilla activities. I did not participate in the Adobha Congress. I continued in this seriya in Akele Guzay. Its commander was Umer Suba. I stayed with this unit till the Tekhlit of Tahra. After that some units were sent to the vicinity of Asmara. After the merger of the army new units were formed and it was also decided to send guerilla units around every town. Saleh ad-Din Abdalla and myself were given the duty to organize inside Asmara, Mahmud Hazeb was sent to Aqerdat, a certain Mehamed Yazin to Mas¬sawa, Suleiman Musa Haj to Keren, Mehamed Taher to Mendefera. The guerilla units were given the tasks of organization around Asmara and inside the town. When I returned responsible for organizing the city I found everything had come to a new situation, that the Ethiopians intensified their campaign to arrest the ELF members. So we began to organize the city according to the acquaintances we had. We also tried to recruit new elements. At that time to operate in Asmara was very difficult. Besides this task of organizing the guerilla units had other tasks which can be identified as military operations and political agitation around Asmara.Our main camps we were depending on, were in the area of Mensa up to Ad Shumer (Filfil, Agenat). When we tried to go up to the Highlands we couldn't even stay for half an hour, just after some time the Ethiopians used to arrive. So, the center being these lowland areas gradually we were
managing to expand our activities, to create cells in the villages, to get information and to return back. We had cells inside the villages, we got information from them and sometimes we came into contact with some persons who came from Asmara and organized them. But we were always returning hastily. For example, we first met in She'eb, Selemona, some teachers and we mandated them to carry our mission. Concerning the acceptance of the people, of course, because there is an intensive enemy pressure in that area, there were difficulties, but those who came into contact with us from Asmara were mainly composed of Christians and we fighters, our units, were both composed of Christians and Muslims. So, especially in our task, when we come to work, the general national sentiment was dominating. And when we were inside Asmara, Muslims and Christians were working together. I did this work up to October 1970. Then I was captured on October 13, 1970 inside Asmara, but Saleh ad-Din Abdalla carried on with our work after I was arrested. I was about 6 months in prison, then in April 1971 Mehamed Amir "Kabli", who was captured at Massawa, and myself, we escaped from the prison by digging our way out. After I fled from the prison, I was mainly on treatment in Kassala and Khartoum and then I participated in the 1st National Congress.


Below is the transcript of Gunther's interview

L. BAIRU
On the events of 1969/1970 in Kassala.
Kassala. March 21, 1989/translated Tigrigna to English by Gebray Weldeselase.

I'm more than 35 years in Kassala. Many people in Kassala were killed at that time. These two were killed out of the six of the pC in Kassala. Mesfin Hagos was supposed to be killed with them. He was here in Kassala when they called him, he told them he has a job right now. After this Time, Mehari was in Khartoum. After they were killed he came and took their belongings to send them to their families. They were the ones to make contact with the Sudanese government. If any fighter was wounded or in need of any help these people were trying to solve the problem of the fighters in Kassala. Any Eritrean, who had an interest in the revolution, they were helping if any problems or difficulties were happening to him. lf people were kidnapped by the organization these people appealed to the Sudanese police.

Ali Berhatu came from Arab nation. He was responsible for refugees through the ELF. When he arrived, Welday and Kidane took him to the hotel. They suspected "if he sleeps without any guard the opponents may kidnap him and take him to the field." They went to the police station and they requested to give one police to guard him in the hotel. They gave them the police. Then the opposers knew he is sleeping in the hotel and they came the next day by taxi to the hotel and told the police this guy is wanted by the Sheikh of Hilla. They took him to this place. When they dropped him there he was taken by other opponents waiting there by force to the field.Kidane and Welday came to the hotel to find him. They asked the police and the police told them, a member of your organization came and took him by taxi to the Sheikh of Hilla. They were angry with the police but immediately they went to the police sta¬tion and appealed that this man has disappeared from the town. Then the administration of Kassala send a letter to Khartoum that this man had disappeared from Kassala by kidnapping. Then the administration of Khartoum sends a letter to this office to ask the ELF office and force them to bring the man from the field. The police arrested some of the ELF to force them to bring him back. They asked for two months and assured that he is alive. And after 2 months they brought him. He was saved his life because of these two pwople Welday and Kidane. When he came back, they were already killed. Tesfay and Ibrahim were leading with these two. They were in the field, they came to Kassala. Ibrahim was in China for training and educated. Tesfay was an ordinary fighter.

