Ethiopia

Born in Babylon

The spread of Rastafari carried pan-African ideals from rural Jamaica to the world. From its origins in 1930s Kingston, it has espoused a striking message: Africa yes, England no. 

Crimes in Africa

Italy’s imperial record of murder and looting, fire and devastation in Ethiopia.

Dissonant Horn

Ethiopia’s current crisis is rooted in a long history of regional and ethnic defiance towards the political centre. 

The Addis Ababa Massacre

Italy's conquest of Addis Ababa was hailed an imperial triumph by Mussolini, though most Ethiopians had only bows and arrows with which to defend themselves. 

Of Saints and Kings

Walatta Petros was a woman feared even by kings. Wendy Laura Belcher tells the story of the Ethiopian saint, her relationships with centuries of monarchs and the stories of the miracles she performed.

Abyssinia out of the Shadows

Three very different writers reported on the exotic and despotic court of the Emperor Haile Selassie. Jeffrey Meyers compares and contrasts. 

The Abyssinian Boy

Darrell Bates describes Queen Victoria's special affection for young people of exotic origin. One for whom she especially cared was Prince Alamayu of Abyssinia.