The Aksum Obelisk which was recently re-erected in its original spot has experienced a decade long and torturous path to finally return from its Roman exile. Prof. Pankhurst enlightens us with some fascinating details on this epic achievement in national heritage restitution…
Archive for the ‘Italy’ Category
Thoughts on the re-erection of the Aksum obelisk
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution on September 22, 2008| Leave a Comment »
The Aksum obelisk and the people of Kenya
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution on August 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »
The return and re-erection of the looted Aksum Obelisk marks a milestone of great significance not only for Ethiopian history, but also as an inspiration for increased momentum across Africa for the restitution of looted heritage items. This week’s ‘Corner reflects on how the return of the Aksum Obelisk is galvanizing African nations, including Nigeria and Kenya…
Ethiopian loot discussed
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution, The Maqdala loot on August 11, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Now that Italy has returned the looted Aksum Obleisk, there is added pressure on especially the authorities of the British Library and the British Museum to repatriate a large trove of manuscripts, artifacts and up to a dozen ‘tabots’, replicas of the Ark of the Covenant- sacred to Ethiopians. This week’s Corner, sheds more light on the issue, as well as providing a fascinating yet rather sad portrayal of certain glorification of war crimes and war criminals of the Fascist era in Italy …
Personal memories of the Aksum obelisk issue (Part 3)
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution on July 28, 2008| Leave a Comment »
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…
Personal memories of the Aksum obelisk issue (Part 2)
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution on July 16, 2008| Leave a Comment »
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 of Nigeria as well as the esteemed emissaries of Zimbabwe, Egypt and others, including prominent Ethiopians and the crowd at Addis Ababa Stadium…
Personal recollections of the Aksum obelisk issue: Early days
Posted in Aksum obelisk, Italy, Restitution on June 30, 2008| Leave a Comment »
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 it had stood on for centuries before it was carted away to a forced exile…..
A tour of Italian archives on Ethiopia
Posted in Italy, Restitution on April 7, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Today, dear Reader, I will take you on a tour of some Italian and Ethiopian archives.
Let us start in perhaps the easiest way by looking at the UNESCO-sponsored Guide to the Sources of the History of Africa, more especially the volume on Italian-sources: the Guida delle Fonti per la Storia dell’ Africa a Sud del Sahara esistenti in Italia.
It was edited by my old friend Professor Carlo Giglio, once a Fascist, but by my day far less committed –and a great conversationalist. The volume was published in 1973 by the Inter Documentation Company, of Zug, in Switzerland, and is in itself an important source.
A page from Ethiopian history
Posted in Italy on December 17, 2007| Leave a Comment »
It is the standard practice of authoritarian regimes to distort the facts of history so that the new ‘sanitized’ version of past and present events will suit their particular philosophies. To Nazi Germany and, in our case, Fascist Italy, propaganda was a forceful weapon – or so they had thought when dropping an audacious propaganda leaflet in 1941. Enjoy a delightful footnote from modern Ethiopian history in this week’s rather special Pankhurst’s Corner.
Hakim Workneh, Ethiopia and the Libyan war
Posted in Italy on November 4, 2007| Leave a Comment »
This second installment of “Historical Notes on Books” reveals the barbaric nature of the Fascist Italy of the early 20th century. Professor Pankhust introduces one of the giant figures of that era when the sovereignty of our country was at its greatest peril ever- Hakim Martin also known as Dr.W.C Martin. He played a heroic role in almost single-handedly confronting the corrosive anti-Ethiopian activities of Fascist Italy’s propaganda machine, while posted as Ethiopia’s diplomatic representative in London.
The beginnings of Ethiopia’s modernisation
Posted in 20th century, Italy on April 15, 2003| Leave a Comment »
1 The beginnings of Ethiopia’s modernisation
The last decades of Menilek’s (1889-1913) reign marked the beginning of Ethiopia’s modernisation, which had been delayed, among other reasons by almost a century of internal or external warfare. An unprecedented period of peace after the battle of Adwa, the opening up of foreign contacts in the aftermath of the Italian defeat, and the advent of increasing numbers of foreign craftsmen, created an entirely new climate for economic and technological development. This owed much also to the Emperor’s almost child-like interest in innovations of all kinds, and to the ability of his trusted Swiss engineer Alfred Ilg. All these factors contributed to the founding at this time of a modern state.
Richard Pankhurst 