They were newcomers and started simply discussing, talking with other members of the ELF, because they did not know what things were happening in Kassala. Welday and Kidane advised them not to go with the others members and not to separate from them and after some time the opponents understood that the idea of Tesfay and Ibrahim is the same as those of Welday and Kidane. They kidnapped them immediately and took them to Sowake, a garden near Kassala. They killed Ibrahim there, but took Tesfay back to the field. When the two, Welday and Kidane,
appealed to the.police station that Ibrahim and Tesfay had disappeared, then the police arrested some members of ELF and investigated. Then among the members of ELF it was believed that Ibrahim had been killed but they did not find the body.The people who had done it, told actually the police that they had killed him in the garden then. They promised to the police to bring Tesfay back to Kassala. Before they brought Tesfay back Welday and Kidane were assassinated.

ELF got behind Welday Feqaq , one of their members, to bring his wife from Ali Giddir and then to make a feast and to invite Welday and Kidane as otherwise they would not have a chance to touch them. They gave Welday Feqaq money to get these people into his house. He hid 8 persons from the opponents in his house and when these two came to his home, immediately these 8 persons caught them. Welday started to fight and trying to escape. Immediately they killed him by knife in his side. Kidane was gagged and trussed up and tied, then they attend a taxi and they took them away. Kidane was covered by sacks from head to toe. 4 sacks. When they went around Haffera, Welday's dead body dropped from the taxi and the taxi is soiled by blood. A villager who sells milk passed the car and saw this. The taxista and the other people tried to escape from that place and they succeeded.

The villager went to the police station and told there are some dead bodies there. Then the taxista started washing his car. When the police investigated they found him washing his car. When they asked him, he said, people were fighting and I took them to their house. Then the villager, police and the taxi-driver went to the area there and found the dead bodies. They were taken to the police station for investigation. The police asked the taxista how it happened, they beat him to tell the truth. When the police asked the taxista he explained that when someone gave me money to take people that way, I do it, and all police, you know this, that many taxistas do that. The police declared then that he is mad. Then the taxi-driver informed the police
that many taxistas are working like that and many were arrested.

When the other taxi-drivers were questioned, they were released again as there was no evidence against them. Welday Feqaq, the traitor, and two others were arrested at that time by the police. The taxi-driver said, he was called by a fighter called Shinkakay to carry a sick person to the hospital and I came. Shinkakay and one other were arrested. The other six escaped. The taxi-driver claimed to have been forced by Shinkakay by knife to carry the dead bodies. He received 25 Sudanese Pounds and was promised another 25 Pounds. At last, Welday Fekak, his wife, Shinkakay and his friend and the taxi-driver were imprisoned. Shinkakay was sentenced
to death but the ELF office appealed and he was released after some years. The second man was sentenced to 14 years, after 7-8 years in Port Sudan they were released. Welday Fekak and the taxista stayed only one year in prison. The wife was imprisoned for one year only.Kidane was killed when Welday's body fell out of the car. Originally it was planned to take them alive inside for interrogation. From the Harakat many people were killed in Kassala and in the field by the ELF.There were no clubs here for the Christian Eritreans especially because the Sudanese Government would pick them up and return them to Tesseney. Teku, Mehari, Mesfin, Welday and Kidane were secretly working in the house of Letefiel. Teku Yehdego, later killed by ELF, has a child now in Sahel. Was killed about 3-4 years after death of Welday.

General Abraham Hannibal, General Ivan Hannibal, Alexander S. Pushkin and Descandants

FROM THE ERITREAN CAMEL TO THE RUSSIAN DOUBLE-HEADED EAGLE TO THE BRITISH LION (VIA THE GERMAN LION)

PART FIVE (Final)

TO THE BRITISH LION (VIA THE GERMAN LION)

I have left the best for last. As I have presented in the last four parts, the stories of Abraham and his descendants are very remarkable. It even gets amazing. Get hold of a glass of water for the ride. Before you read this article, you probably have wondered what the title of this article (in five parts), “From the Eritrean Camel, to the Russian Double-Headed Eagle, to the British Lion..” is all about. By now, at least,” From the Eritrean Camel, to the Russian Double-Headed Eagle” part should be clear. So, what is the British Lion (symbol of British royalty) via the German Lion (Symbol of the Ducal House of Nassau) is all about? This is the rest of the story.


