Through a rare autobiographical act, Zara Yacob, who acquainted himself with the teachings of the Catholic Church introduced by Portuguese Jesuit missions in Sixteenth-century Ethiopia, becomes the first self-conscious founder of a philosophical tradition in Ethiopia. Indeed, it is a mild exaggeration to assert that it is Zara Yacob who gave the continent of Africa an original autobiography, something that was at that time confined to literate traditions outside of Africa. His treatise is a masterful example of self-presentation, clearly and powerfully expressed in a captivating literary style. Teodros Kiros teaches at Brown University and is a fellow at the W. E. B. DuBois Institute at Harvard University. He is a writer and journalist. He received his B.A. at University of Wisconsin and his Ph.D. in Political Philosophy at Kent State University. He is author of the books, Toward the Construction of a Theory of Political Action in Africa, Moral Philosophy and Development: The Human Condition of Africa, The Promise of Multiculturalism, Self-Construction and the Formation of Human Values (Winner, 1999 Michael Harrington Book Award for an outstanding book that contributes to human progress), and also Explorations in African Political Thought. His forthcoming books include a novel titled Cambridge Days and a collection of short stories and essays. He is also a columnist at The Somerville Journal and editor and writer-at-large for The Ethiopian Reporter.