Traditional Ethiopian literature was largely religious, both in form and content. “Ecclesiastical in Character”: The great German scholar of Ethiopian culture, August Dillmann, emphasising the above point, once declared that the Ge’ez language was: “cultivated for literary purposes mainly in the service of religion and of the Church. The large majority of the extant writings …
This week’s corner concludes Professor Pankhurst’s three part series on the events, personalities and collective effort behind the successful repatriation of the Obelisk from Italy. The Ethiopisant scholar however, ends this article in tantalizing manner… We saw in the last article how the original Aksum Obelisk Committee, an entirely private body composed of less than …
The historian continues the series relating to the events surrounding the return from Rome of the Aksum Obelisk, looted and transported in 1937. In this edition, Professor Pankhurst reveals an as yet untold display of staunch solidarity with Ethiopia’s right of restitution by Chief Segun Ulusola, the then Ambassador to Ethiopia of the Federal Republic …
Personal recollections of the Aksum obelisk issue: Early days This first in a series of articles about what must be rated as one of Ethiopia’s most successful, wholly unofficial and private initiative led grouping – the Aksum Obelisk Return Committee is timely…. Even as we speak, the returned obelisk is being re-mounted on the same spot …
We saw last week that the period after World War I had witnessed a number of reforms, as well as difficult relations with both Britain and France. Now read on: Reforms of the 1920s Contacts between Ethiopia and the outside world were nevertheless strengthened by the establishment of an Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and …
The Religious Issue Iyasu, a child of the twentieth century, and son of Ras Mika’‚l, a former Muslim, had a significantly different attitude to religion from that of previous Ethiopian monarchs. Extending the secularist attitude of his grandfather, Menilek, who had permitted the practice of smoking, hitherto banned by the Church, he tried to treat …
Having, in the last two weeks examined the beginnings of modernisation in the last part of Menilek’s reign, we turn now to the political crises of the time: Succession Problems The last years of Menilek’s reign, like those of several earlier Ethiopian rulers, were bedevilled by the problem of succession. This became particularly serious after …
We saw last week that Menilek, mainly after his victory at the battle of Adwa in 1896, began Ethiopia’s modernisation. Now read on: Another important development of this period was the introduction, by whom is uncertain, of the Australian eucalyptus tree. Some of the first plants were reportedly planted by Menilek’s French adviser, Casimir Mondon-Vidailhet, …
We saw last week that Ethiopia imported large quanlities of cotton and silk from India, in ancient and medieval times. Now read on: Jewels were another costly import from India, destined largely for the richest Ethiopian churches. Emperor Galawdewos’s chronicle states that several places of worship destroyed by the soldiers of the Adal conqueror Ahmad …
We saw last week that post-World War II Ethiopia witnessed significant achievements in economic and other fields. This did not, however, prevent the growth, in the 1960s and early 1970s, of steadily increasing political discontent. Now read on: The 1960 Coup d’Etat Complaints at the slow pace of Ethiopian economic development, which was seen as …