Pushkin’s Second Generation (Abraham’s Fifth Generation)

As I have already mentioned earlier, Alexander S. Pushkin and Natalia Gonchorova had four children. From the oldest to the youngest were : 1. Maria (1832-1919) 2. Alexander (1833- 1914) 3. Gregory (1835-1905) and 4. Natalia (1836-1913).

1. Maria married Gartug in 1860.

2. Alexander married his first wife, Sofia Alza Linskina in 1858 and had eleven children. They were, Natalia, Sofia, Maria, Alex, Olga, Anna, Gregory Peter, Nadjeda , Vera and Sergei. Alexander married his second wife Maria Alexievna Vallava in 1883 and had two children. And they were Nicholai and Elena.

3. Gregory married Barbara A. Melnikava in 1883 and had Polina, Nina and Yevlalia.

4. Natalia (pictured below was the connection for this part of the story).
Natalia married Prince Nicholas of Nassau (a German prince) in 1868. Since the marriage was considered unequal because Natalia was not of royal blood, a new morgantic title was created for her and her children. The title was created for her by Furst Georg III and acknowledged by H.I.M. King Wilhelm of Prussia (Genealogy of the Imperial Family of Russia). As a result of the morgantic marriage, Natalia became Countess of Merenberg. (Note: There were many morgantic marriages earlier, however, today it is a common practice. For example, Prince Andrew’s marriage to Sara --Duchess of York etc.) Based on this practice, the children of the marriage were also accorded the same title. Therefore, the three children of Natalia and Nicholas of Nassau, became:

A. Countess Sofia Von Merenberg (1868-1927)

B. Countess Alexandrine Von Merenberg (1869-1950) and

C. Count George Von Merenberg (1871-1948)

Pushkin’s Third Generation (Abraham’s Sixth Generation)

A. Countess Sofia Von Merenberg (pictured on the left) married H.I.H Mikhael Mihailovich Romanov in 1891. (Note: Grand Duke Mikhael Mihailovich was the grandson of Czar Nicholas I and the brother of the last Czar of Russia, Czar Nicholas II. If you recall, it was Czar Nicholas I who informed Pushkin that he (the Czar) would be his censor. It is ironic that the descendants of Czar Nicholas I and Pushkin would marry each other. In other words, Czar Nicholas I and Pushkin after their death had become grand parent -in-laws.) Because of the morgantic nature of this union, a new title was created for Countess Sofia Von Merenberg and her children. The created title was Countess De Torby. And the title was created by H.R.H. Grand Duke Adolphe I of Luxembourg (Genealogy of the Imperial Family of Russia). The children were :

A1. Countess Anastasia De Torby, Zia (1892-1977)
A2. Countess Nadejda De Torby, Nada (1896-1963)
A3. Count Michael De Torby (1898-1959)

B. Countess Alexandrine Von Merenberg married Massim De Elia in 1914.

C. Count George Von Merenberg married his first wife H.H. Princess Olga Yourevsky Romanov (daughter of Czar Alexander II) in 1895. (Both pictured on the left). They had three children and they were:

C1. Count Alexander Von Merenberg (1896-1897)
C2. Count Georg Michael Von Merenberg (1897-1965) and
C3. Countess Olga Von Merenberg (1898-1983).

(Note: Grand Duke William of Luxembourg, who was the uncle of the Von Merenbergs, faced a choice as to who should succeed him. The choice was between George, Count of Merenberg and abrogation of the Sallic Law, which excluded female succession. The Luxembourg Parliament chose the latter allowing Charlotte to claim as Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. (Pushkin Genealogy). Racism Ala royalty. Count George Von Merenberg married his second wife Adelheid (Ada) Brambeer in 1930)


Pushkin’s Fourth Generation (Abraham’s 7th Generation)

A1 Countess Anastasia De Torby(Zia) married her husband Sir Harold Wernher (baronet) in 1917. (pictured below). (Note: At the time of their marriage, Sir Harold Wernher was considered to be the wealthiest bachelor in England. He had inherited the riches from his father, Sir Julies Wernher, who was one of the “creators” of modern South Africa. Sir Julies Wernher was a financier and mining magnate. He was one of the four original “Life Governors” of De Beers Consolidated Mines. Countess Anastasia’s title was changed to Lady Zia by the King of England. Their children are:

A1A. George Michael Wernher (1918-1942)
A1B. Georgina Wernher (1919-
A1C. Myra Alice Wernher (1925-


A2 Countess Nadejda De Torby (Nada)

Countess Nadejda De Torby (Nada) married George Mountbatten (formerly Battenberg) in 1916. (pictured below). (Note: George Mountbatten was the 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven and great grandson of Queen Victoria, the sibling of Queen Louise of Sweden and uncle of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (husband of Queen Elizabeth of England). He was also the older brother of Earl Mountbatten of Burma who was the last viceroy of India. It must be noted too that when Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece -the parents of Prince Philip –were exiled at the beginning of the war, Prince Philip was sent to stay with Countess Nada and George Mountbatten. (Genealogy of Pushkin). As a result, the son of Nada and George, David, was like a brother to Prince Philip. As a matter of fact, David 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven was the best man at the wedding of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth, later Queen. George and Nada had two children and they were:

A2A. Lady Tatiana Mountbatten (1917-1988)
A2B. David Michael Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford haven.(1919-1970)

C2. Count George Michael Von Merenberg

Count George Michael Von Merenberg married Paulette in 1926 and divorced. He then married his second wife Elizabeth Anne Muller in 1940 and had one daughter from his second marriage namely:

C2A. Countess Elisabth Clotilde Von Merenberg (1941-

C3. Countess Olga Von Merenberg

Countess Olga Von Merenberg married Count Michail Loris-Melikov in 1923. And had:

C3A. Count Alexander Loris-Melikov

Pushkin’s Fifth Generation (Abraham’s 8th Generation)
A1B. Georgina Wernher
Georgina Wernher married her first husband Harold Philips in 1944. (pictured on the left) Their children are:

A1B1. Alexandra Anastasia Philips (1946 -
A1B2. Nicholas Harold Philips(1947-1991), godson of Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh
A1B3. Fiona Mercedes Philips (1951 -
A1B4. Marita Georgina Philips (1954 -
A1B5. Natalia Ayesha Philips (1959 -

Georgina married her second husband Sir George Kennard (baronet) in 1992 thus became Lady Kennard.

A1C. Myra Alice Wernher

Myra Alice Wenher married Sir David Butter in 1946. Their children are:

A1C1. Sandra Elizabeth Butter(1948 - (god-daughter of Queen Elizabeth II)
A1C2. Marlyn Davina Butter (1950 -
A1C3. Rohays Georgina Butter (1952 -
A1C4. Georgina Marguerite Butter (1956 -
A1C5. Charles Butter (1960 -

A2A. Lady Tatiana had no children

A2B. David Michael Mountbatten

David Michael Mountbatten 3rd Marquis of Milford Haven married his first wife Romaine Pierce in 1950 and divorced her in July 1960. He then remarried Janet Mercedes Bryce in Nov. 1960. From his second wife he had the following children:

A2B1. George Ivar Louis Mountbatten 4th Marquis of Milford Haven (1961 -
A2B2. Lord Ivar Alexander Mountbatten (1963 -

(Note: George Ivar Louis Mountbatten 4th Marquess of Milford Haven and Lord Ivar Alexander Mountbatten are both second cousins to Prince Charles of Wales (the future king of England)

C2A. Countess Elizabeth Clotilde Von Merenberg

Countess Elizabeth Clotilde Von Merenberg married Enno Von Rintelen in 1965 and the children are:

C2A1. Alexander Enno Von Rintelen (1966 -
C2A2. Nicolaus Von Rintelen (1970 -
C2A3. Gregor Von Rintelen (1972 -

C3A. Count Alexander Loris-Melikov

Count Alexander Loris-Melikov married Micheline Pruiner in 1958 and had:

C3A1. Countess Anne Loris-Melikov (1959 -
C3A2. Countess Dominique Loris-Melikov (1961-
C3A3. Countess Nathalie Loris-Melikov (1962 -
C3A4. Count Michael Loris-Melikov (1964 -

Pushkin’s Sixth Generation(Abraham’s Ninth Generation)

A1B1. Alexandra Anastasia Phillips (pictured on the left)

Alexandra Anastasia Phillips married Sir James Hamilton, the 5th Duke of Abercorn. As a result, Alexandra (Sasha) became Duchess of Abercorn. They were married in 1966. Their children are:

A1B1A. James Hamilton, Marquess of Hamilton (1969 - )( godson of Prince Charles)
A1B1B. Lady Sophia Hamilton (1973 -
A1B1C. Lord Nicholas Hamilton (1979 -

A1B2. Nicholas Phillips

Nicholas Phillips married Countess Maria-Lucie Czernin Von Und Zu Chudentiz in 1975. Their children are:

A1B2A. Charlotte Phillips (1976 -
A1B2B. Edward Phillips (1981-

A1B3. Fiona Mercedes Phillips

Fiona Mercedes Phillips married James Burnett of Leys in 1971. Their children are:

A1B3A. Alexander James Burnett of Leys (1973-
A1B3B. Eliza-Amelia Burnett of Leys (1977-
A1B3C. Victor Burnett of Leys (1982-

(Fiona's wedding to James Burnett of Leys. Among the pictured on the left are also Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mother, Zia (all seated from left to right) and standing second from the left, Prince Phillip)

A1B4. Marita Georgina Phillips

Marita Georgina Phillips married Randall Crawley in 1982 and they had:

A1B4A. Adian Crawley (1983 -
A1B4B. Cosima Crawley (1985 -
A1B4C. Galen Crawley (1988 - (godson of Prince Charles)

A1B5. Natalia Ayesha Phillips

Natalia Ayesha Phillips (is pictured standing second from the right) married Sir Gerald Grosvenor 6th Duke of Westminster. Thus making Natalia the Duchess of Westminster. (Note: The 6th Duke of Westminster is Britain’s wealthiest aristocrat and the sixth richest man in Britain. The Duchess is also known as Tally. She was a friend of Princess Diana of Wales and she is the godmother to Prince William--the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana-. Their children are:

A1B5A. Lady Tamara Grosvenor (1979 -
A1B5B. Lady Edwina Grosvenor, god-daughter of Princess Diana of Wales (1981 -
A1B5C. Hugh Grosvenor, godson of Prince Charles of Wales (1991 -
A1B5D. Lady Viola Grosvenor (1992 -

A1C1. Sandra Elizabeth Butter

Sandra Elizabeth Butter married William David Morrison in 1983 and their children are:

A1C1A. Charles Nicholas Morrison (1985 -
A1C1B. Sophie Natasha Morrison (1987 -

A1C2. Marlyn Davina Butter

Marlyn Davina Butter married James Hubert Ramsay 17th Earl of Dalhousie in 1973. (Pictured on the left. Also pictured is Prince Charles standing second from the left). Their children are:

A1C2A. Lady Lorna Ramsay (1975 -
A1C2B. Lady Alice Ramsay (1977 -
A1C2C. Simon David Ramsay, Viscount Ramsay (1990 -

A1C3. Rohays Georgina Butter

Rohays Georgina Butter married Prince Alexander Galitzine in 1945. Their children are:

A1C3A. Princess Sasha Galitzine (1989 -
A1C3B. Princess Nadezhda Galitzine (1990 -

A1C4. Georgina Marguerite Butter

Georgina Marguerite Butter married Count Peter Pejacsevich De Verocze in 1982 Their children are:

A1C4A. Count Alexander Pejacsevich De Verocze (1988 -
A1C4B. Countess Anastasia Pejacsevich De Verocze (1992 -

A1C5. Charles Butter is not married

A2B1. George Ivar Louis Mountbatten

George Ivar Louis Mountbatten 4th Marquess of Milford Haven married his first wife Sara Georgina Walker in 1989 and divorced in 1996. They have the following children:

A2B1A. Lady Tatiana Helen Georgina Mountbatten (1990 -
A2B1B. Henry David Louis Mountbatten, Earl of Medina (1991 -

A2B2. Lord Ivar Alexander Mountbatten

Lord Ivar Alexander Michael Mountbatten married Penelope Anne Vere Thompson in 1994 and had the following children:

A2B2A. Ella Louise Georgina Mountbatten (1996-
A2B2B. Alexandra Nada Victoria Mountbatten (1998-

C2A1. Alexander Von Rintelen not married

C2A2. Georg Nikolaus Von Rintelen not married

C2A3. Gregor Von Rintelen not married

C3A1. Countess Anne Loris-Melikov

Countess Anne Loris-Melikov married Marc Moos in 1983 and they had:

C3A1A. Alain Moos (1984 -

C3A2. Countess Dominique Loris-Melinkov is not married

C3A3. Countess Nathalie loris-Melinkov

Countess Nathalie Loris-melinkov married Johan Dierbach in 1996 and they have:

C3A3A. Sophie Dierbach

C3A4. Count Michael Loris-Melikov is not married.

CONCLUSION

By now, I presume you had your glass of water. What started as a kidnapping of an eight year old boy from Eritrea led into what you have read in the five articles that I presented. The lives of Abraham, Ivan and Pushkin not only shows how the human spirit despite obstacles, adapts and survives, but also prospers and excels. Abraham’s contribution to Russia was immense. He was the first and the finest engineer in modern Russian history. His son, Ivan, not only fought for Russia gallantly, but also built Kherson (in modern day Ukraine). Pushkin’s contribution to the Russian people in particular and to the people of the world in general was remarkable. He was a poet of the people, novelist, short-story writer, historian, dramatist, children and fable books writer. According to William J. Dean's article on Pushkin entitled,"Pushkin was the Source" wrote,

Pasternak (author of Dr. Zhivago) declared Pushkin’s tetrameter to be a measuring unit of Russian life, a yardstick, as it had been patterned after the whole of Russian existence. Describing Pushkin’s impact on one of the Russian art form, opera, for example: Virtually all the great Russian operas are based on Pushkin’s works. “Ruslan and Ludmila” by Glinka.“Eugene Onegin” and “The Queen of Spades” by Tchikovsky, “Boris Gudonov” by Mussorgsky“The Golden Cockerel”by Rimsky-korsakov. It is therefore no wonder that Pushkin keeps getting bigger and bigger because he keeps appealing to what is universal in every one of us: humanity.

It is no wonder that some, if not all, of the former Soviet Union despite their political separation as different countries, still claim Pushkin to be their national poet in their respective countries. It is also no wonder, a lot of other countries claim Pushkin-through Abraham Hannibal -to be theirs. Chad, Cameroon, Ethiopia and others are among them. However, the best candidate according to the biographers and historians of Pushkin is Eritrea.(A lot of other newspaper articles also attest to that, e.g. The Times.) When it comes to Pushkin’s descendants, I will quote at length, from a letter that Charles Stewart sent to Ebony magazine in 1988. In it he wrote:


…Pushkin’s direct descendent, the 27 –year old(1988) Marquis of Milford Haven (George Ivar Louis Mountbatten, 4th Marquis of Milford Haven-see AB21-) is a second cousin of the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles) and is in line of succession to the British throne. In 1868, Pushkin’s daughter, Natalia, married a German prince, Nicholas of Nassau. Their son Count George Von Merenberg, married Princess Olga Yurievska in 1895, a daughter of Czar Alexander II. Natalia’s daughter, Sophie, also married into the Russian imperial dynasty when in 1891, she wed Grand Duke Michael Romanov. In turn, one of her daughters, Countess Nada de Torby, married Prince George of Battenberg (Later Mountbatten), whose siblings included Queen Louise of Sweden, Princess Alice of Greece (mother of Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth The Second’s husband) and Earl Mountbatten, last British viceroy to India. At the time of the wedding, in 1916, the British press openly speculated about the scandal that would ensure if Nada were to give birth to a “blackamoor prince!” another of Sophie’s daughters, Anastasia (Zia) married an English baronet, Sir Harold Wernher. The king substituted the title of countess. In the 1970’s “Lady Anastasia’s grand daughters, Alexandra, Natalia and Marilyn (see A1B1, A1B5 & A1C2) were married respectively to three of England’s wealthiest noblemen; the 5th Duke of Abercorn, the 6th Duke of Westminster and the oldest son the 16th Earl of Dalhousie (17th Earl). So not all royalty is blue-blooded. Some have the black blood of African tribal chieftains flowing through their veins.


Finally, the story of an eight year old boy who was kidnapped from Eritrea and who ended up to be a great general of Russia is incredible. His son, Ivan, had also an incredible life. The maternal great grand son of the stolen eight year old boy was Pushkin. Pushkin was one of the world's greatest authors. Pushkin's descendants married into the European royalty to the point where two of the descendants (8th generation) are second cousins to the future king of England. Hence, this real life story would put any Hollywood film to shame. By the way, don’t be impressed if you thought I wrote all the descendants name from memory. It was done through research, research and more research. In closing, of course, more study is needed to fill some gaps of this incredible odyssey that started in a small village in Eritrea called Lagwen in the 17th century.


PUSHKIN’S GENEALOGY CHART TRACING THE LINE THROUGH HIS DAUGHTER, NATALIA

















SOURCES USED (NOT IN ORDER)

1. Pushkin: A Biography. Elaine Feinstein
2. Pushkin: The Man and His Life. Robin Edmonds
3. Pushkin. Henry Troyant
4. Russia and the Negro. Allison Blakely
5. Distant Pleasures: A. S. Pushkin. Stephanie Sandler
6. Great Black Russian. John Oliver Killens
7. Alexander Pushkin: Complete Prose Fiction. Paul Deverczeny
8. Tiwlidi Lagwen
9. Pushkin's Button. Serena Vitale
10. World's Great Men of Color Vol. II. J.A. Rogers
11. The Duke: A Portrait of Prince Philip. Tim Heald
12. Prince Philip. Douglas Liversidge
13. Grand Dukes of Diamond: The Wernher's of Lutton Hoo. Raleigh Trevelyan
14. Two Lives One Russia. Nicholas Daniloff
15. The Princess of Siberia: The Story of Maria Volkonsky. Christine Sutherland
16. A Romanov Diary: The Autobiography of H.I.& R.H. Grand Duchess George
17. Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin. Sebag-Motefiore
18. Eugene Onegin. Alexander Pushkin
19. Anna Karenina. Leo Tolstoy
20. Notes on Prosody and Abraham Gannibal. Vladimir Navakov
21. The Mountbattens: From Battenberg to Windson. Douglas Liversidge
22. Alice: Princess Andrew of Greece. Hugo Vickers
23. Russians views of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Sona Stephen Hoisington
24. Court of Russia in the 19th Century. Vol. I. 1908. E.A.Brayley Hodgets
25. Gannibal: The Moor of St. Peters burg. Hugh Barnes

ARTICLES/JOURNALS/NEWSPAPERS &MAGAZINES

1. Natioanl Geographic Magazine. Mike Edwards. Sept. 1992
2. The New Yorker. Shooting Pushkin. Ralph Fieness. June 7, 1999
3. Russian Life. "My Pushkin/Our Pushkin" Mike Ivanov. June/July 1999
4. Russian Life. "Dine with Pushkin". June/July 1999
5. Pushkin and His Works. Pushkin Centenary, 1837-1937
6. Russian Life. "The Poet's Fate." Elaine Feinstein. June/July 1999.
7. Ebony. "Letter to the Editor" Charles Stewart. December 1988.
8. Christian Science Monitor. "Pushkin was the Source". William J. Dean. February 7, 1990.
9. Descendants of Duke Wilhelm of Nassau
10. Genealogy of the Royal Family of Great Britain.
11. Genealogy of the Imperial Family of Russia.
12. Genealogy of the Ducal Family of Nassau
13. The Times. "Pushkin Turns 200". Maura Reynolds. June 4, 1999.
14. The Journal of Negro History. Albert Parry. October 1923.
15. Great Negroes Past and Present. Russell Adams. 1963